Friends of Flora - Return of the Kiwi Project

Great Spotted Kiwi Roroa

Now we have started the blue duck back on the road to recovery, our focus has turned to another, just as important bird – the great spotted kiwi/roroa – Apteryx haastii.

This bird, the largest of New Zealand’s kiwi, has all but gone from the Flora area, with just the odd bird heard in the wider catchment over the past 30 years. To this end FoF and DOC are looking to re-establish a viable breeding population of these birds, starting with the first translocation in the first quarter of 2010.

Stoats are the main predator of the Great Spotted Kiwi, so our initial focus for kiwi re-establishment was to prove that stoat numbers were low enough for the survival of young kiwi. The best method to do this is by Footprint Tracking Tunnels (FTT’s). After two years of FTT checking, we have been very pleased to find we are tracking a very low number of stoats (- <0.5%) in the Flora . This is one of the lowest in the country.

We have carried out a survey within the Kahurangi National Park and have found an area within the northern sector of the park from which we can remove kiwi without harming the local population. We have been given the go ahead by both the Kiwi Recovery Group and local Iwi (Maori) for this project.

After two postponements due to the weather the Friends of Flora's long-awaited great spotted kiwi re-establishment took place on Wednesday 5 May 2010. Twelve roroa arrived at the Flora Hut in two helicopter flights from the Clark River (Golden Bay hinterland) accompanied by our volunteer Des and DOC Motueka's trainee ranger Earl. A reception committee of Friends of Flora (FoF), DOC, pollies, iwi, media and interested locals awaited them. The birds were placed in lidded artificial burrows watched over by FoF volunteers who lifted the lids at dusk to allow the birds to emerge in their own time. FoF volunteers and DOC staff are carefully monitoring the progress of the birds over the coming days and months. After three years of planning and furious fundraising the kiwi have returned to the Flora.

Funding is still required for the ongoing monitoring of the birds and, hopefully, their offspring over the next two years. So far the exercise has been funded almost entirely by "Mum and Dad" donors, many of whom sponsored Des Lehndorf's epic South Island "walk for kiwis".

FoF's Chairperson Maryann Ewers said on the day:

"There are extra special feelings in the achievement of having these kiwi arrive here today. After being given the green light from the Kiwi Recovery Group and iwi for the translocation, we were set with the task of having to find the $24,000 necessary for the specially trained kiwi dog team, the helicopter usage and overall costs to get to this stage. We were terribly disappointed when all funding applications for this were turned down, every one of them. We are told that corporate sponsorship is readily available - we, as yet, haven't found this to be so. We discussed whether to abandon the reintroduction for another 12 months and apply for funding in the next round, or should we try and raise the money ourselves. We knew by now we only had six weeks to do this our deadline in securing the kiwi dog team. The unanimous decision was made let's go for it! So began one of the most hectic times for Friends of Flora volunteers and supporters! I would like to personally thank all of you for the time and energy you put in to this. A job well done!"

Maryann Ewers with Gavin Udy of DOC and one of their special guests. Picture by Trish Grant.

Listen to male and female kiwi - click on the following:

Male kiwi call Female kiwi call

Tel: 03 528 9054 | Friends of Flora, PO Box 317 Motueka | fof@fof.org.nz