The buff weka breeding programme is a Ngai Tahu initiative conducted in partnership with Doc.
The South Island iwi has special rights to the dead native birds and the feathers were used for cloak-making, Mr Thorne said.
Buff weka were indigenous to the east coast of the South Island until they became extinct during the early 19th century.
A settler had taken some of the birds to the Chatham Islands in 1905, where they had flourished in isolation.
Chatham Island buff weka now number in the thousands and may be legally hunted.
In 2000, Ngai Tahu's four South Island runanga decided to try to re-establish the weka on the mainland and the first chicks were relocated to Stevensons Island (Te Peka Karara) in 2001.
Under a Ngai Tahu Claims Settlement Act provision, the South Island iwi is allowed to hold dead native birds without a permit, which is legally required otherwise.
Museums and individuals must apply for a permit from Doc to keep dead native birds.
A Ngai Tahu spokeswoman said weka feathers were highly valued by weavers and for cloak making.
Any dead native birds were held as part of a "culture material bank" and subse-quently used for traditional projects by designated weavers.
Iwi funding for the Lake Wanaka breeding programme covers various costs, including warden volunteers to monitor the Stevensons Island aviary, pest control, and relocation projects.
Next year, some weka are due to be reintroduced to the mainland, possibly on The Peninsula, near Wanaka, Mr Thorne said.
