New Zealand Executive Government News Release Archive

A little spotted kiwi chick flew to Rotorua today as part of a revolutionary and innovative kiwi egg research and management programme designed to help save New Zealand's threatened national emblem, the Conservation Minister, Denis Marshall, said today.

The chick was taken as an egg from Kapiti Island, artificially hatched and incubated at Wellington Zoo, and will finish growing up at Rainbow and Fairy Springs in Rotorua. When mature, the young kiwi will be released onto Mokoia Island in Lake Rotorua.

Mr Marshall said recent research indicated kiwi are declining on the mainland by an average of 5.8% per year, and that the birds are most vulnerable at the chick/juvenile stage.

"It is estimated that more than 95% of chicks do not reach maturity because they are attacked by predators. However, if chick predation was cut by 35% and adult mortality from threats such as dog attacks lowered, the kiwi decline would halt."

The Bank of New Zealand-sponsored Kiwi Recovery Programme has begun the innovate research and management programme, dubbed 'Operation Nestegg', to address that problem of low chick survival, Mr Marshall said.

"Eggs and/or young chicks are 'stolen' from the nest. The kiwi parents immediately relay one or more eggs, so the chances of chick survival are immediately doubled."

"The stolen eggs are incubated and the chicks raised in captivity. When the chicks are mature enough to cope on their own, at about five months old, they will be released back into the wild.”

Operation Nestegg has the potential to turn around the current decline of key populations of New Zealand's national emblem, Mr Marshall said.

"It has significant potential for the endangered Okarito Brown Kiwi."

The Okarito Brown Kiwi, found only in a forest north of Franz Joseph, is the most endangered kiwi variety. Despite intensive predator control work, no chicks reached maturity in the past three years.

"This year five chicks have been taken into captivity and are being raised until they are old enough to defend themselves in the wild."

"Operation Nestegg means the Okarito population will have a chance of surviving into the next century."

Mr Marshall said the Department of Conservation will begin its second five year kiwi recovery programme this year.

He said the emphasis would be on maintaining the genetic diversity of kiwi by carefully choosing which populations to concentrate management effort on. Operation Nestegg would be an important aspect of the new recovery programme.

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