Custom Fleet (NZ) Limited are proud to announce their support of the Bank of New Zealand Kiwi Recovery Trust by supplying the “Kiwi-mobile” – a Toyota RAV4 4WD registered as KWI4VR.

The RAV4 was originally used to support Beatrice Faumuina, New Zealand’s Discus Queen.  When Beatrice heard that Custom Fleet were trying to find a vehicle suitable to provide the Bank of New Zealand Kiwi Recovery Trust, she was keen to return her vehicle so that it could be given to the Trust.

“I felt that it was something that I could do to ensure this amazing bird remains a part of our present – not just something we need to show our children pictures of when we try to explain why we are known as ‘Kiwis’,” explained Beatrice.

The official handover will be held in Custom Fleet’s Mt Wellington showroom on Tuesday, 14 October 2003 at 11am.  Beatrice Faumuina will MC the event.

Geoff Tipene, Managing Director of Custom Fleet, said “We felt that our community support needed to provide some tangible benefits for the whole of New Zealand and supporting the protection of New Zealand’s major icon provided that opportunity.

“We are very pleased and proud to become the Bank of New Zealand Kiwi RecoveryTrust’s first major sponsor and hope that KWI4VR provides a useful resource in getting the message out to all New Zealanders.”

One of the major aims of the Bank of New Zealand Kiwi Recovery Trust is to provide inspiration, guidance and tools to enable New Zealand communities to protect and enhance local and regional populations of kiwi.  This aim gave Custom Fleet the inspiration to provide the “Kiwi-mobile” to the Trust. 

“By providing the RAV4, we feel we have essentially given the Bank of New Zealand Kiwi Recovery Trust another tool in their mission to spread the kiwi recovery message throughout New Zealand.  We are pleased to have been able to have provided such valuable and practical support to this worthy cause, and we are proud to say that we are definitely Kiwis supporting kiwi,” said Tipene.

“The kiwi has even given us our international identity - the world-over New Zealanders are known as "Kiwis".  Six years ago, there were an estimated 78,000 kiwi in New Zealand. Today that has dropped to around 70,000,” explains Kieron Goodwin, Executive Director of the Bank of New Zealand Kiwi Recovery Trust.

“The Bank of New Zealand Kiwi Recovery is doing great work in helping to curb the kiwi’s decline in many parts of New Zealand; however, in unmanaged areas, the kiwi population continues to decrease by roughly 6 per cent a year.  Ensuring the kiwi's continued survival requires the support of us all.”

The RAV4 will prove invaluable in allowing Kieron to freely travel throughout New Zealand educating Kiwis on the plight of the kiwi.  Kieron will routinely travel to visit kiwi sanctuary and community-based kiwi conservation groups in areas such as Northland, the Coromandel, Lake Waikaremoana, Tongariro, Bay of Plenty and the South Island’s West Coast.  Such difficult terrain meant that a robust vehicle was a necessity, not a luxury, for the Trust.

The vehicle itself provides an educational tool as it is sign written with the Bank of New Zealand Kiwi Recovery logo along with pictures of the Trust’s mascot, a baby brown kiwi, and a Great Spotted Kiwi.

Further information on the Bank of New Zealand Kiwi Recovery Trust can be found on their new website www.kiwirecovery.org.nz.

About Custom Fleet (NZ) Limited:
Custom Fleet (NZ) Limited was established in 1996 and provides Fleet Leasing and Management Solutions to almost 2000 New Zealand companies.

Our strength lies not only in our diverse products, but also in our exceptional service through sales and customer service personnel who are dedicated specialists in each business area. They give us a detailed appreciation of each client's requirements and business objectives - in brief, a customised service.  We believe this consistently high level of service and our pro-active fleet management advice are the key factors that have driven the success of our business.

About the Bank of New Zealand Kiwi Recovery Trust
Our mission – “ To enable kiwi, New Zealand’s national icon, to once again flourish in its natural habitat for generations to come.”

The Bank of New Zealand Kiwi Recovery Trust is responsible for marketing, education, fundraising and allocating funds.  The Trust channels all its funds to Bank of New Zealand Kiwi Recovery, a programme managed by the Department of Conservation to co-ordinate all kiwi recovery work in New Zealand.  This includes work being done to research and monitor kiwi, actions to save kiwi, and what has been done to promote kiwi conservation among New Zealand communities.

This fully independent and registered charitable trust is a partnership between one of New Zealand’s major financial institutions, the Bank of New Zealand, and the Department of Conservation.

Its aim is to work with iwi, communities and conservation groups in a combined effort to once again fill New Zealand’s night air with the calls of kiwi – crreeeeee.

While the Bank of New Zealand Kiwi Recovery Trust is still in its start-up phase, it shoulders a big task - preeminent responsibility for supporting the Department of Conservation and community-based kiwi conservation groups throughout the country in the management and recovery of New Zealand's national bird. Including:

• Increasing the kiwi population
• Increasing the number of places that kiwi live
• Maintaining the genetic diversity of kiwi species and sub-species

For further information and images contact:
Brenda Laing
Marketing Co-ordinator
Custom Fleet (NZ) Limited
DDI: 09 573 4653
Email: blaing@customfleet.co.nz
www.customfleet.co.nz

Kieron Goodwin

Executive Director

Bank of New Zealand Kiwi Recovery Trust

DDI: 09 375 1084

Mobile: 029 478 4610

Email: KiwiRecoveryTrust@bnz.co.nz

www.kiwirecovery.org.nz