Whangārei celebrates first kiwi with Māori sign language name

Vicky Gavin and her four-year old daughter Amelia Foster get to see Pikiake. Photos / Tania Whyte

Young Pikiake is a special kiwi lady as she is the first of her kind to receive a te reo as well as a Māori sign language name.

After growing to a proper weight of 2kg, Pikiake was transferred from the kiwi-friendly Matakohe/Limestone Island and officially given her bilingual name before being released at Tutukaka.

Whangārei MP Dr Shane Reti, together with Friends of Matakohe Island, Deaf Action and members of the public, attended the ceremony in Onerahi on Friday morning as a fresh breeze was blowing across the harbour.

Fred Tito of the Te Parawhau hapū offered a whakawātea to Pikiake and three fellow kiwis – Sarah, Prudence and Kiaora – to send them on a safe journey from Matakohe.

It was a significant day for the local deaf community. Not only did they celebrated Pikiake's naming but also opened a Māori sign language school that will teach hearing te reo speakers to translate between the hearing and deaf world.

Interpreter Hanna McGuire, Kim Robinson, chairperson of the NZ Deaf Action NZ, kaumātua Fred Tito and sign language teacher Eddie Hokianga.

Māori sign language teacher Eddie Hokianga explained the school would provide affordable NZSL classes within Te Tai Tokerau region.

"[We are] excited with the new developments to create a tri-lingual language hub within the Hihiaua Precinct with local support," Hokianga said.

"The trust will be teaching eight weeks of NZSL classes at different skill levels throughout summer starting mid-November."

Reti had been learning Māori sign language from Hokianga for the past year and has adopted signs when speaking in parliament.

He said the naming of Pikiake and the school opening was an important step towards incorporate Māori into sign language and assist Māori with impaired hearing.

"A lot of Māori understand words in visual graphics. Using sign language is very useful for communicating but also important to convey the needs of the deaf community," Reti said.

Kiwi lady Pikiake together with Sarah, Prudence and Kiaora will be tracked by Kiwi Coast, a Northland-based kiwi recovery organisation.

Juvenile kiwis are often kept safe on Limestone Island until they weigh about 1.2kg, which makes them strong enough to fend off predators and can be released into the bush.

Todd Hamilton, project manager at Backyard Kiwi and Kiwi Coast associate, was in charge of Pikiake's release on Friday.

Northland MP Dr Shane Reti, Friends of Matakohe Island, Kiwi Coast, and Deaf Action celebrate naming of kiwi lady Pikiake.

He reminded attendees on Friday to look after New Zealand's national bird to further improve population growth in Northland.

He said pet dogs still remain a major threat to kiwis as a small nip can break the bird's ribs and cause fatal internal bleeding.

"Kiwis have an average life expectancy of 50 years," Hamilton explained. "In Northland, the kiwi life expectancy was down to 13 years when DoC conducted surveys in the early 2000s."

Through extensive pest control, the survival rate of kiwi chicks increased by 55 per cent in Northland, however numbers could be improved if dog owners put their pet on a leash.