Kiwi Breeding Programme Improves Chick Numbers

A Hawke’s Bay organisation is on a mission to rebuild kiwi numbers.

The Forest Lifeforce Restoration Trust runs a breeding programme, where it lifts eggs from Maungataniwha Native Forest and rears the hatchlings until they are big enough to be released into the wild.

This year, 44 of the 59 Eastern North Island Brown Kiwi eggs lifted for Maungataniwha have hatched, meaning 44 birds are currently being reared for release.

This is a drastic difference to eggs left in the wild, which have a survival rate of only 5 per cent.

Photo: Chairman of the trust Simon Hall cradles a kiwi before it is released.  For morCapturee on this and other great Hawke’s Bay stories go to hawkesbaytoday.co.nz Posted: 23 August 2018