This Sunday we were able to witness the release of three (3) male Kiwis, including JJ. The event was hosted at the Marae in Matapouri. Aperahama Edwards and the Kiwi Coast team led through the event. We found out about the release more by accident then design. However, the advertising obviously worked. It helped that school holidays just started. Around three hundred plus people rocked up at the frugal Te Tokomanawa o Te Aroha Marae. At 15:30 the crowd in the Matapouri backstreet was building up, SUV’s galore parked in the streets nearby to bring locals and visitors.
We talked with Dawn Avionics founder James Powell and his partner whilst waiting for an event we did not know anything about. These are often the best ones… As an aside Dawn Avionics is building these awesome non-flightless devices, called orbital space launcher MK II.
Back to the Kiwi release. Due to the big, unexpected crowd women and kids were led to the Marae and seated inside. No one else fitted in the Marae, so we waiting in anticipation outside. Aperahama welcomed all of us to the Marae and explained the proceedings. After the greeting and waitata, Ryan from Kiwi Coast explained about Kiwis, their nature and current challenges. He explained that over millenia that the Kiwi has lost its ability to fly, as there were no land based mammals or other predators threating it. Until the Moa got extinct and the Haast Eagle started tugging into Kiwis.
The Moa was a huge chicken like flightless bird. The Haast Eagle the biggest Eagle ever souring into the sky. But the Haast Eagle didn’t make it and got extinct. And now the Kiwi is under massive threat. Ryan said that on the Tutuaka Coast there were less than fifty (50) Kiwis until recently. On Limestone Island Kiwi Coast is raising young Kiwi chicks in this predator free island off Onerahi. Stout who were introduced by Pakeha are the Kiwi biggest enemies after dogs. With trapping and 1080 the fairly clever, fast learning stouts can be controlled. Once this has been done, Kiwi number slowly came back. However, there is still lots of work to be done. The by far most important action will be to put YOUR DOG ON A LEASH. Even though your little puppy may just play with the nicely smelling Kiwi, that is enough to rupture the rib cage of the Kiwi. The Kiwi will internally bleed and die. From the outside you often can not even see where the dog attacked the vulnerable flightless bird. So please, please retrain your dog and always keep your dog in sight and on a leash. Do not let your dog roam the bushes. Kiwi birds like the Toi Toi and dense bush. They also like the Radiata Pine tree forests, as it is great for nesting.
Once Ryan explained a lot about how Kiwis sense their environment, he and two other Kiwi Coastlers paraded the three Kiwis around the anticipating crowd. Apparently Kiwis have bad eye sight but very good hearing. Shrill sounds, high pitch voices, babies crying are things Kiwis hate and make them run a country mile. So we all – for a change – needed to shut our trap and be quite. And it magically worked, the Kiwis looked relaxed whilst basking in the crowd. In the evening the three tagged male Kiwis were released onto the headland. And hopefully are enjoying their new found freedom and will find a female mate to start a new family.
It was great to see how smitten most visitors were by the NZ national bird. Fantastic was the turn out of young and adolescent kids. Rather than enjoying their virtual reality, these guests were very much in the here and now, and appreciated the company of these amazing three Kiwis. Lets help to keep the Kiwis going and not face the fate of the Moa, Haast Eagle and so many other now extinct former residents of Aotearoa.
Please keep your dog on a leash and listen to the Kiwi call coming back to your backyard.
Northland Innovation Centre 