The Country
  • The Country home
  • Latest news
  • Audio & podcasts
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life
  • Listen on iHeart radio

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • Coast & Country News
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Horticulture
  • Animal health
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life

Media

  • Podcasts
  • Video

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whāngarei
  • Dargaville
  • Auckland
  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Hamilton
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Te Kuiti
  • Taumurunui
  • Taupō
  • Gisborne
  • New Plymouth
  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Whanganui
  • Palmerston North
  • Levin
  • Paraparaumu
  • Masterton
  • Wellington
  • Motueka
  • Nelson
  • Blenheim
  • Westport
  • Reefton
  • Kaikōura
  • Greymouth
  • Hokitika
  • Christchurch
  • Ashburton
  • Timaru
  • Wānaka
  • Oamaru
  • Queenstown
  • Dunedin
  • Gore
  • Invercargill

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • What the Actual
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / The Country

Northland kiwi move from creche to coast

Northern Advocate
13 Oct, 2017 04:00 AM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Quincy seems in no hurry to head into the wild.

Quincy seems in no hurry to head into the wild.

More young kiwi are moving to live on Whangarei's coast.

Pataua North Landcare has released a further three kiwi into the local 800 hectare predator controlled area.

The new birds, called Piper, Quincy and Gail, let go last Sunday join the 10 released in May, some of which are already nesting.

Piper Mortimer with Piper the kiwi.
Piper Mortimer with Piper the kiwi.

More than 180 people watched the wild kiwi released near where a bachelor bird named Brian has taken up residence. There are hopes Brian will pair up with Piper or Gail.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"We are absolutely thrilled to bring three more kiwi into our growing kiwi population. It's a dream come true to see our local kiwi thriving and beginning to breed," John Craig from Pataua North Landcare said.

The three juveniles were raised in the kiwi creche on Matakohe-Limestone Island in Whangarei Harbour.

Kiwi leave the crèche once they weigh around 1kg and can fight off stoats which kill 95 per cent of chicks before they reach their first birthday in non-predator controlled areas.

Todd Hamilton, from Backyard Kiwi, was up at dawn on Sunday with Matakohe-Limestone Island ranger Emma Craig to catch the three kiwi.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Elaine Wigley, from Pataua North Landcare.
Elaine Wigley, from Pataua North Landcare.

He said Piper was named after Piper Mortimer, a member of the Lovell family from whose farm the kiwi chick originally came from, Mr Hamilton said.

Piper Mortimer was at Pataua North to help release her namesake.

The kiwi will be monitored by trained locals using radio tracking equipment.
Neighbouring communities at Taheke, Whareora and Parua Bay have also established predator controlled areas with support from the Kiwi Coast and Northland Regional Council.

Kiwi Coast co-ordinator Ngaire Tyson said community-led projects from Bream Head to Whananaki would eventually connect to link up into one giant predator controlled network.

The Pataua North Landcare Group formed in 2009 to work with the Northland Regional Council on pest control over approximately 800ha, involving 20 landowners.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from The Country

The Country

Butter prices: Here’s how much they might still rise

09 May 05:03 AM
The Country

'Prime focus': Avocado industry targets global markets

09 May 03:08 AM
The Country

Watch: Deer's ill-fated dash to airport - 'I've hit the darn thing'

09 May 02:44 AM

One tiny baby’s fight to survive

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from The Country

Butter prices: Here’s how much they  might still rise

Butter prices: Here’s how much they might still rise

09 May 05:03 AM

The price of butter could reach $9.50 by September.

'Prime focus': Avocado industry targets global markets

'Prime focus': Avocado industry targets global markets

09 May 03:08 AM
Watch: Deer's ill-fated dash to airport - 'I've hit the darn thing'

Watch: Deer's ill-fated dash to airport - 'I've hit the darn thing'

09 May 02:44 AM
Winston Peters' rugby days on The Country

Winston Peters' rugby days on The Country

09 May 02:02 AM
Connected workers are safer workers 
sponsored

Connected workers are safer workers 

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP