Dozens of rare West Coast kiwi may be moved away from their ancestral homes to islands in the Hauraki Gulf and Foveaux Strait in a desperate attempt to save the species from extinction.
The Department of Conservation says it has to create back-up populations, away from stoats, toavert extinction.
Although some Haast and Okarito kiwi chicks are already raised away from predators, they are returned to their home forest in South Westland when they are large enough to fight off stoats.
Under new proposals, DoC wants to move breeding pairs of Okarito birds to the sub-tropical Motuihe Island in the Hauraki Gulf, near Auckland, and up to 10 Haast birds to Rarotoka Island, in Foveaux Strait.
According to DoC papers, Rarotoka is mostly covered in pasture and the only vegetation is a clump of gorse.
Franz Josef area manager Ian McClure said there were fewer than 250 rowi kiwi left at the Okarito sanctuary and using the current system, it would take more than 60 years to build up the population to 500.
"By establishing a back-up breeding population of rowi, it is anticipated that surplus juvenile birds from this population will be transferred back into south Okarito forest."
He said DoC had to carry out in-depth consultation before moving the birds outside their historic range.
Other back-up islands being considered include Motutapu and Mana Island, off the coast of Wellington. The Haast-Foveaux proposal is still at the consultation phase.
There are about 300 kiwi left in that sanctuary, between the Arawhata and Waiatoto Rivers.
DoC said kiwi could adapt and did well on pasture land, as long as they had access to burrows, ample food and there were no predators to worry them.
Mr McClure said the Okarito project would go ahead only if all relevant parties approved of the move. There would be in-depth consultation with South Westland iwi, and with iwi at the birds' new home off the North Island.
