A few more events

Northland Kiwi Hui November 1 & 2

Places for the 2025 Northland Kiwi Hui are filling fast. Kiwi Coast are working with co-hosts Nga Hapū o te Rawhiti and Massey University to bring you the latest Northland brown kiwi news, research and updates.

See the Kiwi Coast website for more details and online registration: https://kiwicoast.org.nz/events/

 Whangarei Heads School Kiwi

An update on the kiwi found at Whangarei Heads School and taken to the Whangarei Native Bird Recovery Centre.  She was an adult female and was struggling to walk. After vet checks showed no major injuries she was kept at the WNBRC and was eating well and recovering.  Despite Robert’s best efforts this recovery didn’t last and after more consultation with vets and Doc she was put down. The autopsy by Massy University showed that parasitic nematodes had damaged her brain. These nematode worms come from cats and they are passed onto kiwi when the cats poo in places that kiwi feed like the school grounds and surrounding bush.  Another good reason not to let cats wander!!

On the upside it was great to spend an afternoon with enthusiastic Whangarei Heads students as part of their recent Environment Afternoon there. The afternoon also included Bream Head Conservation Trust, Weed Action and Predator Free led sessions.

Monitored Kiwi on the move – Kiwi Link in action

Two of the kiwi released at Parua Bay back in March have decided to go walkabout – possibly looking for mates.  Remember that it was an extremely dry autumn and the kiwi on Matakohe/Limestone were struggling to find food and had lost a lot of weight.  After their transfer to Parua Bay they settled at the Martins’ pine forest on Owhiwa Road and rapidly put weight back on with the good food supply there. In June the young male “Matakohe” headed north but only got a few kilometers before he was killed by an uncontrolled dog at Ross road.

The other three kiwi have stayed settled in the pines at Owhiwa road until last month when we lost radio signals for “Ping” and then “Kim”.  Kerry and I spent many hours searching for these kiwi and only heard static.  Kerry kept listening in the Owhiwa area and I swept wider – catching up with locals that have good high points on their properties for listening for radio signals. Eventually a few weak peeps on Ping’s radio channel showed that she had headed north and I tracked her to the pines at the end of Taraunui  Road – at least 5km away.  Carl from PNLC monitors kiwi there so he is going to try and narrow down her location. Kiwi Link in action.

Kim took even longer to find but eventually I tracked her to Tamaterau – 5km west of her last location. At the moment she is in the back garden of a property with good dog control and has been settled there – if she has found a mate she could spend the next 50 years there.  When I was a kid there were plenty of kiwi in Tamaterau but like many areas we lost them in the 70s and 80s (we know why now: stoats, uncontrolled dogs and it was a ferret hotspot too with ferret farm releases there in the 1980s). Kim is the first confirmed kiwi there for many years.

The travels of these radio transmitted kiwi are an indication of the expanding kiwi population from the stronghold of Whangarei Heads where they have now greatly recovered from the dwindling numbers of the early 2000s. The “Kiwi Link” area between Whangarei Heads and Tutukaka is working hard on stoat and dog control so that this expanding population is able to flourish. All the hard work is paying off!

Kiwi chicks hatching

Plenty of kiwi chicks are hatching after long nesting stints by hard working dads. In the Heads/Parua Bay area the radio monitored dads Wally and Chookie continue to add to the population by both successfully hatching two chicks (details below).  There will also be hundreds of unmonitored kiwi dads doing the same.

The ONC (Operation Nest Chick) dads that we monitor in Purua for chicks for the Kiwi Coast public engagement releases have also been working hard with 6 chicks so far transferred to Matakohe/Limestone Island (see details below).

Crucial trap shy stoat control

There is little value in a big crop of chicks hatching without good stoat control to protect them. We work hard to maintain an extensive trapping network to control stoats but the fact is trapping effectiveness for stoats lasts 3 years at best before trap shy stoats start to dominate and do massive damage. A controlled ground bait station pulse of kiwi saver/1080 is the way to clean out these trap shy stoats – the rats eat the kiwi saver and are irresistible to the stoats, which are super susceptible to the toxin and die.

A massive thanks to the Manaia Landcare team led by Jess, Shona and Martin, with many other community members who have put days in clearing the bait station lines on Manaia,  reinstating bait stations and pre feeding them to key the rats and possums into them to maximise the effectiveness of  the toxin pulse. Not to mention the required paperwork. Thank you on behalf of all the kiwi chicks – and all the other birds and plants too!  This toxin pulse in conjunction with at least 6 others on private and public land in the district means a good breeding season becomes a boomer and the forest continues to recover.

