Alongside the rippling waters of Lake Waikaremoana, among the ancient trees of Te Urewera National Park, huge efforts are going in to protect kiwi.

The Lake Waikaremoana Hapu Restoration Trust is working with the Department of Conservation (DOC) to restore the lake side’s brown kiwi population, estimated to have declined by 90 per cent since 1920.

The project was sparked in 1992 when Dr John McLennan, of Landcare Research, chose the area to test his theory that the main cause of kiwi deaths is predation, in particular, stoats killing chicks while they are still too small to defend themselves. 

Other researchers, tangata whenua and DOC joined in to help and, when the study ended nine years later, the theory was proven to be true.  The findings had a huge and immediate  influence on the work being done to save kiwi all around New Zealand – and at Lake Waikaremoana.  Armed with that knowledge, tangata whenua and DOC stepped in to try and turn the tide.

With equipment and services donated by Landcare Research, tangata whenua took over managing the predators on Puketukutuku Peninsula, while DOC focused on monitoring the kiwi population.

Today the Lake Waikaremoana Hapu Restoration Trust and DOC maintain a close working partnership.

The main strategy has been to create a “mainland island” on Maori land on Puketukutuku Peninsula.  First, a predator proof enclosure was built to keep kiwi chicks safe when the forest’s stoat population explodes.  And a worm farm (using native worms) has been set up to provide extra food. 

More recently, a kiwi-proof fence has been put across the neck of the peninsula to keep kiwi in.   Between 1993 and 2003 too many young birds walked out of the safety of the peninsula and into the mouths of predators, slowing down the population’s recovery.  The aim is to have between 150 - 200 kiwi living there (at present there are about 75 birds), and this will happen more quickly if the birds can’t leave.

Trapping predators, particularly stoats, is at the core of the Waikaremoana Kiwi Project and the Trust has a four-person team on the job.   When not luring stoats into Fenn traps, the team built the kiwi-proof fence and kiwi enclosure, and now maintain the worm farm and help with kiwi monitoring.   It also gets involved in neighbouring conservation initiatives, such as Nga Tipu a Tane (the native plant nursery) at Te Kura o Waikaremoana.

Stoats are the main focus of the trapping programme, but the team also cage-traps larger predators, such as ferrets and cats, and deals to wild pigs.  Wild porkers like the white hens eggs used to bait the stoat traps and are strong enough to knock the safety covers off – unfortunately, this exposes the trap which is dangerous for kiwi and other bird life.

To help the forest recover, deer are also hunted, and a yearly cycle of possum trapping is always underway.

The Lake Waikaremoana Kiwi Restoration Project is part of Bank of New Zealand Save the Kiwi Operation Nest Egg - if something goes wrong while the father incubates the eggs in his burrow, these are taken for artificial incubation at Westshore Wildlife Reserve in Napier or Kiwi Encounter at Rainbow Springs, Rotorua.  Once big enough, the chicks are then released back onto the peninsula.  Many kiwi have survived to breed at Waikaremoana thanks to the efforts of these institutions.

More recently, the Lake Waikaremoana Hapu Restoration Trust agreed to leave four kiwi chicks in captivity at Westshore Wildlife Reserve where their offspring will help re-seed kiwi populations in the central North Island. The captive kiwi will be released to the wild after 12 years.

Size of Area under Protection

About 1400 traps are laid out along lines throughout the 1500 hectares of the Puketukutuku Peninsula and neighbouring Pukehou area.  Although they target stoats, weasels and a large number of rats are also caught.

Biggest Challenges

By far the biggest challenge for Waikaremoana’s kiwi team is keeping stoat levels down.

Biggest Successes

With all the hard work, it’s not surprising that the team’s the biggest challenge (killing stoats) is also its biggest success – and it shows in the number of kiwi surviving.  When Dr McLennan surveyed the adult kiwi population on Puketukutuku Peninsula in 1993, he counted just 24 kiwi.  By 2005, thanks to the intensive efforts to get rid of stoats, the kiwi population had trebled to 76. 

Funding

Lisa Waiwai would like to especially thank Bank of New Zealand Save the Kiwi Trust for the support it gives the Waikaremoana project – not only with funding, but also with mentoring, guidance and support.  The Trust’s latest grant is supporting a research project on the effectiveness of a dispersal fence.

Other support for the Lake Waikaremoana Kiwi Restoration Project comes from many private, community and corporate associates and sponsors, including:

• Te Puni Kokiri and Lotteries Environment and Heritage provide funding for wages, administration and some overheads
• Genesis Energy provides sponsorship dollars
• WWF – New Zealand and Manaaki Whenua support research for the project
• Grandma’s Slipper Club
• Raffles, donations/Koha
• People who love the kaupapa as much as we do

The One Most Important Thing

Everyone agrees that the most important thing a new group should do is surround yourself with a good support group that ‘has the passion’.

Contact Details

If you would like to help with the work of the Lake Waikaremoana Kiwi Restoration Project, or would like further information, contact Lisa Waiwai or Robert Waiwai, at: 

Postal address: Lake Waikaremoana Hapu Restoration Trust Te Makerenui o te Haooaka o Waikaremoana, Main Rd Tuai, R D 5, Wairoa
Office Phone/Fax: 06 837 3700
Workshop phone: 06 837 3710
Email: lwhrt@xtra.co.nz