DoC blasted over kiwi recovery programme

A former kiwi recovery worker at Okarito in Westland, employed the year 14 chicks were lost, has blasted the Department of Conservation for breach of protocol, its bureaucracy and its handling of birds.

Sid Marsh has spent 14 years working on kiwi, kakapo, kaka and blue duck recovery programmes around the country.

His new book, Kiwi Hunter, gives an unprecedented view of kiwi recovery from someone on the ground. He blames over-handling of the birds, burrow interference and "unnecessary harassment of its charges" for some of DoC's problems.

Mr Marsh claims there were numerous breaches of protocol.

The West Coast conservancy was the first he had struck which would not take the findings of experienced field workers seriously.

Mr Marsh says in 2002, signs of a major stoat offensive were everywhere and by December, 14 chicks were dead.

The unprecedented stoat plague prompted the decision to take chicks from the forest. By autumn 2003, signs of a new stoat plague were again appearing - this time, he says, management listened to concerns.

By the time Mr Marsh left DoC in 2004, he claims the department had wasted over $150,000 on a "white elephant" computer database. He resigned in August, and picked up a DoC contract for work in the North Island.

Acting West Coast conservator Barry Hanson this morning dismissed the book, saying people would be very disappointed if they bought it thinking it accurately portrayed the kiwi recovery programme.

"The book's cover illustrates the point - here is the author wearing a pistol and holding up two kiwi for a posed photograph."

Mr Hanson said the cover raised questions about the credibility of claims of DoC over-handling kiwi, burrow interference and unnecessary harassment.

The results of the kiwi programme were very good. The department knew it couldn't save every kiwi, but the population was going forward, he said.

The trapping network combined with the Bank of New Zealand Operation Nest Egg Programme at Okarito had increased the population from a decade ago.

- NZPA