| 63 T T Sue Russell Local trust caring for precious kiwi A kiwi management coordinator oversees kiwi health, undertaking monthly physical health checks to the monitored population of young kiwi. Whakatane Kiwi Trust REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Proudly owning the title “Kiwi Capital of the World™”, Whakatāne district is home to a wonderful array of indigenous wildlife and rich biodiversity, where kiwi reside almost within arm’s reach of those living in the township. To support and grow the number of kiwi that call this area home, the Whakatāne Kiwi Trust was established in 2006, with several lofty purposes that go beyond simply monitoring and managing kiwi, as Sherrie Thompson, the trust’s marketing and funding coordinator, explains. “It’s quite remarkable to think we’ve been blessed with our national treasure so close to urban populations. Finding kiwi living here isn’t only a celebration in itself, but as an indicator species, the very fact they are found in our nearby bush settings, means the ecosystem they inhabit is alive and thriving,” Sherrie says. Getting connected with the aspirations and tasks of the trust provides those who contribute through volunteering, financially, attending events or educational opportunities, a glimpse into the life of this unique New Zealand flightless bird. Kiwi are curious birds with loose, hair-like feathers, strong legs and no tail. They mate for life with a variable breeding season extending from August for early layers, and most chicks hatch before autumn. The trust offers many avenues for people wanting to get involved in a hands-on way, or through sponsorship support, to contribute to the goal of enhancing numbers of kiwi, improve the quality of our native bush, and help improve biodiversity across many species of flora and fauna. One important vehicle, Sherrie explains, is to offer dog-owners ‘kiwi aversion training’. Living so close to urban areas brings inherent threats, including loose dogs roaming through scenic reserves – in kiwi habitat. “Kiwi are very fragile birds and it doesn’t take much in the form of an encounter with a dog to damage its internal organs, resulting in death. Our kiwi aversion training means that dog owners can still enjoy taking their pets on leads with them on walks around the district and decrease chances of kiwi and dog encounters. “There are several ‘no dog’ reserves though, and these must be strictly adhered to, even with kiwi aversion-trained dogs. All information on training days is up on our website, along with other community engagement activities.” The programmes are held six times each year, and Sherrie says she would love to see every dog in the district go through the programme, while also reminding locals to keep dogs fenced in their section. A dog must be over six months of age before it can be trained, and needs refresher training periodically. The trust employs an education coordinator Sherrie describes as absolutely wonderful, who engages with school groups and communities. “The programme is based in the bush, like a day camp, and teaches children how to move through the bush through the lens of conservation.” A kiwi management coordinator oversees kiwi health, undertaking monthly physical health checks to the monitored population of young kiwi, generally under 1300gm. She and her team of volunteers also take care of adult kiwi health, where they look for problems that could indicate a trend in the area. Another important strand of activity is predator control, where a dedicated predator control coordinator works with volunteers to set and check traps. Data collected is used to decide on the best way forward to suppress predatory species, including possums, mustelids and rodents. “She also builds valuable relationships with surrounding farmers.” Looking after generating income streams is a big part of Sherrie’s job description, where in any given year upward of $350,000 is required to maintain all the programmes and advance kiwi numbers and health statistics. The trust’s monitored sample of male kiwi are closely monitored as they incubate eggs. In its first nest the chicks are left alone, but a camera is installed to monitor the activity around the nest. Second egg clutches in a season are carefully uplifted and taken to the National Kiwi Hatchery in Rotorua, where they are raised in safety until they reach around 1000gm. All the good work of the trust was recognised this year in the Horizon Energy Group Business Excellence Awards where it received two awards; the Toi Ohomai Community Organisation Award and the Toi EDA Kaitiakitanga Award, something Sherrie, who attended, along with Lydia Grunwell, the trust’s volunteer and events coordinator, feel very proud of receiving on behalf of the charitable organisation they each really value. Place your order now! www.nzautotraps.com Scan me! AT220 Possum Rats + Mice Mustelids New Zealands only multi-species automatic pest trap The A 0 (07) 307 0303 LEADERS IN HIGH-PERFORMANCE PAPERBOARD MANUFACTURING FOR A GLOBAL MARKET EXCELLENCE IN BOARD, EVERY DAY. Providing sustainable packaging across diverse industries wml.biz p. +64 7 306 3899 e. customerservice@wml.biz EastPack. Backing our community since 1983. 0800 TOP OGR | eastpack.co.nz Proud supporters of the Whakatāne Kiwi Trust
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