Hawkes Bay Today
  • Hawke's Bay Today home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Havelock North
  • Central Hawke's Bay
  • Tararua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Gisborne

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Hawkes Bay Today

Kiwi buried in shallow grave in Hawke's Bay to hide dog's fatal attack: DOC

Christian Fuller
Hawkes Bay Today·
2 Jun, 2021 09:18 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
Mahika with an Environment, Conservation and Outdoor Education Trust volunteer. Photo / Fiona Duley

Mahika with an Environment, Conservation and Outdoor Education Trust volunteer. Photo / Fiona Duley

A kiwi killed in a dog attack in Hawke's Bay may have been deliberately buried afterwards by the dog's owner to prevent it being found.

A male North Island brown kiwi, which was part of the Kaweka kiwi breeding programme, was recently found dead, with an injury, under a shallow layer of earth in the Kaweka Forest Park, by a volunteer from the Environment, Conservation and Outdoor Education Trust.

The ground around the bird, named Mahika, was covered in dog and human prints, suggesting he may have been attacked by a dog and the body deliberately hidden.

Department of Conservation biodiversity ranger Kahori Nakagawa said only permitted hunting dogs which have undergone kiwi aversion training are allowed in the Kaweka Forest Park.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"It is devastating and so frustrating to lose any kiwi to a dog, as this kind of thing is entirely preventable," she said.

"It's even more disappointing someone would try to hide this death rather than taking responsibility for it."

The incident is being investigated.

Mahika's chick, Flip, during the 2020 breeding season. Photo / Supplied
Mahika's chick, Flip, during the 2020 breeding season. Photo / Supplied

This was the second dog-related death of a monitored kiwi in the Kaweka Forest Park in the past 12 months.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The Department of Conservation says there has been an increase in dogs in the park where the animals shouldn't be.

Only permitted hunting dogs on active hunting trips are allowed, while no dogs are allowed at scenic reserves, including Lake Opouahi, Boundary Stream, Bell Rock and Shine Falls tracks.

Nakagawa said Kiwi run when chased, but their anatomy means they can suffer fatal injuries easily.

"Kiwi aversion training is essential, but it's also not a silver bullet. We know even the most obedient dogs can be drawn to the scent of a kiwi when their owner is distracted," she said.

"Mahika was a young adult male who has just started to breed, so this is a blow to the population."

DoC has increased staff presence in the park over the past few months to remind people of the rules.

Dog owners may be issued a fine of up to $800 or prosecuted if they take any dog into a no-access area, take unpermitted dogs into the Kaweka Forest Park or breach the conditions of their permit.

The maximum penalty court can give in these cases is a $20,000 fine or up to three years in jail, and an order for the dogs to be destroyed.

Anyone who sees roaming dogs on public conservation land is urged to report it to 0800 DOC HOT.

Save
    Share this article

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Hawkes Bay Today
|Updated

'How can you be so dark and evil?' Family's question to killer as he's jailed for life

18 Sep 11:51 PM
Hawkes Bay Today

Five badly hurt in three highway crashes in less than 24 hours

18 Sep 11:07 PM
Hawkes Bay Today

Teenage boys in adult court following death of rising rugby player

18 Sep 10:16 PM

Sponsored

Kiwi campaign keeps on giving

07 Sep 12:00 PM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

'How can you be so dark and evil?' Family's question to killer as he's jailed for life
Hawkes Bay Today
|Updated

'How can you be so dark and evil?' Family's question to killer as he's jailed for life

Kathleen Kawana's body found 600km away from home, six weeks after she disappeared.

18 Sep 11:51 PM
Five badly hurt in three highway crashes in less than 24 hours
Hawkes Bay Today

Five badly hurt in three highway crashes in less than 24 hours

18 Sep 11:07 PM
Teenage boys in adult court following death of rising rugby player
Hawkes Bay Today

Teenage boys in adult court following death of rising rugby player

18 Sep 10:16 PM


Kiwi campaign keeps on giving
Sponsored

Kiwi campaign keeps on giving

07 Sep 12:00 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Hawke's Bay Today e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Hawke's Bay Today
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP