Mainland Kiwi Transferred to New Offshore Haven

Forest and Bird, Issue 302, 1 November 2001, Page 38

Mainland Kiwi Transferred to New Offshore Haven

— MEG COLLINS

wo female kiwi juveniles, rescued from the mainland Ohope Scenic Reserve near Whakatane last summer, have been released on to Moutohora (Whale Island) in the Eastern Bay of Plenty. The chicks, nicknamed ‘Manaia’ and "Humbumble;, were raised at Rainbow Springs in Rotorua by Deidre Vercoe, under the joint Operation Nest Egg programme which is sponsored by the Bank of New Zealand along with Forest and Bird and the Department of Conservation. "We have been very pleased with the weight gain of these chicks, says Deidre. "We are

quite confident they will do well at Moutohara, as there are no predators there. ‘The initial aim of this kiwi programme on Moutohora is to produce sufficient birds to start re-introducing them back on to locally managed reserves on the mainland, says John Sutton, area manager for DoC. Over the last 8 years DoC, together with the Maori people Nga Awa, has developed Moutohora into a predatorfree island by eradicating rats, possums and many weed species. There has been an intensive native planting programme, and the island is now ready to offer sanctuary

to other birds and insects. Already tuatara, saddleback and kakariki parakeets have been released and all are thriving. The birth of kiwi chicks at the Ohope Scenic Reserve was a boost for all the people and organisations, including Forest and Bird, who have been collectively helping to save the birds in the one of the largest pohutukawa forests in New Zealand. The nesting success of the kiwi at Ohope is due to a combination of possum control by the Whakatane District Council and Environment BOP at Kohi Point, rat and stoat control by DoC, and possum

and magpie control by the ‘Bring Back the Birds’ programme organised by the local Forest and Bird, and 39 nearby residents. The local residents have also seen a noticeable increase in tui, New Zealand pigeon and bellbird since the inception of the programme. DoC will be surveying and monitoring the remaining seven kiwi in the Ohope Scenic Reserve which will provide information for future kiwi management on the mainland about Whakatane. A pair here are breeding again.