WHO WE ARE

The Ōtanewainuku Kiwi Trust is a community-based conservation Trust formed in 2002 by Te Puke Forest and Bird and other members of the community concerned at the decline of North Island brown kiwi in the Ōtanewainuku Forest.

Much of the work of the Trust is based on volunteers – from the trustees through to the pest management teams, kiwi team, kōkako team, education, communication, fundraising, finances, database management and administration.

Volunteering Bay of Plenty, with funding from Western Bay of Plenty District Council, coordinates our volunteers. Many thanks to our many hundreds of volunteers who have helped out over the years. Together we make a difference!

WHAT WE DO

We work to protect kiwi and other animals and plants of the forest by undertaking integrated pest management control. We’ve also reintroduced kōkako to the Ōtanewainuku Forest and advocate for the conservation of kiwi and the Ōtanewainuku Forest by engaging with schools and the wider community.

Pest control
Animal pest control at Ōtanewainuku Forest is a mix of trapping stoats, ferrets, possums, weasels and feral cats, pig culling and an annual bait station operation to reduce the numbers of rats. The bait station operation starts in August and finishes in October giving birds in the forest the best chance of breeding in spring by reducing predator numbers.

The total forest area is 1200 hectares.  Volunteers maintain stoat trap lines and bait stations that cover 1100 hectares of forest.

While the kiwi and kokako are our main focus for predator control, all the other birds benefit too, along with bats, lizards and invertebrates. The trees, shrubs and other plants also benefit because fruit and seeds are able to complete their vital life-cycle.

Kiwi management
It is important to preserve the genetic purity by only moving birds within their taxa range. Ōtanewainuku belongs to the eastern North Island Brown Kiwi taxa area which includes East Coast, Bay of Plenty and Hawkes Bay.

Kiwi chick rearing with Project ONE (Operation Nest Egg)
During the kiwi breeding season, June – February, the Trust volunteers trained to work with kiwis combine with DOC staff to maximise the chances of chick survival. Fertilised kiwi eggs are taken from the wild to a specialised incubation facility (The National Kiwi Hatchery in Rotorua).

At the hatchery the chicks remain in a controlled environment for five to six months to become big enough (at least 1kg) to defend themselves against stoats once they are released.

To obtain kiwi eggs, we need to know where the males’ burrows are and how many days the eggs have been incubated. Volunteers use radio tracking equipment to monitor our kiwi, most of which carry miniature radio transmitters to gain this vital information. Sometimes specially trained and muzzled kiwi-tracking dogs are used to sniff out new or missing birds.

Unlike any other bird species, the kiwi chick hatches fully feathered. After a week it follows its father around outside, learning how to forage. The father protects it around the nest burrow, but if it strays it is vulnerable. At around three weeks the adult moves away and the chick continues to use the burrow as a base, venturing further afield. It is very vulnerable to predators at this stage.

Kōkako
We introduced kōkako to the forest from two other Bay of Plenty forests, Kaharoa and Rotoehu. This distinctive bird originally frequented the forest but the small remnant population was removed in the mid eighties to the safety of Little Barrier Island. Kōkako complement kiwi and other native bird life in the forest. Trust volunteers and DOC staff worked together to carry out this translocation.

Education
The pristine Ōtanewainuku forest is loved by the residents of Tauranga and Te Puke as a special place for children and adults to visit, get some exercise and learn about the flora, fauna and history of the area. Our volunteers spend time acting as guides for visitors, especially school parties. Special favourites of children are the tame toutouwai (North Island robin), which have become common once more due to our successful pest control.

Fundraising
Although most of the work of the Trust is carried out by unpaid volunteers, pest control and kiwi management require ongoing funding. The Trust is continually raising funds from individual donors, corporate sponsors and like-minded community organisations.

You can become a member, make a donation, be a corporate sponsor, make a bequest in your will, or get your local school or community group involved.

OUR HISTORY

2020

• Currently 25 kiwis in the forest
• 8 bonded pairs of kiwi produced 7 eggs with 5 hatched  and raised at the National Kiwi Hatchery in Rotorua
• 8 kiwi are building up their weight and strength in our creche at Warrenheip
• COVID-19 meant that no or little work could be done in the forest over several weeks which constricted the pest implementation programme timeframes
• Bruce Fraser appointed Chair
• Piri McMath joins the Trust
• 69 kōkako spotted and identified in latest survey

2018

• There are now 22 managed kiwi within the forest
• Sheryl Petersen recognised for her kiwi recovery work and long history as a volunteer with a Good Egg award at the inaugural Kiwis for Kiwi conservation awards.
• 10 more kōkako moved from Kaharoa to Ōtanewainuku
• Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage visits to hear and see kokako
• 4A Expansion north of Whataroa 168 BS added

2017

• Kiri Diamond becomes the Trust’s acting Chair
• Adult census: 42 kōkako (18 pairs and 6 single birds)
• 16.5kms of new lines cut to the north of the control area and down to the Whataroa Stream, adding around 150ha to the control area
• 3A Expansion 186 BS added
• Western Bay of Plenty District Council enters into partnership with Volunteering Bay of Plenty to manage the volunteer coordination

2016

• 11 kōkako translocated, all from Kaharoa
• Ōtanewainuku Kiwi Trust becomes a founding member of Bay Conservation Alliance
• Hans Pendergrast replaces Phil Wells as Chair

2015

• Intensification project 902 B5 added

2014

• The Trust is a finalist for the 2014 New Zealander of the Year Community awards.
• An adult census: 26 kōkako, 12 banded (originals transfers) and 14 un-banded (bred in Ōtanewainuku).
• 3kms of new tracks cut on the North Whataroa ridge.

