On The Up: Waikato kiwi translocation season 2025 another record-breaker

The kiwi translocation 2025 at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari was another success. Photo / Danielle Zollickhofer

Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari, Save the Kiwi and Ngāti Korokī Kahukura have done it again: the 2025 kiwi translocation season has wrapped up in Waikato and it has been another record-breaker.

Since February, 232 kiwi were moved from the sanctuary to new homes at Capital Kiwi in Wellington, Tongariro National Park and Taranaki Maunga, exceeding last year’s number of 222 translocated birds.

Save the Kiwi chief executive Michelle Impey said the Waikato translocation’s scale was impressive.

“Typically in kiwi conservation, when we move kiwi, we are talking about maybe 40 birds over two or three years.

“Moving hundreds at a time is just fantastic and showing we are working towards abundance [of the species].”

For the translocation, birds that were collected from Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari’s main mountain went through a thorough health screening, including blood and faecal tests for the first 30 birds.

After their big health check, the kiwi were released into the southern enclosure of SMM.

Since February, a group of volunteers has been going inside the enclosure a couple of times a week to track down burrows and retrieve the birds for a second, quick health check ahead of their move to new homes the same day.

SMM science, research and species lead Dr Janelle Ward said overall the kiwi were in good health.

“But there were a few birds that were a bit skinny because of the drought.”

Kelsi Thompson (left) was undertaking the kiwi health checks on departure day. Photo / Danielle Zollickhofer

The drought makes the ground more firm which means kiwi can’t probe it with their beaks as easily or as deep when they are looking for food.

After the kiwi moved to SMM’s southern enclosure, things turned around.

“The majority of them quickly gained weight, actually there were some of the biggest birds that I have seen.”

Kelsi Thompson, kiwi keeper at Gallagher Kiwi Burrow in Taupō, undertook some of the departure day health checks and agreed with Ward’s observation.

During the second health check, the birds get weighed and it is ensured the birds are in good condition. Photo / Danielle Zollickhofer

“One kiwi had put on 140g in five days. [At the health check] her tummy was nice and full and soft, which is great.”

It was a special season as this year marked the 20th anniversary of the return of kiwi to SMM and for the first time visitors were able to witness a health check.

Thompson said it was special to share this with people.

“A lot of people have never seen a kiwi before, or if they did, it was often behind glass and in a nocturnal house where they couldn’t see them very well.

“To allow them to see them properly was pretty amazing.”

She said the first-hand experience was important as it allowed people to form a connection and would bring more people on a journey to care and help protect kiwi.

Thompson said seeing and handling a kiwi never ceased to be exciting for her, even though she would have handled hundreds by now.

This year marked the 20th anniversary of the return of kiwi to SMM and for the first time visitors were able to witness a health check. Photo / Danielle Zollickhofer

“I still tear up sometimes when I handle a really good [healthy] kiwi. There is just something special about them. They have this aura ... I just want to help protect them.”

Looking at the next translocation season, Save the Kiwi said there might be some new additions to places receiving kiwi.

Every site needs a permit from the Department of Conservation which also specifies the number of kiwi a site can receive.

Capital Kiwi is close to fulfilling its permit and will soon not be able to receive any more kiwi.

Impey said it was “a nice problem to have” with the team now looking at new, safe places.

“We already have new sites in our sight, a couple of them are in Waikato, but we can’t share any specifics yet.”

The relationships between iwi are an important part when it comes to moving kiwi to new sites.

Ngāti Korokī Kahukura spokesman and SMM cultural adviser and educator Bodie Taylor said this tono process, the process of asking for and exchanging taonga between iwi, was already in place for a new site.

“The tono process is not a rushed thing. And it’s never the same.

“With Taranaki, for example, they came to us to ask if they can have more kiwi. They told us they had been working on their biosecurity and so on,” Taylor said.

“Then, we met with them face to face ... to reconnect, understand the history ... investigate how their biosecurity is - is it effective? Will the birds be safe there? We established they were someone we can trust [with the birds].”

He said evolving from a site receiving kiwi to becoming a site that is boosting kiwi populations around Aotearoa was “a dream come true” for many Ngāti Korokī Kahukura kaumātua.

However, the number of birds translocated wasn’t that important for mana whenua.

“It’s about how we collect the kiwi. It’s about sensitivity, sense of respect. The health and safety of the bird is central. This is more important than numbers.”

Danielle Zollickhofer is a multimedia journalist and assistant news director at the Waikato Herald. She joined NZME in 2021 and is based in Hamilton.