But DoC scientist Dr Hugh Robertson said each of the five different species still faced their own threats to survival. The North Island brown kiwi, of which 25,000 remain, were being attacked by stoats as chicks and by dogs and ferrets as adults.
"In a place like Northland, the survival rate of adults is only 13 to 14 years, whereas it should be around 50 years. So it's around a third to a quarter of what it could be if it wasn't for dogs and ferrets."
But Dr Robertson expected that rate to improve as more community trapping programmes were launched in the region.
He said populations of the four rarest types of kiwi - the little spotted kiwi, great spotted kiwi, tokoeka and rowi - were all increasing.
This had been assisted by modern technology such as the Sky Ranger aerial monitoring system, which could rapidly transmit the locations and incubation status of kiwi, helping conservationists get to eggs before predators.
In one sanctuary, fixing aerials to an aircraft had picked up signals from every kiwi in two hours - a task that typically took four weeks on foot.
Cutting-edge predator control innovations, such as CO2-powered self-resetting traps, were being trialled.
"We are certainly winning the battle. We are not going to lose any kiwi species if we carry on managing as we currently are, but the total number of kiwi will continue to decline for a wee while yet."
According to a 2012 survey, the decline of kiwi was something half of New Zealanders were unaware of.
Michelle Impey, executive director of The Kiwi Trust, said Save Kiwi Month was as much about educating the public as fundraising and paying tribute to the 80 community groups operating outside managed areas.
In the wild only 5 per cent of kiwi could expect to live to breeding age, which was about 3 years old.
"But in the last couple of decades, we've gone from not even knowing what was happening, to having a pretty well co-ordinated national programme with thousands of people involved," Ms Impey said.
"So we need to keep doing what we are doing, doing it more, and doing it smarter."
On average, only two out of 10 New Zealanders have seen their national bird in their natural habitat, she said.
"I want us to get to the point where people are complaining about kiwi pecking in their gardens, digging up all the worms and keeping them awake at night."
5 Ways you can help
1. Make a donation
through www.kiwisforkiwi.org. Organisers of Save Kiwi Month have a fundraising goal of $100,000 this year.
2. Be a responsible dog owner
Dogs are among the biggest killers of kiwi, and should be trained and kept away from areas where kiwi live.
3. Volunteer for a local kiwi conservation project
Find your nearest programme at www.kiwisforkiwi.org.nz
4. Teach kids about kiwi
The more New Zealanders know about their plight, the better off they'll be.
5. Launch a project yourself
If you live on land where kiwi live, start with trapping and get your neighbours involved.
The numbers
70,000
Kiwi in New Zealand, declining by 2 per cent each year on average. The numbers include 25,000 brown kiwi, 15,000 great spotted kiwi/raroa and 400 Haast tokoeka.
$100,000 The fundraising target for Save Kiwi Month. This would afford enough to give 1000 kiwi enough predator protection for an entire year.
76% of New Zealanders know the number of kiwi are limited and threatened to some degree, yet only 53 per cent know numbers are declining.
8 out of 10 New Zealanders have never seen a kiwi in the wild. According to a survey, if they did, they would most likely feel "amazed", "happy", "excited" and "privileged".
80 community groups nationwide that have joined the fight to save the kiwi, and numbers are growing.
700,000 canines in New Zealand. Dogs are one of the biggest killers of adult kiwi, which are outnumbered 10 to one. DoC is still struggling to educate dog owners about kiwi.
