The response was the launch of the Kiwi Recovery Programme, a partnership between Bank of New Zealand, the Department of Conservation and the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society.

The programme covered the conservation and management of New Zealand’s national bird.

Surprisingly little was known about kiwi in 1991 - how many there were, where they lived, what threatened their survival. 

So in its early days the programme concentrated on gathering information through surveys and monitoring, genetic research and investigating kiwi threats.  Work was lead by the Department of Conservation’s scientists and field workers.

Today that information is being used by Bank of New Zealand Save the Kiwi to develop and manage cost effective and sustainable methods for conserving kiwi in the wild, including establishing new kiwi populations and new actions to halt the kiwi's decline.

This section leads you to further information about:

• The research and management programmes underway
• Some of the actions that have been taken to protect kiwi
• Some of the ways we have used education and advocacy to raise the kiwi’s profile