The government has announced a $2 million injection into redeveloping the Ōtorohanga Kiwi House as part of its Covid-19 response and recovery fund.
A welcome surprise to locals, the funding will allow Kiwi House to build a large visitor and conservation centre and a large nocturnal house experience.
Kiwi House manager, Jo Russell, said the redevelopment will provide 190 jobs for the building and construction industry in Ōtorohanga.
“We know Ōtorohanga has supported the Kiwi House for 50 years so we want to put something back into the community, which will keep our local economy ticking over.”
Some staff lived on site during the lockdown to look after the animals’ welfare and security of the facility.
They believe the government funding shows the value of the Kiwi House to the country’s conservation efforts.
“We play an important role nationally, in terms of our wildlife breed and release recovery programmes,” Russell said.
