Dr John McLennan is the Bank of New Zealand Save the Kiwi Trust’s resident kiwi expert.  John has worked with kiwi for more than 20 years, most recently for Manaaki Whenua, Landcare Research NZ Ltd

John’s kiwi studies began with a small remnant population of kiwi in Hawkes Bay in 1982, and last year he completed a study at Lake Waikaremoana.  Among his research, John has confirmed that at least 90 per cent of juvenile kiwi on the mainland fail to reach adulthood, and that stoats are the main cause of kiwi decline in mainland forests.

As well as studying kiwi, John works as a kiwi advocate and is often called on to share his expertise.  This includes working with private community groups involved in kiwi restoration, being a member of the Department of Conservation’s Kiwi Recovery Group, and joining with the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society to push for kiwi zones.  The latter received significant Government funding in 2000. 

John is widely published on the subject of kiwi conservation.  The media have also called on his expertise, including the makers of two documentaries about kiwi, and the authors of features in National Geographic, New Zealand Geographic, Time Magazine and the Readers Digest. 

In the 2004 New Year's Honour List, John was awarded the Queens Service Medal (Q.S.M) in recognition of his services to kiwi and the community.