Iconic birds thrive on the Kiwi Coast

Pat Wightman and Todd Hamilton with Geoff the kiwi, before the bird's release. Photo/Malcolm Pullman

Two wild kiwi named Geoff and Charlie shared star billing at a gathering at Hikurangi to celebrate the growing Kiwi Coast Project

The event at Fonterra's Jordan Valley Farm on Sunday was a chance for the people helping create the region-long corridor where kiwi can thrive to actually see the birds in the flesh.

The gathering thanked those involved in the Kiwi Coast initiative for their hard work and celebrated the increasing kiwi numbers in eastern Northland.

"Kiwi as we know only come out at night. Most of the people involved in the Kiwi Coast don't get to see the special birds that they're working hard to protect," said Ngaire Tyson, Kiwi Coast co-ordinator for NZ Landcare Trust.

"This event gave them a chance to see kiwi up close and to experience the magic of this taonga."

The kiwi called Geoff was named after Geoff Wightman who founded the Waimate North Landcare Trust almost 20 years ago.

Both kiwi were released into a predator-controlled area created by the Tanekaha Community Pest Control Group, led by Edwin Smith. The community controls stoats and other predators on 800-plus hectares of farmland, native bush and pine forest.

The group is one of 83 working together as the Kiwi Coast. Monitoring shows kiwi numbers are stable or increasing in the areas the project covers.

Collectively, that is 120,293ha, extending more than 200km from Mangawhai to the Aupouri Peninsula.

An estimated $1.75 million worth of resources went into the participating projects in 2016, over a third accounted for by unpaid voluntary labour.

Kiwi Coast involves community conservation projects, iwi and hapu, forestry companies, farmers, schools, Department of Conservation (DoC), Northland Regional Council (NRC) and others.

DoC northern operators director Sue Reed-Thomas said it was a great example of the conservation gains made when organisations worked together.

Sunday's event was funded by the Fonterra DoC Living Water partnership, Reconnecting Northland and Kiwis for Kiwi.

Living Water North Island programme manager Tim Brandenburg said the partnership supports the Tanekaha Community Pest Control Group led by local farmers.

"The Tanekaha farmers live and work in one of the five Living Water catchments where we're working to show that sustainable dairying and healthy ecosystems can exist alongside each other."