Kiwis to roam ranges again after 40 years

It has been more 40 years since kiwi have roamed the Hunua Ranges, but thanks to a pest control programme, New Zealand’s native bird can once again call the ranges home.

Five young brown kiwi, that have been living on a property in the Coromandel over the past two months, were released on Friday night after a pest control programme made it possible for kiwi to repopulate the Hunua Ranges.

The programme, which was administered by Auckland Council, involved a 1080 drop two years ago, as well as bait stations, traps and shootings to eliminate predators such as rats, stoats and possums.

The kiwi were released into the Kokako management area within the 17,500 hectare Hunua Ranges Regional Park where pest population is at 0 per cent in some parts.

Auckland Mayor Phil Goff said: ‘‘It is a challenge to deal with the possum, the stoats, the rats ... but we have to protect our toanga and we are doing it.

‘‘The Hunua Ranges has 17,000ha of ample space and sufficient pest protection for a large population of kiwi to re-establish their homes.’’

The kiwi are over three months old and are just over 1kg in weight, which means the birds are large enough to fend for themselves in the event the bird is met with a predator. Kiwi handler Jonathan Miles said: ‘‘It’s surreal and also a privilege [to be releasing the kiwi] ... it’s nice to know that when you look into the Hunua Ranges now, there are kiwi there.’’

Despite pest numbers being low, the kiwi could still be at threat of attack, which means the area still needs to be intensely managed.

‘‘We still have the threat if somebody comes into this area with a dog not on a leash, they could undo the work that hundreds of people have contributed,’’ said Goff.

Each kiwi had been fitted with a transmitter that will enable the kiwi handlers to track the birds location. The handlers will visit the kiwi every six weeks to check on the birds and in a few weeks time the kiwi will be recaptured for a health check. In the case that a bird is harmed or killed, Miles said the council would treat the instance as a ‘‘crime scene’’.Over the next two years, the Auckland Council also hopes to release another 40 Coromandel brown kiwi into the Hunua Ranges.