Kiwi Birdlife Park turns 30

Kiwi Birdlife Park has two reasons to celebrate this week.

First, it welcomes a new kiwi resident tomorrow, and it celebrates three decades on Thursday.

The new bird, a 6-year-old male named McMurdo, was born in captivity at Rainbow Springs and is being brought in to mate with existing resident Tapui.

The match-making process has not been an easy one, according to park manager Nicole Kunzmann.

Tapui was initially brought in as a partner for Tawahi, another female at the park.

When the pair did not "click'', DNA testing was done and an error was picked up - Tapui was female.

She was in fact a very valuable female and the park took the decision to release Tawahi into the wild and find a new partner for Tapui.

She and McMurdo are part of an important breeding programme and Mrs Kunzmann told the Otago Daily Times the team was really excited about his arrival.

"The mix-up put a spanner in the works for our breeding season. The pair will be fully introduced by the end of April and the courtship season starts about July. Hopefully, we will have kiwi babies in October.''

For the crew, his arrival simply means more reason to celebrate.

Work on the park started in 1984 on a bit of waste land leased from the then Lake County Council.

It took two years to clear and a lot of "hard graft'', according to owner Paul Wilson.

The park was the brainchild of his parents, Dick and Noeleen Wilson, now both deceased.

The pair owned a garage in Queenstown and were repeatedly asked by tourists if there was anywhere they could see a"real-life'' kiwi.

The area was cleared, fenced and the Wilsons planted about 10,000 native plants to provide habitat and food for the wild native birds in the area.

They also constructed aviaries and approached the New Zealand Wildlife Service [now Department of Conservation] to see how they could source birds.

It officially opened for business in January 1986 with one kiwi house, a kea enclosure, a yellow-crowned kakariki aviary and a weka pen.

Admission was $3.50 and over 60 people turned up on the first day.

Skip ahead 30 years and the park is still going strong, something Mr Wilson is hugely proud of.

"We've come a long way over the years, particularly in and around conservation. What we do is hugely important and ensures our native birds and reptiles are protected for future generations.''

The park is hosting a private celebration on Thursday.

- Louise Scott 

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