Little Spotted Kiwi / Kiwi-pukupuku - Restoration
(Apteryx owenii)

Restoration Visitor Experience Facts

Kiwi chick "Frodo" in nest

Current Status

• There are approximately 50-70 kiwi-pukupuku in the Sanctuary.
• Breeding has been detected every year since their release and recaptured kiwi have been a healthy weight indicating that the habitat in the Sanctuary is suitable for them.

Returning Kiwi to the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary

In the beginning: 500 years ago there would have been little spotted kiwi or kiwi-pukupuku living in the Sanctuary valley, along with brown kiwi. With the arrival of the settlers, land was cleared, the bush was burnt and pest predators such as stoats and ferrets introduced. By the 1880’s the little spotted kiwi was gone from the Wellington area.

The return of kiwi-pukupuku: At the end of June 2000 a team of Sanctuary and Department of Conservation staff and Sanctuary volunteers travelled to Kapiti Island and captured 20 little spotted kiwi (12 male and 8 female) for transfer to the Sanctuary. All birds were checked, weighed and banded. Transmitters were attached to some transferred kiwi so that their survival and movements could be monitored after the first release.

Then on the morning of July 4th, to the sound of a karanga or maori call of welcome, the iwi of Kapiti (Te Ati Awa ki Whakarongotai and Ngati Toa) and capture team members carried the birds through the main gates into the Sanctuary. In a moving ceremony, their guardianship was passed to the local iwi (The Wellington Tenths Trust). Following this ceremony the birds were carried to Tui Terrace where dignitaries placed four of the birds in temporary burrows. All of the birds were released at dusk at Tui Terrace where they quickly dispersed into the surrounding bushes.

Our first chick: A month or so later one of the weka gates blew open during a storm. A pair of kiwi took advantage of the opportunity, quietly slipping through into the northern end of the valley and establishing a territory there. The male had been fitted with a transmitter and toward the end of the year staff noticed that he was spending a lot of time in one burrow in the vicinity of the Valley View Track. Further investigation showed that he was sitting on an egg. The Valley View Track was then only a surveyed route with construction about to begin. Contractors had to hurriedly rethink their approach and begin work at the southern end.

A chick was hatched in January 2001. In December 2001 the pair hatched a second chick coinciding with the launch of the Lord of the Rings. Dad was nicknamed Jackson (because he was such a good producer) and the chick was nicknamed Frodo. This pair hatched a third chick in December 2002 at which time monitoring ceased.

• See pictures and videos of Frodo and Jackson

Second transfer: In July 2001 a further 20 birds (10 males and 10 females) were transferred from Kapiti. Two pairs were released into the lower valley area with the resident pair, and the other 16 released at Tui Terrace. It is estimated that there are now two pairs on the eastern slopes and three pairs on the western slopes.

Kiwi monitoring

In 2001, a volunteer team "the Kiwi Kounters" was established to monitor kiwi calls. This programme follows a national protocol whereby volunteers visit the valley for one hour after dark during the months of January through to March to listen for calls. The purpose of the programme is to detect population trends by counting calls.

Two sites have been monitored by the volunteers and the average call rates are:

The Future

• Karori Sanctuary could probably support 60 little spotted kiwi pairs, being a pest-free habitat well able to meet their dietary needs.
• Our kiwi seems to be doing well and should continue to thrive. In the absence of introduced predators they are quite tough and resilient.

• View the Kiwi Press Release.
• For more information about the recovery of kiwi in New Zealand, see the Bank of New Zealand Kiwi Recovery project.