Summit Forests helping to save the kiwi in Coromandel

The release of the 100th kiwi was attended by Summit Forest’s corporate planning manager Fumi Tajima, GIS specialist Paul Thompson, managing director Kenji Okawa, and Whangapoua forest manager Norbert Klein.

Project Kiwi and Summit Forests have just released the 100th kiwi into Whangapoua Forest on the Coromandel Peninsula as part of their campaign to reverse the population decline of Aotearoa’s national bird.

Whangapoua Forest is a plantation forest owned by Summit Forests NZ (formerly owned by Ernslaw One) and a site where ground-based predator control is carried out to help keep kiwi safe. It’s here that Project Kiwi releases juvenile kiwi hatched and reared to a ‘stoat-proof’ weight, giving them a hugely increased chance of survival for when they inevitably encounter a stoat.

Save the Kiwi Coromandel brown kiwi coordinator and Project Kiwi project manager Paula Williams says Summit is a key partner, and the project location is an important connecting site in restoring kiwi populations on the peninsula.

“Over the decade Project Kiwi has been managing this project, Summit has shown great enthusiasm and willingness to support this kaupapa started by Ernslaw One,” Ms Williams says.

“Through monitoring, we know the kiwi inhabiting this block have stayed over successive years, which tells us the mix of native pockets around waterways and pine plantation of Whangapoua Forest suits their needs.

“This knowledge is helping to reshape perceptions around the value of commercial forestry for kiwi recovery. There are 1.7 million hectares of commercial forestry across New Zealand, so thinking about how we can harness this for the sake of kiwi is full of opportunity.”

Whangapoua Forest manager Norbert Klein says it’s a privilege to work alongside a group that’s so passionate about kiwi conservation.

“Understanding kiwi can thrive in plantation forest gives the forestry industry a tangible way to contribute to New Zealand’s overall conservation goals,” Mr Klein says.

“Partnering with Project Kiwi over these last 11 years, and now celebrating the release of the 100th kiwi into the Whangapoua Forest, enables us to give back to the Coromandel community in a way that is genuinely valuable to the future of New Zealand’s national bird.”

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