Mōtū welcomes back kiwi chick Karapa in boost for Whinray Scenic Reserve

Karapa the kiwi returned to Mōtū from the National Kiwi Hatchery in Rotorua. The bird hatched in Rotorua after being transported as an egg.

Kiwi chick number 52 was returned to Mōtū this week after hatching at the National Kiwi Hatchery in Rotorua.

In late September, an egg was collected from a wild nest at Whinray Scenic Reserve in Mōtū and transported to Rotorua for the final stages of incubation.

Nicola Carter, of Ecoworks NZ, got the egg from a kiwi pair named Rawiri and Hine.

Each year several eggs are collected as part of Operation Nest Egg - a nationwide initiative that increases the chances of kiwi chicks successfully hatching and surviving.

Shelley Duncan and Karapa the kiwi. The bird was returned to Mōtū from the National Kiwi Hatchery after being hatched from an egg collected from Whinray Scenic Reserve. Duncan is the great-great-grand-daughter of James Whinray.

The chick, named Karapa, hatched in late September.

After spending two weeks at the National Kiwi Hatchery, Karapa was transported back to Mōtū by Shelley Duncan - the great-great-granddaughter of James Whinray, who was pivotal in setting up the bush reserve in 1905.

“It’s fantastic to have James Whinray’s great-great-grand-daughter involved in this project,” said Steve Sawyer of Ecoworks New Zealand.

“Shelley is helping to continue an amazing Gisborne legacy that began over 120 years ago.”

Karapa will spend the next 12 weeks gaining strength and weight in the predator-proof kiwi enclosure at Mōtū.

The enclosure ensures she is safe from stoats, ferrets, feral cats and other predators.

Once she reaches 1000 grams, she will be released into the wild at Whinray Scenic Reserve, which is home to about 60 adult kiwi, along with juveniles and chicks.

Kiwi are expanding beyond the reserve into surrounding forest areas.

The birds can travel 20–30km from their natal territory, helping to rebuild the population in the wider southern Raukumara region.

Nearly 2000 hectares around Mōtū are intensively trapped for stoats, ferrets, cats, possums and rats. This is critical to protecting kiwi and more than 25 other rare species.

Many native animals benefit from this pest control, including the country’s smallest bird - the rifleman - native long-tailed bats, tusked wētā and other uniquely New Zealand species.

Gisborne’s kiwi belong to the Eastern brown kiwi genetic group - the rarest of the North Island brown kiwi.

By the late 1990s this population was on the brink of local extinction.

Thanks to 26 years of dedicated pest control and kiwi management by Whinray Ecological Charitable Trust, the community has successfully restored the population and revitalised the native forest at Whinray Scenic Reserve - now one of the most valuable biodiversity sites in Tairāwhiti.

The Mōtū kiwi story continues, with plans under way to further expand kiwi habitat in the region.

Whinray Ecological Charitable Trust is working closely with Save the Kiwi, the Department of Conservation, Sunrise Foundation and many hapū and iwi across Tairāwhiti to collaborate on the protection and restoration of kiwi and other endangered species.