Fantastic feat, but .

In no way do I diminish the fantastic Capital Kiwi Project success story, but let’s also celebrate the bigger picture.

We already have kiwi in the Wellington region. There are more than 150 little spotted kiwi in Zealandia, just 3km from the Beehive. There are also around 150 North Island brown kiwi in the Remutaka Forest Park, the result of years of hard work by a dedicated team of volunteers. In some areas of Karori and Wainuiomata people have been hearing kiwi calls for a few years now.

Capital Kiwi’s feat can be seen as another chapter in the book of this region’s achievements.

There are kāka in Wellington backyards. Tiēke/saddleback have nested in Polhill Reserve, and titipounamu/ rifleman have nested in Wadestown. There are tūı¯ in nearly every tree and flax bush, korimako/bellbird in many gardens, and kererū just hanging out on the local powerlines, not to mention the kārearea raiding the local pigeon population. And, there’s predator-free Miramar.

Credit goes to all Wellingtonians, including Capital Kiwi, for creating a biodiversity most cities can only dream of.

Alan Peck, Lower Hutt