In exciting news for the conservation of kiwi numbers in New Zealand, the move, expected to take place in mid-May, will bring the birds to the island in the hopes they will flourish in the area.
They will be released in a remote and isolated part of the island where work has been undertaken to reestablish native forest and eliminate predators.
According to organisation Save the Kiwi, the ten birds will be transferred from neighbouring Pōnui Island to Te Matuku Peninsula at the eastern end of Te Motu-ārai-roa/Waiheke Island.
In 1964, the New Zealand Wildlife service released 14 kiwi onto Pōnui Island following a request from landowner Peter Chamberlin and today, the island is home to an estimated ~1,500 kiwi.
Save the Kiwi CEO Michelle Impey says releasing kiwi onto Waiheke isn’t just good news for the island, it’s good news for Auckland.
“Kiwi have a unique ability to unite people, regardless of their age, stage, or walk of life,” she says. “But it’s hard to care about something that is never seen, heard, or experienced.”
A kiwi homecoming?
Impey says kiwi used to live all over New Zealand, and there’s evidence they may have lived on Waiheke too.
“It is a privilege to help return this taonga species to where they once lived, long before Auckland City was here,” she says. “How amazing will it be for future generations on the island to one day have daily experiences with kiwi?”
The project is a collaboration between Save the Kiwi, Ngāti Paoa and Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki, with support from Te Korowai o Waiheke, Pōnui Island landowners, and the Department of Conservation.
Ngāti Pāoa Chair Herearoha Skipper says this release is very important to mana whenua.
“Returning kiwi to Te Motu-ārai-roa contributes to the overarching strategic environmental plan that Ngāti Pāoa has to restore the biodiversity on the whenua as well as in the moana,” she says. “Both are inextricably linked; we cannot do one without the other.
“We acknowledge the efforts of Te Korowai o Waiheke and other predator control projects that have worked tirelessly over many decades to remove predators from the island, therefore creating a space where kiwi and other native wildlife can thrive.”
Challenges to their survival
While dogs pose one of the biggest threats to the birds, organisers say support for this project has been overwhelmingly positive, from residents on the island to members of the local board.
Representatives from local schools and community groups are painting wooden kiwi burrows that the kiwi will spend their first night on the island in, while responsible dog ownership and Kiwi Avoidance Training workshops have been held on the island.
“We know that dogs are really important parts of many New Zealanders’ lives, but they do pose a significant threat to kiwi,” says Impey. “Kiwi populations can thrive while dogs and their owners enjoy plenty of freedom when we work alongside each other for the benefit of both.
“Kiwi being released onto Waiheke won’t change anything for responsible dog owners who already keep their dogs under control. All we ask is for dog owners to abide by what legislation already exists.”
All native species are protected under the Dog Control Act 1996. Under the Act, dog owners are required to keep their dogs under control.
The ten kiwi will be welcomed to Waiheke at Piritahi Marae with a public pōwhiri in mid-May. Attendees will get the chance to see a kiwi up close at the event, before they are transported to Te Makutu Peninsula to be released privately.
