The Coromandel has the highest survival rate for kiwi chicks on the mainland thanks to the efforts of conservation groups. Now we might be about to export some, to create an island population of Coromandel Brown Kiwi on pest-free Motutapu in the Hauraki Gulf.
On Sunday 12 August interested members from Coromandel Kiwi Community groups visited Motutapu Island to discuss the potential translocation of Coromandel brown kiwi and get a feel for the terrain and habitat. They were given a tour of the island by Motutapu Restoration Trust members and Department of Conservation staff from the Auckland Area Office.
The establishment of a small population of Coromandel brown kiwi on Motutapu Island will be the last of New Zealand’s kiwi species to have an island sanctuary. It will allow for Coromandel brown kiwi that are sourced from all over the peninsula to be back in contact, mixing their genes and producing a genetically robust Coromandel brown kiwi to return to the peninsula in the future.
Coromandel kiwi groups pose on top of Motutapu, with the Coromandel Peninsula visible behind them
While most Brown kiwi populations are declining rapidly in the wild, Coromandel Brown Kiwi are increasing in number. Through the consistent efforts of over twelve community kiwi groups and the Department of Conservation the Coromandel brown kiwi population is now over a thousand birds. The groups have undertaken predator control over more than 50,000 ha of private and public conservation land, complemented by a targeted Operation Nest Egg project on the Kuaotunu peninsula.
Although establishing Coromandel brown kiwi on Motutapu is not a rescue operation, it could be an opportunity to showcase the success of the work undertaken over the last 10 years in kiwi recovery by community-led conservation groups and the Department of Conservation.
To find out more about the potential kiwi translocation email Hazel Speed at hjspeed@doc.govt.nz
To view more photos from the trip visit us on facebook.