Brown kiwi released in Wairarapa

Kiwi will end a 100-year absence in Wairarapa when six birds are released at the Mt Bruce National Wildlife Centre next month.

Three pairs of North Island brown kiwi will be released on December 10 at a private ceremony. The birds were bred in the South Island as part of the Kiwi Recovery Plan.

Department of Conservation Wairarapa area manager Derrick Field said the birds would form the basis of a kiwi population at Mt Bruce that would eventually see up to 20 birds released.