\u201cThere were kiwi within the Karioi R\u0101hui [the 5300ha ecological project in southern Ruapehu] before,\u201d Helen Leahy, pou \u0101rahi (te ao M\u0101ori leader) of Ng\u0101 Waihua o Paerangi Trust, said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut in 1996, the numbers were so small that they were no longer considered viable.\u201d<\/p>\n
What followed was a long, deliberate rebuilding \u2013 not just of bird numbers, but of relationships. Local iwi worked alongside the Ng\u0101poro Waimarino Forest Trust, Ng\u0101ti Hikairo, Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari and others to strengthen fragile populations through shared breeding and genetic diversification.<\/p>\n
The original founding kiwi were introduced to Maungatautari in 2005.<\/p>\n
\u201cDifferent birds were shared across sanctuary sites to help keep populations more genetically viable and diverse,\u201d Leahy said.<\/p>\n
That collaboration is now bearing fruit.<\/p>\n
The birds released in the Ruapehu District last week are descendants of the small founding group \u2013 just eight pairs and three chicks \u2013 whose lineage has been carefully nurtured over two decades.<\/p>\n
Today, more than 3000 kiwi live within the predator-free sanctuary at Maungatautari, itself home to more than 730 species.<\/p>\n
From that abundance, the next phase was always clear: return.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve built up a gene pool and the genetic diversity within that gene pool,\u201d Wiki Papa, of P\u014dhara P\u0101, who travelled with the birds from Maungatautari, said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe aim was always to build a thriving kiwi population and then share the taonga with iwi in other spaces.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leahy acknowledged the leadership of Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari, the Maungatautari Ecological Island Trust, Save the Kiwi and Te Papa Atawhai in their work to protect and grow the kiwi population and to then support their release to safe places in the wild.<\/p>\n
More than 600 kiwi have been translocated across the motu (land) in the past three years alone. For Ng\u0101ti Rangi, this return carries particular weight.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a big, special day for our people \u2013 it\u2019s been terrific,\u201d Fred Clark, kaihonohono a rohe\/environmental and relationship adviser for Ng\u0101 Waihua o Paerangi, said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis first Ng\u0101ti Rangi-led kiwi translocation marks a milestone achievement that has been an aspiration of our people for many, many years \u2013 probably a few generations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clark said the first foundation kiwi for Maungatautari were from Ng\u0101ti Hikairo and Ng\u0101ti T\u016bwharetoa, and the second group were from the Waharangi block in the Waimarino area, provided by the Ng\u0101poro Waimarino Forest Trust and Pipiriki township.<\/p>\n
The third group came from Taranaki to widen the gene pool and strengthen the genetic profile.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll the western brown kiwi that are in Maungatautari are descendants of those foundation birds,\u201d Clark said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe manu [birds] that have come back to us today are descendants of the whenua who are returning home as per their genetic profile.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fred Clark leads the Ng\u0101ti Rangi kiwi restoration project.<\/p>\n
Clark said Ng\u0101ti Rangi wanted to remember those who facilitated the mahi (work) and the first engagement \u2013 \u201cthe likes of Uncle Don Robinson, Uncle Paora Haitana [known as Uncle Baldy] … Uncle Boy Cribb and Aunty Geraldine Taurerewa\u201d.<\/p>\n
Looking to the future, three local rangatahi (youth) \u2013 Lucas Kumeroa, Taiaroa Haddon and Kino Haitana \u2013 are already training to become certified kiwi handlers, part of a wider effort to ensure the iwi can sustain and protect the population into the future.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the vital point,\u201d Leahy said. \u201cWe need predator control and safe environments \u2013 but we also need t\u0101ngata tiaki [custodians], people who know how to work with these birds.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leahy said the impact of possums, cats, rats, ferrets and stoats had been relentless.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur journey together with Te Papa Atawhai must continue to focus on the vital importance of pest management, of trapping, to retain the vigilance that is required for survival.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the ngahere (forest) and at Tirorangi Marae, the mood is one of quiet pride and determination.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt feels like we\u2019re doing the job of our t\u016bpuna [ancestors],\u201d Papa said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey gifted these kiwi for future generations. Now our tamariki [children] get to experience this. Being part of this is going to be etched in their memories.\u201d<\/p>\n
This week marks 20 years since the start of Ng\u0101ti Rangi\u2019s Kiwi Forever conservation leadership programme \u2013 a milestone Leahy said reflected decades of leadership in kaitiakitanga (guardianship).<\/p>\n
\u201cI mihi [pay tribute] to Uncle Keith and Aunty Mercia Wood, who have been such pivotal champions of the kiwi over these last two decades, teaching young people to respect and uphold the principles of kaitiakitanga. It\u2019s really fitting that we are celebrating in style like this, with 10 manu coming back to us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clark said the first release signalled something even broader: a reconnection after generations of separation from land and taiao (the environment).<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s always been a stirring within our people that we should return to the teachings of our old people \u2013 to look after our environment and particularly our taonga species.\u201d<\/p>\n
It is also a reaffirmation of iwi-to-iwi relationships, with Ng\u0101ti Rangi working alongside Ng\u0101ti Korok\u012b Kahukura, Ng\u0101ti Hau\u0101 and Ng\u0101ti Raukawa \u2013 mana whenua of Maungatautari \u2013 to share knowledge and strengthen conservation efforts across rohe.<\/p>\n
As the kiwi disappear into their new sanctuary, the murmur of karakia (ritual chants) mingles with bell-like native birdsong.<\/p>\n
Clark said Ng\u0101ti Rangi was fully committed to successful kiwi restoration on its whenua.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are serious about reconnecting our tuakana [cousins] the kiwi to te taiao, and leading kiwi restoration activities throughout our rohe [region].<\/p>\n
\u201cOur focus is the whole taiao, but our taonga kiwi are the catalyst.\u201d<\/p>\n
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cThere were kiwi within the Karioi R\u0101hui [the 5300ha ecological project in southern Ruapehu] before,\u201d Helen Leahy, pou…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":341732,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[128706,74,88282,8615,3989,3247,1345,194,111,43,139,69,1527,51972,75527,61],"class_list":["post-341731","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-30year","tag-after","tag-ancestral","tag-come","tag-effort","tag-forest","tag-home","tag-kiwi","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-return","tag-ruapehu","tag-taonga","tag-to"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341731","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=341731"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341731\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/341732"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=341731"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=341731"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=341731"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}