Kiwi released on mountain
Four kiwi moved into their new homes on Mt Taranaki yesterday.
About 50 people attended the launch of the Kiwi Recovery Plan and many of them joined one of three groups for the walk to the release sites.
The kiwi were carried into the Egmont National park in a box. At one site a kiwi was gently placed inside a specially prepared burrow and ferns placed over the entrance. However, as people started moving away he came out and had a look around.
It was Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage’s first kiwi release. She attended this one because of the huge partnerships within Taranaki that are involved with looking after kiwi on Mt Taranaki and because it was the launch of the Kiwi Recovery Plan, she said.
‘‘For 25 years there has been investment in kiwi recovery and three plans. This is the fourth plan. It is the most collaborative that has ever been done.’’
It was the first time she had seen kiwi up close,.
‘‘It was amazing.’’
The new kiwi recovery plan is aimed at reversing the decline of
all five kiwi species. ‘‘The Kiwi Recovery Plan/ Mahere Whakaora Kiwi 2018-2028 signals an exciting new phase in kiwi conservation, with a focus on protecting kiwi populations in the wild and increasing the populations of all eight kiwi species,’’ Sage said. ‘‘Right now, kiwi are declining at a rate of two per cent per year.
‘‘With better predator control and management techniques, the plan aims to grow the population of all kiwi species by two per cent per year, reversing the decline. This means the current populations of around 70,000 would be 100,000 by 2030.’’
This Kiwi Recovery Plan focuses on in-situ management of kiwi – or growing kiwi in the wild – by managing the predators in the natural habitat of kiwi throughout Aotearoa/New Zealand.
The release was part of a collaborative kiwi conservation project involving volunteers, iwi, Taranaki Kiwi Trust, DOC, Taranaki Mounga Project, Kiwis for Kiwi, Rotokare Trust, Zoo and Aquarium Association member institutions, Te Puia and Rainbow Springs.