Introduction
Mason's Bay
Rakiura/Stewart Island
The kiwi has long been part of our national identity; it is a taonga (treasure) to Maori; and we have a strong and enduring attachment to this long-beaked relative of the moa. But it would be wrong to think that this flightless bird will continue to survive on emotional support alone.
In areas outside conservation management, kiwi numbers are either in decline, by as much as 4 per cent a year in the North Island, or just holding their ground, as is the case in parts of the northern South Island and on Rakiura/Stewart Island.
Stoats, roaming dogs, feral cats, ferrets, ground-set traps, and being hit by vehicles are the key threats. To deal with these, Department of Conservation scientists have been developing and testing methods of conserving kiwi, with extra government funding for research since 2000.
A complex picture of kiwi biology and ecology is emerging. For instance, trapping stoats may lead to more rats that in turn compete for food with kiwi. Conservation methods that work well in the North Island may not in the South. Controlling pests only in years when more benefits are likely, rather than annually, would lead to slower increases in kiwi populations but free up resources to protect kiwi at new sites.
To complicate the picture further, genetic science in the last few years has revealed 11 varieties of kiwi, six more than previously thought. The life cycles and behaviour of kiwi differ greatly from one end of New Zealand to the other. Both issues affect the design of kiwi conservation programmes.
Kiwi by numbers: 2006 estimates
|
North Island brown kiwi (4 varieties)
|
25,000
|
|
Little spotted kiwi
|
1,425
|
|
Great spotted kiwi (roroa)
|
17,000
|
|
Okarito brown kiwi (rowi)
|
2 50
|
|
Haast tokoeka
|
300
|
|
Southern tokoeka (3 varieties):
|
34,500
|
|
Stewart Island
|
20,000
|
|
Southern Fiordland
|
4,500
|
|
Northern Fiordland
|
10,000
|
|
Total
|
78,475
|
Notes: The accuracy of kiwi population estimates ranges from very high for little spotted kiwi to plus or minus 20% in the case of North Island brown kiwi, great spotted kiwi and southern tokoeka. Estimates for this last group have been revised upwards in the last year.
The southern tokoeka (Ngai Tahu: weka with a walking stick) was previously known as South Island brown kiwi and Stewart Island brown kiwi.
Tracking tokoeka, with Olly (left) and
Lucy, Rakiura/Stewart Island
Two of the new varieties of kiwi, on the West Coast at Okarito and in the Haast Range, have been discovered just in time to save them from extinction; they number 250 and 300 individuals respectively.
No one size fits all when it comes to managing kiwi, and DOC cannot do the work on kiwi conservation alone. There are now more than 60 community-led projects around the country, most of them in the North Island, where many kiwi still survive on private land.
Bank of New Zealand Save The Kiwi Trust has made a big contribution by sponsoring kiwi conservation, offering an opportunity for all New Zealanders to get involved.
Because scientists now know much more about kiwi and how to protect them, DOC is able to lend more of a hand to community-led projects, which are then more likely to be effective.
The new deal for kiwi started in 2000 with the Government's establishment of the DOC kiwi sanctuaries - three in the North Island, two in the South. This brochure summarises the results and knowledge gained in the last six years; draft goals to 2016 for kiwi conservation; examples of the work communities are doing; and community perspectives on kiwi conservation.
This brochure has been produced to inspireNew Zealanders to take more interest in our national bird. It would help the cause if all of us took more care with our dogs and cats, and on the roads, and to the extent that each of us are able, got involved in kiwi care projects.
back to top