BNZ Operation Nest Egg™ Milestones

In the 2002/2003 breeding season the first third-generation egg was laid – the chick’s grandfather was one of the original BNZ Operation Nest Egg™ chicks hatched at Auckland Zoo.

In 2007, Kiwi Encounter hatched its 500th chick, and Auckland Zoo its 150th.

In February 2008, Hūpai hatched. This cute little fluff of feathers was the 1000th kiwi chick hatched using the innovative tool, and in November she returned to her wild home in Waimarino Forest, in the central North Island.

In Tongariro kiwi sanctuary, the tool has been so successful in increasing the kiwi population it is no longer needed – with the population secure, funding is now used for widespread predator control to protect all kiwi in the sanctuary.

With the addition of great spotted kiwi in 2007, BNZ Operation Nest Egg™ is now being used on all five formally recognised kiwi species.

The future

To help ensure BNZ Operation Nest Egg™ remains a useful tool, a 10-year plan is being developed.

This will include:

• A national system for collecting and analysing data to allow comparisons to be made between species and techniques, and identify best practices. These will become national standards for egg handling, incubation and chick rearing.
• Co-ordinating the activities of incubation and creche facilities, sharing information, and identifing where new facilities may be needed.
• Comparing the costs and benefits of BNZ Operation Nest Egg™ compared to other kiwi conservation tools (such as large-scale predator control) so that the best tool is applied in each specific situation.