A plea from the Department of Conservation (DOC) to the community for help in preventing the extinction of kiwi in the Western Bay of Plenty is starting to pay off. With fears that numbers in the region may be as low as 15 the community have put up their hands to play a part in saving our icon species.

The Tuhua Island Trust board have made the offer and given written consent for kiwi to be relocated to the pest free Island. Tuhua Trust spokesperson Magda Williams said, “The Trust is committed to assisting with the preservation of our national icon”.

Given that the remaining kiwi are likely to be remnant single adults with no opportunity to breed, it has been essential to find a safe haven where kiwi can be taken and given an opportunity to safely produce young to boost the population.

Minister of Conservation Chris Carter said, “This is a generous and fantastic offer from the Tuhua Island Trust Board. It will provide exciting opportunities to help the plight of kiwi in Western Bay of Plenty. Tuhua is a magnificent island and being pest free will be an excellent safe haven for kiwi recovery.”

With a safe haven ready and waiting, the main task is now to locate any remaining kiwi in the Western Bay, and if possible, relocate them to their new pest free home on Tuhua for a chance to breed.

“The Bank of New Zealand Kiwi Recovery Trust are providing valuable support with the search for locating remnant Western Bay of Plenty kiwi and with the community are an essential part in our efforts to prevent kiwi from becoming extinct in the Western Bay,” said Dave Wills, local DOC Ranger managing the kiwi project.

“Every piece of information is followed up with the hope of locating any remaining birds”.

10 members of the public have contacted the Tauranga office of the Department of Conservation, with potential kiwi whereabouts. Each of these leads are followed up by Dave.

More community support has been given with 38 volunteers from the Otanewainuku Kiwi Trust braving cold nights to listen for kiwi during April, May, and June. “This was the best time of the year to be listening for kiwi and they are most vocal 1-2 hours after dark,” commented Dave. The males have the most distinctive call which is easiest to hear. After July the male spends most of his time in the burrow incubating the young eggs at which time listening surveys are less effective.

As a result of the surveys, three kiwi have been heard by the volunteers in Otanewainuku Forest near Te Puke. Plans are to place transmitters on any kiwi found so they can be easily monitored.

“Thanks to the community a lot of the jigsaw pieces are starting to fall into place. We still have a big task ahead in locating birds so I would like to thank the community for their support so far and encourage anyone with any knowledge of kiwi whereabouts to continue notifying us,” said Dave.

If you would like to report any kiwi whereabouts or know more about the kiwi recovery programme please contact Dave Wills at the Tauranga DOC office on (07) 578 7677.