The East Coast/Hawke's Bay region covering the eastern side of the North Island from Opotiki to Woodville, is home to a wide variety of native plants and animals. The area is unique as the one place in the world where North Island brown kiwi, North Island weka and blue duck (whio) can all be seen in the wild.
These, and other native New Zealand species are at risk from introduced animals such as dogs. Following a spate of kiwi deaths caused by dogs in the 2003-4 hunting season, the Department of Conservation (DOC) introduced a range of requirements to manage dogs taken into public conservation areas
From 1st May 2005, no dogs are permitted in all Scenic Reserves, Conservation or Forest Parks and named Conservation Areas unless owners have obtained a permit from DOC.