Two dogs have been seized in the Bay of Islands as authorities investigate the deaths of around 20 highly protected kiwi, including four around Boxing Day alone.
All the maulings occurred in one bay on Purerua Peninsula, north of Kerikeri.
DoC Bay of Islands ranger Adrian Walker confirmed “a significant number” of kiwi had been killed on the peninsula, in the past four months in particular.
He said two dogs had been seized by the Far North District Council animal management officers from a property in Wharengaere Bay.
Walker said the dead kiwi were being tested to determine whether the seized dogs were responsible.
The peninsula boasts a major pest-control operation, Predator-free Purerua, and the highest kiwi call count ever recorded in New Zealand.
However, ongoing killings by roaming dogs, and perceived slow action by authorities, have led to frustration among conservationists working to protect the national bird.
RNZ understands the number of kiwi killed in the bay since this time last year is around 20.
That includes nine killed between late January and early March, four found dead on the beach in November, and another four kiwi carcasses found on December 26 and 27.
The Far North District Council has been approached for comment. It is believed the dogs were seized on January 13.
The timing of the latest kiwi deaths is potentially embarrassing because it coincides with the arrival on Purerua of an international film crew.
The CNN team has been on the peninsula this week filming kiwi and documenting the work of Predator-free Purerua as the group works to eradicate pests and safeguard native wildlife.
The documentary’s main focus is on feral cats, with one feline in particular – nicknamed “Nine Lives” – thought to be responsible for decimating the local pāteke (brown teal) population.
It’s not the first time roaming dogs have been implicated in kiwi deaths at isolated Wharengaere Bay.
A previous spate, in mid-2019, led to a rare prosecution in which a 50-year-old woman pleaded guilty to owning a dog that caused the deaths of six kiwi.
One of the dead kiwi found after an earlier spate of maulings at Wharengaere Bay. Photo / DoC
Some of the dead birds had been found on the lawn outside her home.
According to court documents, she was convicted and ordered to pay $300 in reparations. The dog, which had been allowed to roam freely, was destroyed.
Elsewhere in the Bay of Islands, at least six kiwi were killed in Ōpua Forest, near Paihia, in 2023.
Post-mortem examinations found the Ōpua kiwi had been mauled by dogs but the owners were never identified.
Another spate occurred at Wharau Rd, east of Kerikeri, in 2015, when at least eight kiwi were killed.
In that case, two owners were fined for failing to keep their dogs under control and three dogs were destroyed.
In 2021, a Russell man with previous convictions relating to roaming dogs was fined a record $4500 for owning a dog that caused the deaths of two kiwi.