Backyard Kiwi monitored kiwi update for September 2025

 Whangarei Heads/Parua Bay  Radio monitored kiwi:–

• Chookie–    Nesting in the base of the same hollow puriri that he did in 2001.  85 days nesting on 22/9/25, datastream showed 13 days since hatch and his activity up to 5.5 hours so we had a look. He had hatched 2 chicks but could only easily get one of them for ID chipping (see pics).
• Teina– In his usual valley of pampas and pines at the north end of Martins’ pine block. 10 hours of activity.
• Beach Girl – In the pampas and pines on Martin’s Northern boundary.  11 hours activity.

• Murdoch  –His datastream showed nest failure in early September but he was still in the nest burrow under a big pine tree, in the native on Deb’s block, at the end of Owhiwha Road. Back in August his activity was up so no surprises. Possibly the nest got too wet. I will check the burrow out when he moves on.
• Humphries –   Nesting in a pampas bush in pines.  North side of Martins’ block Owhiwa Road.   87 days nesting.   80 mins activity. Must be getting close to the 2nd hatch.
• Wally –Usual area of gums and pines at end of Campbell road.   After nesting 89 days on 22/9/25 his datastream tally at 14 days since hatch and activity up to 5.5 hours I did a nest check.  2 chicks ID chipped. Also did Wally’s band change: 1950g, in poor condition after his nesting effort. Took the opportunity to visit 3 new neighbouring landowners with 6 dogs between them – all well contained now.
• Myra– Still settled in the middle of the Martins’ block Owhiwa Road. 11.5 hours of nightly activity.
• Ping– After cruising around the Martins’ pine block at Owhiwa road, with several periods of no radio contact she went missing more permanently early in September.  After plenty of searching I got a weak signal from the end of Tauranui Road.  Possibly towards the Whanui block (5km away).  Carl is going to see if he can get a better signal for her. Kiwi Link in action!
• Kim  –She has also gone walkabout. Last signal at Owhiwa road was back in August, then I got a very weak signal 16/9/25 from at the top of Timperley road hill in a vague SW direction. Nothing after that. Spent a lot of time sweeping the district – met lots of owners on the way- then got a signal at Tamaterau! Another 5 km straight line move.  In a back garden there, a good safe place backing onto the bush with good dog control.  Will keep a close ear on her – would be great if she stays.  Her activity is 10.5 hours.

Kiwi that have walked to the Whareora Landcare area

• Te Motu Manu Hine –  She is still settled in her usual area of the NRC pines behind the Money Factory.  10.5 hours activity.

 

Purua ONC dads

Nesting well underway, 6 chicks transferred to date:

• Moondust – 11.5 hours activity.  Usual area behind Lovell’s Irvine road woolshed. Back in a very deep burrow.
• Buddha – Nest burrow, under a totara tree, in McGraths’ paddock, north of the quarry.  48 days nesting on 29/9/28. 3.5 hours of activity.
• Macio – South Purua reserve, nest burrow close to the creek above waterfall. 96 days nesting on 18/9/25.  Rising activity. Single  chick LC 2503 transferred to Limestone.
• 64 – Nesting 121 days on 29/9/25. He is still holding tight with 2.5 hours of activity. Maybe a late egg after his first one went rotten?
• Tahi– South-eastern Purua reserve behind Alisons’ farm. Nest burrow on the steep face near the reserve boundary. Nesting 77 days on 18/9/25. 5.5 hours activity. Had hatched single chick – LC2502 transferred to Limestone. New tx for dad, 1700g and Poor condition after nesting.
• Sam –  SW  Purua reserve.  Approximately 50m in from Hawkins’ fenceline. Datastream showed that he had stopped nesting 6 days previously and was up to 10 hours activity.  Female had obviously been helping out with the nesting as both he and she were still on the nest. 2 chicks LC2504 and 05 transferred to Matakohe.
• Derek – Nesting on  “Stump” Ridge, South-East Purua reserve.  50 days as of 18/9/25 and  4 hours activity.
• Fletcher –  Julia got his data stream. 12 hours activity up behind the airstrip.
• Rua – Back of Alisons’ farm. Nest burrow in a small grassy patch in native near the boundary. Nesting 94 days on 18/9/25. rising activity.  Had hatched a single chick – LC2501 transferred to Limestone.
• Erima – Nest failed 1 rotten broken egg. In native on Hawkins’ hill.
• Prime – Nesting in native on the steep southern face near the top of Hawkins’ hill.   Nesting 86 days on 29/9/25. Up to 6 hours of activity. Hatched 1 chick -LC2506, transferred to Matakohe.
• Purua– txed north of Hawkins’ hill, 11.5 hours activity.

Don’t forget the Kiwi Hui

Cheers Todd

Todd Hamilton

Backyard Kiwi Project Manager

Whangarei Heads Landcare Forum