Kiwi return to the wild in Wellington for first time in generations

A North Island Brown Kiwi chick. Photo / Daren Grover

Thirteen North Island brown kiwi will be released into the southwest of Wellington next weekend.

Their return to the wild is a significant milestone in Wellington’s efforts to bring back the birds for the first time in generations.

The Capital Kiwi Project has undertaken the largest community-owned stoat trap network in Aotearoa over the past four years.

About 4500 traps have been spread across 23,00 hectares, which is an area larger than Abel Tasman National Park.

Thousands of pests have been removed, paving the way for the return of Kiwi to Wellington’s backyard.

The Capital Kiwi Project is one of the first landscape-scale projects funded by Predator Free 2050 Ltd.

The project has recently received a Department of Conservation permit to allow the relocation of 250 kiwi into the landscape over the next six years.

The local Mākara community, public and private landowners, and iwi have also been pivotal in reaching the point of a kiwi homecoming.

The first 13 kiwi will be gifted from the Ōtorohanga Kiwi House and Ngāti Hinewai.

Once tagged, the kiwi will be driven up to Shepherd’s Gully on Terawhiti Station and released into burrows in the mānuka-covered hills.