17 kiwi returned to Haast sanctuary

By Vihan Dalal
Local Democracy Reporter 

The Department of Conservation says it is making progress with securing rare kiwi populations on the West Coast, with the return of 17 Haast tokoeka for the first time from the Orokonui Ecosanctuary near Dunedin, and the addition of two more pukupuku (little spotted kiwi) to the monitored population.

A status report tabled with the West Coast Conservation Board said the tokoeka had been returned to the Haast kiwi sanctuary, between the Waiatoto and Arawhata rivers.

Haast tokoeka is the rarest of four types of tokoeka kiwi: Haast, Northern Fiordland, Southern Fiordland and Stewart Island.

The Haast tokoeka population numbers about 550 birds, compared to the Stewart Island species, which has a population of over 25,000.

Haast tokoeka are classified as nationally vulnerable.

The report also says work is ongoing to understand the distribution and ‘‘survivorship’’ of the newly found pukupuku, with two more birds in the Adams Wilderness Area, inland of Whataroa, added to the monitored population by fitting them with transmitters.

A remnant population of pukupuku was rediscovered in March last year, 50 years after last they were last found on the mainland. Pukupuku were last spotted in South Westland in 1978.

Department of Conservation (Doc) South Westland operations manager Wayne Costello said the return of the Haast tokoeka from Orokonui was met with celebration from the community, and that the commitments from farmers and landowners in the district to follow responsible dog ownership would help protect the bird.

‘‘The 17 Haast tokoeka received health checks prior to translocation and were assessed as being in good condition before release. The Haast tokoeka population continues to be managed through predator control and the population monitoring programme.’’

The Haast Tokoeka continued to remain nationally vulnerable, although efforts to support its population growth included predator control and survival monitoring, he said.

‘‘To support population growth, the Haast tokoeka conservation management strategy includes landscape-scale predator control (through aerial 1080 and an extensive trapping network), breeding and survival monitoring, Operation Nest Egg (ONE), and kōhanga sites,’’ Mr Costello told LDR in a statement.

The use of 1080 to protect the Haast Tokoeka has previously been met with protests from some on the West Coast, with West Coast Farmers Against Ten Eighty spokeswoman Mary Molloy, a South Westland dairy farmer, calling the use of the pellets ‘‘foolish’’ and claiming the poison has killed kiwi in the past.

Meanwhile, the discovery of two more adult pukupuku has added to the monitored population of just nine birds in the Adams Wilderness Area, with all the birds now fitted with transmitters.

‘‘It’s breeding season, so we hope they’re breeding, but we’re pretty hands-off during this time,’’ Mr Costello said.

The two adult birds added to the monitored population had been known to Doc since last year.

‘‘These birds were already known to the Department of Conservation but were not caught and fitted with transmitters until April 2026,’’ Mr Costello said.

Although the pukupuku were in ‘‘good condition’’, their population remained small. 

• LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ on Air.