Education kit for schools teaches kiwi's importance

A national education resource kit was launched in Auckland yesterday to help schoolchildren develop a stronger sense of connection to the kiwi and responsibility for its survival.

The Kiwi Forever - Kiwi Mo Ake Tonu Atu - kit is bilingual, with text in English and te reo, and explains the cultural significance of the iconic species to people, particularly Maori.

Launching the project at Auckland Zoo, Conservation Minister Chris Carter said it marked a milestone for kiwi conservation and for the Bank of New Zealand Kiwi Recovery Trust, which produced the kit.

"This education kit builds on a kit for Northland communities last produced 10 years ago. It contains a unique blend of Western science, environmental education and traditional Maori knowledge," Mr Carter said.

Mr Carter said the kit was a tool for teachers to help young people enjoy and care for their unique environment - and save the kiwi.

"The kiwi is facing a crisis of survival in the wild and could disappear from the wild in some regions of New Zealand in 15 years."

Mr Carter said the North Island brown kiwi was declining by about 4 per cent a year where predators were not being controlled.

The kit has 12 appendix cards with study concepts and background information, including eight stories about the relationships between Maori and the kiwi.

- NZPA