Kiwi population shrinking

Fewer than 15 North Island brown kiwi are thought to be surviving in western Bay of Plenty, sparking fresh fears for the survival of our national bird. A new study of Western Bay populations has revealed that the North Island brown kiwi is threatened and will be extinct there within four years unless action is taken.

Department of Conservation national kiwi expert Paul Jansen made the population calculation from data gathered in surveys and reports from the public.

Tauranga DOC ranger Dave Wills said the local kiwi population had slipped by about 6 per cent every year. "A frightening snapshot for the Western Bay was highlighted recently when a survey by the department in Otanewainuku forest near Oropi found only one adult male," he said. "The same survey undertaken by Forest & Bird in 1982 found more than 50 kiwi."