Little spotted kiwi return to Nelson ‘turning clock back a century’

It’s been a vision more than years in the making and now little spotted kiwi have returned to Nelson.

The group of kiwi pukupuku from Kapiti Island have spent their first night settling into their new home at the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary.

Sanctuary volunteer Erwin Oberhumer piloted one of the planes carrying the fluffy cargo from Paraparaumu to Nelson on Wednesday.

He’s spent the last eight years helping to track and trap pests and taking people on guided walks inside the sanctuary.

When a sanctuary staff member learnt Oberhumer was a former commercial airline pilot and member of the Nelson Aero Club, the pair hatched a plan to transport the precious cargo from the Kapiti Coast to the top of the South Island.

Brook Waimārama Sanctuary volunteer and pilot Erwin Oberhumer.
Photo: RNZ / Samantha Gee

He said flying conditions had been fantastic and it was an honour to help facilitate the kiwi pukupuku’s return to Nelson.

“It’s like turning the clock back a century because that was the last time that they were known to be here, which is quite special.

“They will thrive, just like the other endangered species that we’ve introduced up there, the powelliphanta / giant snails and especially our kakariki karaka. They’re virtually doubled in numbers and in the absence of predators, everything thrives up there.”

The planes carrying the birds were all given kiwi-themed call signs for the occasion.

Nelson Aero Club president and pilot Katie Ben.
Photo: RNZ / Samantha Gee

Nelson Aero Club president Katie Ben piloted Flying Kiwi 3 and said the experience was both awesome and terrifying.

“We very carefully loaded the kiwi up into the four planes and strapped them down to within an inch of their lives and then we all flew back in formation. It was super cool. I’ve never done anything like this before,” she said.

“It’s the most valuable cargo I’ve ever had in my plane.”

Brook Waimārama Sanctuary CEO Chris McCormack carrying a little spotted kiwi across the tarmac at Nelson Airport.
Photo: RNZ / Samantha Gee

One of the sanctuary’s founding trustees, Derek Shaw, said it had been the plan since the sanctuary was started in 2001 to reintroduce kiwi to the area.

He said the arrival of kiwi pukupuku after almost a century-long absence, was made possible by the hard work of many.

“We had quite a long list of species and we’ve managed to get a few of those in here already. But kiwi was the ultimate goal because it is such a symbolic bird for New Zealanders so it was certainly the top of our list.

One of the founding Brook Sanctuary trustees Derek Shaw.
Photo: RNZ / Samantha Gee

“It’s taken five or six years longer than we had hoped, but we’ve achieved it now, which is fantastic.”

Shaw said he hoped to see kiwi thrive outside the sanctuary, too as had happened after they were introduced to Zelandia, in Wellington.

“That was always part of the vision too, the halo area around the sanctuary and the corridor down into the city centre and there’s lots of pest trapping going on in those areas.”

Members of Ngāti Toa carrying little spotted kiwi into the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary.
Photo: RNZ / Samantha Gee

Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira poutiaki Matt Hippolite said the arrival of kiwi pukupuku was a momentous occasion.

“It’s not only the return of these manu that originated in the mainland anyway, it’s the fact that they’ve been nurtured by our whānau up at Kapiti Island to a stage where we now can share those back with the wider whānau of Ngāti Koata and the other iwi of Te Tauihu here in Whakatū.

“This is part of Ngāti Toa’s rohi as well, so it’s bringing that whakawhanaungatanga, or family, together around the taonga which is really special for everyone.”

Hippolite was also hopeful that the birds would become so abundant within the safety of the sanctuary, that they could then populate the wider area.

Two of the little spotted kiwi being released.
Photo: RNZ / Samantha Gee

“Wouldn’t it be amazing to see a kiwi stroll through the backyard at night?”

Sanctuary ecologist Robert Schadewinkel said seeing the kiwi make their way out of the boxes and head into the bush, was a dream come true.

“I thought they might just dart out, but actually they took their time and it was a really nice experience to see them rather casually walking out of the boxes and into their new home.”

He said kiwi were well suited to translocation into fenced sanctuaries as they couldn’t fly and one of the biggest challenges with translocations was that birds often flew outside the boundary.

He has high hopes for these new arrivals.

“We expect them to breed next season, this coming spring, and there might be the first chicks, around Christmas time and it won’t take too long for the population to grow quite quickly.”

Brook Waimārama Sanctuary chief executive Chris McCormack said once the kiwi were settled into their new environment, night tours would be held to give visitors the opportunity to hear and potentially see them.

“We are the largest fenced sanctuary in the South Island and we play a major part in terms of conservation to protect our taonga from pests and predators and to provide a safe haven for species that have once been lost that we want to return back home.”

Another 20 kiwi pukupuku will be moved from Kapiti Island into the sanctuary on Sunday.