Private initiative helps save kiwi

Minister of Conservation Kate Wilkinson has applauded a private kiwi breeding project for its important contribution to conservation.

This initiative, which started in 2006, saw the release of the 100th kiwi into the privately owned 15,000 acre Maungataniwha Native Forest, in the northern Hawke’s Bay, yesterday.

Ms Wilkinson congratulated the Forest Life Force Restoration Trust and their backer entrepreneur Simon Hall who own the land and are one of the driving forces behind the project.

“I am very impressed by what Simon and his team have achieved. It is important these initiatives are encouraged.”

“Not only are the trust restoring kiwi, they are working to control pests and bring back other threatened plants and animals at sites as far as Fiordland.”

“Their work demonstrates the co-operation that is developing all over the country between private land owners, the business sector, like-minded restoration groups and the Department of Conservation.”

“Conservation is the responsibility of everyone, not just the Department. Working with the community and business offers an opportunity for even more conservation work to be done.”

The Maungataniwha Kiwi Project is a joint project run by the Forest Life Force Restoration Trust and the Cape Kidnappers and Ocean Beach Wildlife Preserve.

It receives funding from the BNZ Save the Kiwi Trust and is supported by the Department of Conservation.