Kiwi chicks have hatched in Wellington, the New Zealand capital, for the first time in more than 150 years, a year after the Capital Kiwi Project reintroduced the country’s iconic national bird to the city. The chicks are a “massive milestone for our goal of building a wild population of kiwi on Wellington’s back doorstep,” said project founder Paul Ward. “Much work lies ahead – but these chicks mark a significant step on that path.”

Wellington is quietly becoming world-famous for its conservation achievements. A generation ago, it was rare to see tūī in the city; now they’re a common backyard bird. Kākā – recently on the threatened species list – swarm western suburbs in the dozens. Kererū are a daily sight on sagging power lines, and kārearea – the endangered native falcon – are nesting behind the Beehive.

“In New Zealand, with our found-nowhere-else-on-Earth examples of island evolution, we face a choice: stand back and watch the predators we brought with us wipe out our biodiversity and taonga, or do something about it,” says the Capital Kiwi Project. 

Prior to the arrival of humans, Aotearoa (New Zealand) was isolated and unique – an ecosystem of remarkable flora and fauna that was unlike anywhere else in the world. Since human arrival, at least 51 bird species, three frog species, three lizard species, one freshwater fish species, one bat species, four plant species, and a number of invertebrate species have become extinct.

European stoats, which were brought to New Zealand in the 19th century in an attempt to eradicate introduced rabbits, are as deadly for native insects, lizards, bats and other native birds as they are for kiwi. Removing stoats from the project area will provide increased security for a wide range of other species, it says.

‟Engaging our community to help so many of our precious native species is an absolute privilege,” says Kate Fitzgerald of Predator Free Karori. “Previously the thought of bringing kiwi back to the wild in our backyard would have been something we could only have dreamed of. Now The Capital Kiwi Project is making this a reality. We are so excited to be a part of this transformational project.”

The flightless kiwis were once abundant across New Zealand, with the nation’s five species numbering an estimated 12 million in total. But nonnative predators and habitat loss caused their populations to drop to approximately 68,000 kiwis. 

Conservation and reintroduction programs, including the Capital Kiwi Project, have been working to restore a large-scale wild kiwi population for years. In 2022, the organization released 11 kiwis into the wild in Makara, a suburb about seven miles west of Wellington. Between February and May of 2023, another 52 birds were released, and 200 more are slated to be released over the next five years.

The Capital Kiwi Project had its origins in 2016, in Polhill Reserve, Aro Valley, five minutes from downtown, when a group of community trappers visited a kākā parrot nest in a mahoe tree. Seeing that kākā are successfully breeding in the wild in Wellington for the first time in a century, having spilled over from the Zealandia sanctuary, people began to ask, “What about kiwi?”

Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne is the world’s first fully-fenced urban ecosanctuary, with a 500-year vision to restore a Wellington valley’s forest and freshwater ecosystems as closely as possible to the way it was before the arrival of humans. 

With its 8.6km fence keeping out introduced mammalian predators, birds such as the tūī, kākā and kererū, once extremely rare in the region, are all now common sights around central Wellington. Other vulnerable native species such as tīeke, hihi, little spotted kiwi, and tuatara remain thriving safely in the sanctuary.

The sanctuary is about the most biodiversity-rich square mile of mainland New Zealand in terms of the species living wild here. Over forty different species of native birds have been recorded in our sanctuary valley, twenty-four of them endemic (found in no other country). Dozens of reptile species, hundreds of plant species and thousands of kinds of invertebrates have made Zealandia their home. Many of the animals and plants at Zealandia are highly endangered, and some are practically extinct in unprotected areas.

The 225 hectare (500+ acre) ecosanctuary has reintroduced 18 species of native wildlife back into the area, some of which were absent from mainland New Zealand for over 100 years. Set around a picturesque reservoir, Zealandia is home to some of New Zealand’s most rare and extraordinary wildlife – all thriving wild in a world-first protected sanctuary.

The Capital Kiwi Project says its mission is to restore a large-scale wild kiwi population to Wellington’s backyard.”The kiwi is our icon and central to our identity; our culture. When key predator threats are removed and a community is on board as guardians, people and kiwi can successfully live together. Our commitment is to create a future where we share the land with the bird we take our name from.”

“We want the residents of Wellington’s western suburbs, south coast and rural valleys falling asleep to the sound of kiwi calling.”

Sources:

Capital Kiwi Project website

A world-first sanctuary Zealandia

Wild Kiwis Born Near New Zealand’s Capital for the First Time in More Than 150 Years Smithsonian Magazine, Dec. 6, 2023

Cover image: Zealandia being fenced.