The brown kiwi bird population in Eastern Coromandel is flourishing, thanks to ongoing predator control efforts by the Department of Conservation (DOC) and local community. Surveys in the area between Tairua and Hot Water Beach show a 10% increase in the kiwi population from 2015 to 2020. This growth is expected to continue with the recent use of biodegradable 1080 bait pellets at Whenuakite, offering further protection against stoats.
Janice Hinds, spokesperson for the Whenuakite Kiwi Care Group, credits the success to a combined predator control strategy. Local landowners contribute to ground predator control over 3,500 hectares. Additionally, the DOC and Waikato Regional Council apply 1080 bait every three to four years to control possums, rats, and mustelids.
The brown kiwi, a vulnerable species, is a primary focus of the aerial predator control program. Without sustained predator control, up to 95% of kiwi chicks can be killed by predators. With the current system, about 60% of chicks reach adulthood. Recent monitoring shows that the aerial 1080 operation in Whenuakite has reduced rodent levels to undetectable amounts and controlled stoat populations by 90-100%.
The community’s support has been crucial to this success, with more and more landowners wanting to get involved after seeing kiwi in their backyards. The Whenuakite Kiwi Care Group is committed to the long-term protection of the kiwi and the surrounding forest ecosystem. They express their gratitude to Save the Kiwi and Waikato Regional Council for their financial support.