2013

• Pistachio, our first kiwi chick bred at Ōtanewainuku in decades, hatches at Kiwi Encounter.
• Walkthrough survey confirms 16 kōkako including several juveniles.
• A large gathering of volunteers at Oropi Hall.
• Warrenheip Crèche is used by the Trust to raise juvenile kiwi to the safer release age of around 2 years old.

2012

• Governor-General Sir Jerry Mateparae releases two kiwi at Ōtanewainuku.
• Our own endowment fund is launched with The Acorn Trust, enabling donors to gift money which will be held for the Trust in perpetuity and the interest used indefinitely.
• Phil Wells takes over as Chair from Peter Crane.

2011

• Our first fledgling kōkako chick bred at Ōtanewainuku has been positively identified.
• Peter Crane takes over as Chair from Dave Edwards.
• 8 kōkako translocated, 1 from Rotoehu and 7 from Kaharoa

2010

• Our first kiwi chick (Taketake) gifted by Ngati Whare is released in May.
• Kōkako release is planned for later this year 25 years after being moved to the safety of Little Barrier Island.
• Goat cullers removed seven goats from Ōtanewainuku.
• 10 kōkako translocated, 8 from Rotoehu and 2 from Kaharoa

2009

• Maui and Whetu, two of our kiwi released in 2007, have nested and produced many eggs which have been lifted using Project ONE. None yet have been fertile.
• Our kiwi crèche project is put on hold. Kiwi translocation is our focus to build kiwi numbers to form a self-sustaining population.

2008

• Carpark opposite the shelter extended.
• Tutaki, our four-year-old female kiwi, is tragically killed by a car.
• Stoat trapping lines extended to cover all of Ōtanewainuku Mountain.
• Dave Edwards takes over as Chair from founding Chair Mark Dean.

2007

• Four adult kiwi are released into the bush: Maui, Tutaki and Matariki (female), Whetu (male).

2006

• The Trust develops an integrated pest control programme so that all flora and fauna are protected.

2005

• DOC goat cullers remove 23 feral goats from Ōtanewainuku.
• A series of predator control workshops are held by DOC and NZ Landcare.

2004

• January 04 to March 05 the Trust initiated a trial to compare the use of salted rabbit with the standard hen egg when baiting traps for catching stoats. Salted rabbit caught over twice as many mustelids as eggs.

2003

• Gradual increase of trapping area to a total of 925 hectares covered including Ōtanewainuku Mountain.
• We monitor 220 sets of stoat traps.

2002

• Our first public meeting was held on the 8th of August at Oropi School. The Trust was modeled on the nearby Kaharoa Kōkako Trust. Local resident Jim Pendergrast had fought to preserve our forest from logging and became our founder.
• Workdays held to construct tunnels for Conibear 110 traps at Neal Blaymire’s workshop and to recut and mark old DOC possum lines.
• 180 double-set stoat traps were set on every second line at 150m intervals. We baited these traps with DOC standard hen eggs. Traps are checked every two weeks in the summer (December – March) when mustelids are active and every 4 weeks the rest of the year.
• A professional contractor set and monitored the initial trap lines over 600 hectares. Trap locations were recorded for each individual trap set. In December, monitoring of trap lines and collection of catch data shifted from the contractor to volunteers due to strong volunteer support.

1999 – 2001

• Kiwi listening surveys were performed in Ōtanewainuku Forest. This indicated that kiwi numbers had dropped from around 50 birds in 1984 to five in 2001.
• Te Puke Forest and Bird initiated a project (the formation of this Trust) to protect kiwi in Ōtanewainuku forest.
• 1990s Possum trapping lines cut by DOC. These were 150m apart and covered around 700 hectares of 1200 hectares of forest.

1985

• Eight kōkako are removed from Ōtanewainuku by the Forest Service (now DOC) to the safety of Little Barrier Island.
• Two pairs of kōkako are seen in later years.

1973

• The Forest Service allotted all the native forest on the south side of Mangatoi Rd as millable. Local settlers and Forest and Bird sent in a further request to the government and saved this unique and pristine forest from milling.

1953

• Conservator of Forests, CL Hamilton, advised that SF6 was deemed a permanent forest, reserved for water conservation for Te Puke and Tauranga townships.

1943

• Over 1800 large rimu and other native trees were numbered on the east side of No 2 Rd by hopeful sawmillers. Some numbers are still visible carved into the trunks, near ground level.

1929

• Petition sent to the Minister of Lands by 23 local settlers, including our founder Jim Pendergrast that no milling take place at Ōtanewainuku on the grounds that:

– noxious weeds would take over when the timber was removed
– the area is a protected water reserve
– roads to Te Puke were not fit for timber cartage

1927

• Telegram sent from the local Settlers Committee to the Director of Forestry requesting that no tenders for milling Ōtanewainuku forest be accepted.
• Applications for milling continued to be made throughout the 1930s.

1887

• Ōtanewainuku State Forest 6 (SF6) was gazetted on 6 January. 1250 hectares in Blocks XII and XVI Ōtanewainuku Survey Tauranga County District.

Pre-European

• Ōtanewainuku was a significant landmark for Maori. Read more about our legend and iwi here.