Whangarei Kiwi Sanctuary

Dogs are the major threat to adult kiwi in Northland and a lot of work is done with local communities to encourage them to control their family petsa nd working animals.

Within the sanctuary, a lot of work is done to control stoats, ferrets, weasels and cats.

The sanctuary is a patchwork of many separate forest areas, which range in size from 40-hectares to more than 700-hectares. Together they cover 10,000 hectares of public conservation and private land to the northwest and southeast of Whangarei city.  

Several community groups support the Department of Conservation by actively protecting kiwi on private land within and around the sanctuary. Their activities include kiwi monitoring, predator trapping, advocacy and Operation Nest Egg.

Progress

Stoat trapping has worked very well. Between 50-60% of chicks survive their first six months, compared to just 11% at unmanaged sites outside the sanctuary. The population of adult kiwi, estimated at 300 birds in 2000, is expected to reach 1000 by 2016.

In March 2009 the Kiwi Recovery Group recommended a change in emphasis for the Whangārei kiwi sanctuary. They recommended telemetry monitoring be significantly reduced to free up more resources to address the impact of dogs.

Telemetry monitoring of chicks continued during 2009–2010 after it was discovered that reducing the frequency of stoat trapping had led to a decline in kiwi productivity. In response, a 1080 operation was carried out in Riponui, targeting rats and possums. Since 2004–2005, no Riponui chicks had survived to reach 1000 grams in weight, but since the operation, more than half of its chicks have survived six months.

Dogs – the most significant problem

Dogs are the biggest threat to kiwi survival in Northland, including within Whangarei kiwi sanctuary. In Elsewhere in New Zealand, brown kiwi live 40–65 years, but in Northland the average age is just 14 years because of dog kills. Incidents of wandering dogs are reported around the region every week and adult Northland brown kiwi are frequently reported dead.  Autopsies show dogs are the major culprit.

If you see a wandering dog anywhere in the Whangarei area, call Environment Northland immediately on 0800 10 58 90 (24 hours). Under Section 59 of the Dog Control Act 1996, any uncontrolled dog that is a threat to any protected wildlife can be seized or destroyed by the land occupier or dog control officer.

Find out more

You can find out more about Northland brown kiwi.