Regenerative Tourism - Giving little kiwis a fighting chance

Aotearoa New Zealand’s national bird, icon and taonga (treasure) the kiwi, are extremely vulnerable with only 5% of kiwi chicks that hatch in the wild reaching adulthood. This is due to the fact they are a flightless bird and are unable to defend themselves until they reach adult size or over 1kg in weight from predators, such as stoats, rats and ferrets, who prey on nests and young hatchlings.

But it’s not all bad news for our cute little critters, with projects like Operation Nest Egg(opens in new window) stepping in to help! The group is partially funded by Save the Kiwi and combines the efforts of the Department of Conservation Te Papa Atawhai (Doc), community kiwi conservation groups, iwi (Māori tribes), researchers, and captive rearing facilities all over New Zealand. They work to restore kiwi populations by removing kiwi eggs and chicks from their burrows and caring for them in captivity until they’re big enough to fend for themselves in the wild, which they are then released.

It’s proving to be a success; an Operation Nest Egg has a 65% chance of surviving to adulthood. The eggs that are removed from the wild are then taken to a captive hatchery, where they are hatched, and hand raised until they are a few weeks old.

Next, they are transported and released into a kiwi crèche – a predator-proof sanctuary managed by community-led kiwi conservation groups, with support from their communities and Save the Kiwi. They will stay in the safety of their new crèche until they are big enough (around 1kg in size and able to kick a stoat with their fully grown legs) to be released back into the wild and can defend themselves.

At the beginning of May, the Great Kiwi Bird release took place on Motuara Island, in the Marlborough Sounds(opens in new window). This magical location makes the perfect crèche for growing kiwis to thrive. E-KO Tours(opens in new window) and DOC with Operation Nest Egg invited some lucky members of the staff from the isite and the Destination Marlborough team to take part in this special event releasing six Rowi Brown Kiwi Birds on Motuara Island.

The six chicks taken to the crèche had hatched at the Willowbank Wildlife Reserve(opens in new window) and were each given a name – Tiare (beauty/loved one), Rīrā (to have strength/be strong), Māika (quiet manner), Maminga (crafty/cunning), Āwheo (halo), and Bugsy.

These Rowi Brown Kiwi birds will live on the island for about a year or so, until they reach 1200-1300 grams, they are then brought to the West Coast(opens in new window) where they will live out their lives in the wild.

E-KO Tours and DOC have been working together to rebuild the Rowi Brown Kiwi Bird population, and it's proving to be a great success. This is all part of a Regenerative Tourism approach that E-KO Tours and others in the region have been practicing for a while. Long may it last.

Kiwi hold a special place in Māori culture, and to recognise the important relationship between living things and the land on which they were born, there is often a ceremony by mana whenua (local people) to welcome the young kiwi back to the place of their birth.

Spotting a kiwi is an essential New Zealand experience. View the conservation work for yourself and the incubation and hatching of kiwi birds by joining one of the tours at the following facilities.

West Coast Wildlife Centre - Franz Josef(opens in new window) – Qualmark Gold
The largest kiwi hatching facility in the South Island & "must see" all weather attraction.

Willowbank Wildlife Reserve – Christchurch (opens in new window)– Qualmark Gold
The Reserve incubates eggs for four out of five species of kiwi – Ōkarito rowi, Haast tokoeka, great spotted kiwi and North Island brown kiwi.

National Kiwi Hatchery Aotearoa - Rainbow Springs Rotorua(opens in new window)
Plays a hugely important role in kiwi conservation, incubating and hatching over 130 kiwi chicks each year.

Find out more - Here(opens in new window) are 10 places you can see these small nocturnal birds up close and here(opens in new window) are five surprising kiwi facts.