Take action: kiwi aversion training

Uncontrolled dogs can kill adult kiwi, but there are inspiring precedents to show that with awareness, our best friend and our national bird can live alongside each other in Wellington.

In late 2023, kiwi chicks hatched in the wild west of Wellington for the first time in 150 years. These were the first chicks produced from a recently established population of adult kiwi on the scrub-covered hills to the south and west of our Capital city. 

The return of this icon and taonga is the result of an epic collective effort from locals, iwi, and landowners. There is a large trap network in place in the area that is crucial to the project. In the wild with no pest control, up to 100% of chicks will be killed before they reach the one-kilogram weight at which they can defend themselves from stoats – the number one threat to kiwi chicks.

Kiwi are tough and adaptable animals. An adult brown kiwi can fend off most all-comers with its big claws, with the exception of ferrets and roaming dogs. Ferrets (the largest introduced mustelid) are not present in the area, and if they do arrive, they have the largest ferret trap network in the country awaiting them.

Uncontrolled dogs are an issue for kiwi. A single bite can be fatal. There are many areas in the area where core defendable populations of wild kiwi will be established, safe from uncontrolled dogs.  

The south-west core of The Capital Kiwi Project involves 11,000 hectares of largely privately-owned land. The only dogs on the bulk of this land are working farm dogs, all of which are under strict control and have undergone Kiwi Avoidance Training (KAT).

Avoidance Training opportunities have also been provided to all dog owners in Mākara, surrounding the Terawhiti Station release site. This has been embraced by the community, with 130 dogs put through KAT since kiwi returned. We need to be clear that KAT does not remove the need for dogs to be controlled, and on leads where that is required.

As the kiwi establish and disperse beyond the Outer Green Belt fringing Wellington’s southern and western suburbs, there is an increasing need for the dog-owning community to step up as kiwi guardians:

• observing on-lead by-laws that already exist in public reserves, from Mākara Peak and along the Skyline (where kiwi are already being encountered) to Ōtari,

• ensuring dogs are in at night, and

• reporting lost and roaming dogs ASAP (call WCC on 04 499 4444).

There are inspiring precedents elsewhere in Aotearoa New Zealand where this behaviour change has occurred, including over the harbour in the Remutaka Forest Park. From an initial translocation of a dozen kiwi a decade or so ago, community buy-in from pig hunters and domestic dog owners has helped to build up a population of around 200 Kiwi nui/North Island brown kiwi. Residents of Sunny Grove, Wainuiomata, now proudly go to sleep at night hearing kiwi calling. 

We’re only at the beginning of that journey, but the vision is a natural capital – wild Wellington – where people, pets, and our manu taonga thrive alongside each other. 

Sign up to be notified of aversion training sessions for your dog if you live in Mākara or Ōhariu Valley, or email Capital Kiwi if you’re keen to contribute to kiwi awareness in the western suburbs.

Photo by Sara Tansy, Save the Kiwi