Kiwis for kiwi latest investment strategy, released earlier this year, outlines exciting plans for Motutapu!

Kiwis for kiwi’s investments in the North Island focus mainly on growing populations of kiwi on pest free offshore islands, to create source (kōhanga) populations of kiwi that can later be harvested sustainably and used to start new populations in other places. Their investments in the North Island will ensure that kiwi will benefit from places made safe by others – such as Motutapu.

DOC has been establishing an ‘insurance’ population of Coromandel kiwi on Te Motutapu-o-Taikehu Island (Motutapu Island, 1509 hectares) in the Hauraki Gulf. This is the only insurance policy population of Coromandel Brown Kiwi.

If left in the wild, only approximately 5% of kiwi eggs will hatch and reach maturity, compared to 95% if hatched under Operation Nest Egg and then released in a pest free location such as Motutapu.

The K4K strategy aims to accelerate population establishment on Motutapu Island so that it becomes a source population for the wider region as quickly as possible,

If 50 juveniles are added to the Motutapu population each year for five consecutive years from 2017 onwards, harvests should begin in 2025.

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