Funds drive to be wind beneath Kiwi wings

9th February 2010

A campaign is taking wing to raise $300,000 for the Pukaha Mount Bruce wildlife centre and the largest mass movement of the national bird.

The three-month campaign starts this week and has been dubbed Flight of the Kiwi, according to Pukaha Mount Bruce board chairman, Bob Francis.

The campaign will involve a series of fundraising events, educational programmes and promotions stretching from Featherston to Palmerston North and culminating in a telethon-style day on May 1 at the Masterton Town Hall.

All funds raised will be used to support the ongoing restoration of the Pukaha forest, already home to some of New Zealand's most endangered birds.

The funds will also assist with the translocation of up to 30 kiwis in May from Little Barrier Island to Pukaha and the upgrade of the kiwi nocturnal house and visitor facilities at the centre.

"We are delighted to be able to bring kiwi from Little Barrier Island which will approximately double the kiwi population at Pukaha," Mr Francis said.

He said the operation is expected to be the largest mass translocation of kiwi ever undertaken.

"This is a fantastic opportunity to highlight the pest control work that must continue in and around the Pukaha forest which is critical to the survival and growth of endangered birds such as kiwi and kokako.

Mr Francis said boosting the kiwi numbers is expected to increase the kiwi population to the point where it can grow more quickly and with less assistance from Pukaha rangers.

An educational programme about pest control - Whack a Rat and Save a Native Bird - kicks off the campaign this week and is being delivered to all schools in the fundraising zone along with an invitation for classes to devise their own individual fundraisers.

"Killing pests is the single most important activity that helps restore the 940-hectare native bush and provides a safe environment for the native birds," Mr Francis said. "We have made a conscious decision not to barricade the birds and animals in by surrounding them with a predator-proof fence. Fencing on this scale would be prohibitively expensive."

Rats pose the greatest threat to birds, followed by stoats, ferrets, weasels and possums.

"This work is expensive and ongoing - we can't let up on it," he said.

On April 11 a Long Lunch for more than 400 people will gather Pukaha supporters for a five-course feast in a marquee at the front of Copthorne Resort Solway Park, he said.

The occasion will also feature Wairarapa wines, entertainment, a special guest and a charity auction with businesses and service clubs encouraged to contribute to the cause by getting behind the fundraising campaign.

Mr Francis said initial support had been 'hugely positive' with a number of businesses already committed through sponsorship and representation on the organising committee including the Wairarapa Times-Age.

Visitors to Pukaha Mount Bruce will become much more a part of the kiwi conservation experience in a planned $1.5 million upgrade and expansion of the existing nocturnal house and other outdoor facilities at the National Wildlife Centre, he said.

The existing kiwi enclosures will be completely renovated and enhanced by relocating the Operation Nest Egg kiwi programme to the nocturnal house and introducing new viewing facilities.

Visitors will be able to see into the incubation room and the brooders where the kiwi chicks hatch and are looked after until they are returned to the forest. A two-way intercom will enable visitors to interact with the rangers.

Theatre seating for up to 50 people will allow visitors to view a series of short films, which draw the links between the Operation Nest Egg programme and the pest control and forest restoration work being undertaken at Pukaha.

The project is the second stage of an overall upgrade of centre facilities. A year ago the colours, sights and sounds of an ancient forest, inhabited by huia and moa, were recreated indoors as part of a double award-winning $1.4 million redevelopment of the visitor centre.

"Our visitors tell us seeing a kiwi is the 'must do' on their visit to Pukaha," Mr Francis said.

"We plan to make sure that a visit to our nocturnal house exceeds their expectations. Already our kiwi viewing area is regarded as one of the best in New Zealand but we want to do more.

"We believe we are the only reserve where kiwi are on view to the public and where they are released back into their own environment - our own 940 hectares of forest."

In addition to the nocturnal housework, stage two also includes improving the tuatara enclosure and outdoor signage, displays, and interactive mediums.

It is hoped new exhibits will include native frogs, weta, weevils, skinks and geckos. The cafe kitchen and public toilets will also be upgraded.

Additional facts about pest control:

* The Pukaha Mount Bruce pest control team:

* Manages 130km of trap lines

* Manages over 1000 bait stations for rats and possums

* Manages over 500 traps for rats, ferrets, stoats and weasels

* Pest control is the most expensive thing we do