The new kiwi billboard going up on Ngunguru Rd to warn motorists about kiwi in the area, after four kiwi were killed on the road in the past six months.
The new kiwi billboard going up on Ngunguru Rd to warn motorists about kiwi in the area, after four kiwi were killed on the road in the past six months.
The growth of kiwi close to urban populations in Northland is having a downside - kiwi are being killed by vehicles on the road.
The Department of Conservation (DoC) is urging motorists to take care on the region's roads at night after a number of recent deaths of kiwi hit by vehicles.
Kiwi deaths by vehicles in the Whangārei area are on the increase with four birds killed on Ngunguru Rd alone in the last six months.
Three of the fatalities occurred on Ngunguru Rd near the Hugh Crawford reserve the other near the lookout between Ngunguru and Tutukaka.
As well, a young kiwi that survived wild stoats wanting to rip him apart, Northland's drought and other potential predators, was no match for a vehicle that ran him over on Whangārei Heads Rd last August.
The efforts to preserve and grow kiwi numbers in Northland has been hailed a success, but one of the downsides is that kiwi are often on the region's roads at night. As well, more are being seen during daylight hours as they search for food, particularly in dry weather.
DoC Ranger Ayla Wiles said motorists throughout Northland, but in the Ngunguru area in particular, should drive carefully and be cautious of any animal on the road.
With intensive ongoing predator trapping and better public awareness around dog control, kiwi populations in the area have been increasing.
"An unfortunate consequence of thriving kiwi populations seems to be an increase in kiwi being fatally hit by cars. The more kiwi we have, the more likely we are to encounter them in our backyards and on our roads," Wiles said.
"Motorists driving through the area need to slow down and keep their eyes peeled for the birds, which have absolutely no road sense. It can be easy to assume wildlife on the road at night is a possum, but this isn't always the case.
"Kiwi can be present on the road not just at night, but also during the early hours of the morning, causing frights for early-morning workers as well as night drivers."
She said to help increase awareness to motorists in the Ngunguru area, Kiwi Coast is installing a new billboard to alert drivers to the presence of kiwi on the road.
Taheke Landcare Group is also concerned about the potential of kiwi deaths on the road, with a newly released 13- year-old kiwi, Takoha, tracked by radio transmitter spending a lot of her time on the roadside between Tahere Rd and Smith Rd, in Pataua North.
An adult Kiwi found at McLeod Bay, after crossing Whangārei Heads Rd, during the day on January 22, and then released by Backyard Kiwi project manager Todd Hamilton. Photo / Supplied
And on August 5, last year, a kiwi was killed by a vehicle on Whangārei Heads Rd. Todd Hamilton, from Backyard Kiwi, said a Heads resident saw the bird at the side of the road, about 100m past the turnoff to The Nook, on their way to work.
Hamilton said it was the second kiwi killed on the road in a few weeks - after a female was killed nearby - on what was a "hot spot" for kiwi at night.
"There are over 900 kiwi in the Heads and some use this road as a way of moving around.
"This fellow was only about 12 months old and was possibly on the road moving out of the area he was in and trying to find a territory for himself."
It was ironic that he was killed near to where Backyard Kiwi "Kiwi Crossing" sign had been stolen from.
