Save the Kiwi

We loved sharing this unique experience with Neville Combrinck and Jessica Cramb from Royal Wolf! Royal Wolf is a wonderfully engaged part of the Save the Kiwi sponsorship whānau. Staff have gone on tree planting days, they’ve supported us at the Fieldays, and now they’ve gifted a special name to a kiwi chick: “Wolfie”. Over the coming months, Royal Wolf will share updates about Wolfie with their internal teams and wider network. We’re looking forward to tracking his development too! #savethekiwi #kiwisaver

“It’s a tough job but we’ve made real progress. The traps are working, the birds are coming back. That’s what it’s all about.” Mike Walker manages all things predator control for the Forest Lifeforce Restoration Trust. His role is funded by Jobs for Nature, which Forest Lifeforce successfully applied to receive through Save the Kiwi. Mike was hired to install an additional 516 traps at one of the Trust’s land blocks, Pohokura, building on the trapping network the Trust had already established. At seven traps per kilometre of trapline, around a third of the 11,348-hectare estate is now “a dangerous place to be for mustelids, possums and rats”. While the Jobs for Nature programme ends in mid-2025, the future looks bright for Mike. Mike has set up his own business, Whio Contracting, now employees several people to carry out pest and predator control across the Hawke’s Bay and will continue working with the Trust. “It was shock at the time but I reckon that bloody coronavirus did me the biggest favour. Now I get to hang out in some of the coolest places in the country, doing something that’s really worthwhile. “But the Forest Lifeforce Restoration Trust, Save the Kiwi and Jobs for Nature funding really made it possible. And for that I’m so grateful.” Read the full story here >>> https://lnkd.in/gyWcASc9 #savethekiwi #jobsfornature #mahimōtetaiao #departmentofconservation Department of Conservation (DOC)

A few weeks ago, Save the Kiwi held our annual team hui in Rotorua. Our team is spread across the North Island, from Whangārei to Wellington and Taranaki to Havelock North, so our annual get-together this is always a wonderful opportunity to spend time in the same room and plan the year ahead. Thank you to Millennium Hotel Rotorua Rotorua for being wonderful hosts! #savethekiwi #kiwisaver Millennium Hotels and Resorts, New Zealand

This Christmas, we’re asking Santa to give chicks like this one known as “Waiwaiā” the best chance at survival. Please make a donation to help make this happen. All donations made this Christmas will go directly to protecting the kiwi we have now, like Waiwaiā, and rebuilding future generations. Donations will help fund: 🐀Predator control initiatives 🌳Kiwi dogs and their work to locate eggs in the wild 🐣Hatching and incubation centres 🚗Kiwi transfers to fast-track the growth of kiwi in areas where they’ve been locally extinct for more than a century 🐕Kiwi avoidance training and other dog management measures ❓Research into how we rebuild kiwi populations better and faster This Christmas, we would like to raise $20,000 to give Waiwaiā and their cousins the best life possible. Will you help us get there? If you can, please consider donating to Save the Kiwi this Christmas here >>> https://lnkd.in/gJGM6TvU #savethekiwi #kiwisaver

Donations to Save the Kiwi can come in all sorts of ways! Last month, the Auckland Philharmonia had their annual Been There, Got the T-Shirt fundraising day where all the orchestra players dig out their branded t-shirts from previous schools, universities, concerts and occasions where they’ve gone to and got the t-shirt! It’s a fun way to finally wear that old favourite that’s been stuck in the bottom drawer for too long! Every year, they also raise money for a charity. One of the Philharmonia’s trumpet players is heading for Germany soon and chose Save the Kiwi as this year’s charity. Thank you so much for your generosity, Auckland Philharmonia! You’ve also given the Save the Kiwi team a fun idea for our next themed morning tea 😉 #savethekiwi #kiwisaver

Calling all Aucklanders: Auckland Council is seeking feedback on pest and predator control for their bylaws. This includes cat desexing and microchipping and keeping pet cats on your own property. Cats are loved members of many New Zealand families. But they're becoming increasingly problematic in the conservation space. When pet cats aren’t looked after responsibly, wild and eventually feral cat populations can explode. Responsible cat ownership is also good for cats and cat owners. When they're microchipped, they're easier to identify if they're found far from home. When they're desexed, families avoid unwanted litters of kittens. When they stay close to home, they're less likely to get lost or in fights. The conversation about cats and conservation is getting louder. If you would like to see more responsible cat ownership and the subsequent flow-on effects for our environment, please have your say. Submissions close on Sunday. Find out more information here >>> https://ow.ly/ib7z50UlfQp #savethekiwi #kiwisaver

Kiwi on Motutapu Island 🥝🏝️ “To the motu and back” is a programme that utilises Auckland’s pest-free Motutapu Island to accelerate kiwi recovery for Coromandel brown kiwi. Kiwi eggs are lifted from the Hauraki-Coromandel region and hatched in facilities including the Gallagher Kiwi Burrow, The National Kiwi Hatchery, and Auckland Zoo. Chicks are released onto pest-free Rotoroa Island where they stay until they reach the ‘stoat-proof’ weight of 1.2kg, at which point they’re transferred to Motutapu Island or returned to the Hauraki-Coromandel region. Kiwi that are transferred to Motutapu Island will live there forever, living their best lives and breeding in safety from introduced predators like stoats. Next year, we expect the first progeny kiwi will be transferred from Motutapu back to the Hauraki-Coromandel region where their ancestors originally came from. Check out this video produced by VideoTaxi to learn more about what goes into this kaupapa and why it’s so important. Thank you to gifting and receiving iwi, community groups, organisations, individuals, the Department of Conservation (DOC), and Rotoroa Island Trust for helping make this important work happen. #savethekiwi #kiwisaver

Meet the chick known as “Wolfie”, named after our wonderful sponsor Royal Wolf! A few weeks ago, Neville and Jessica from Royal Wolf visited the Gallagher Kiwi Burrow where they met Wolfie and learned about what goes on at the kiwi incubation and hatching facility. Then, they had the privilege of driving Wolfie and his friend known as “Maia Manawa” to the Napier kiwi creche where they’ll spend the next 3-4 months growing strong and healthy enough to stand up against a stoat should they come across one in the wild. Royal Wolf is such an engaged partner of ours, having sent staff out on several tree planting days already! It was wonderful to share the unique experience of naming and meeting a kiwi with them too. Stay tuned for a video about their adventure – coming soon! #savethekiwi #kiwisaver

ICYMI, Save the Kiwi’s very own National Predator Control Advisor John Bissell was on Hyundai Country Calendar a few weeks ago. This is an excellent episode about the work and science that goes into trapping, and starts a brave conversation about the threat of feral cats. Watch the episode on TVNZ+ here >>> https://lnkd.in/gz7us3uq #savethekiwi #kiwisaver

Another sculpture from the Kiwi Art Trail has sold! “Kiwi Fern Cardi” was created by Kura te Waru Rewiri and was one of the favourites on the Tauranga leg of the Kiwi Art Trail. The sculpture caught the eye of a visitor from overseas – and now it’s winging its way to Italy! In late March, all of the sculptures on the trail will go to auction to raise funds for kiwi conservation. But if you can’t wait until then or don’t want to be beaten at auction, we have a Buy Now price of $10k per sculpture. Two sculptures have been sold already so if you have your eye on one, get in touch – we don’t want you to miss out! Find out how to buy a one-of-a-kind sculpture before the March auction here >>> www.kiwiarttrail.nz/buy Check out which sculpture are still available here >>> https://lnkd.in/gicDzTax #kiwiartrail #savethekiwi #kiwisaver