Rotorua dog owners are being invited to bring their dogs in for kiwi avoidance training, to help reduce the risk of unnecessary kiwi deaths.
Dogs have surpassed ferrets and stoats as the number one killer of kiwi in some parts of New Zealand, according to information collected by Kiwis for Kiwi.
The Department of Conservation's community team supervisor Caraline Abbott said although kiwi were rare, there had been recent recordings of kiwi caught on trail cameras within the Rotorua district.
"Hunting is a major recreational activity in Rotorua and surrounding areas and we want to enable hunters to enjoy the areas that have been set aside for hunting, but also protect the native species like kiwi that live in those ecosystems."
The training was being held on World Wildlife Day on March 3.