He whenua oranga - Kiwi found on PKW whenua

Monitoring equipment in the area has recorded kiwi calls from both males and females – and now plans are underway to determine their exact locations.

Nestled 40 kilometres north-east of Stratford, the 410-hectare Mangaoapa Forestry Block, is predominantly covered in Radiata Pine and edged in native bush. With kiwi known to live within the Ngāti Maru rohe, PKW wanted to establish if any birds were living in the block itself and commissioned East Taranaki Environment Trust (ETET) and Taranaki Kiwi Trust to carry out kiwi monitoring there.

Eight kiwi recorders were positioned around the block for three weeks earlier this year. Twenty hours of recordings were analysed with 157 confirmed kiwi calls. There were both differentiating male and female sounds, with individual kiwi heard multiple times in specific locations.

This is an exciting discovery for PKW who have partnered with Te Kāhui Maru, ETET and Taranaki Kiwi Trust to locate and study these taonga species living on the block.

Te Raumātorotoro / Procurement Co-ordinator Jenny Feaver is guiding the monitoring and location work. She has extensive experience in this area through her work with the Taranaki Kiwi Trust.

“We knew there are a lot of kiwi in the area, but we didn’t know if they were any on this block,” says Jenny. “Our initial monitoring confirms there are kiwi and we’re excited to locate them in early 2022.”

It is important to provide protection in the Mangaoapa Forestry Block for kiwi and other bird species. A phased predator control approach will be set up by ETET as part of their expansion project. Once the DOC 250 traps are installed later this year, contractors or volunteers will be sought to service the trap lines.

Parininihi ki Waitōtara has a strong commitment to the environment with Te Koioratanga (Biodiversity) a key pou within its Kaitiakitanga Strategy.

“The rich biodiversity within Mangaoapa gives us a great opportunity to identify taonga species and ensure that sustainable harvest practices are in place.”

Taranaki Kiwi Trust Manager Celine Filbee is pleased with the discovery and partnership built with PKW.

“Our organisation works on many sites around the region, with several in proximity to land owned by PKW. Collaboration across these sites will allow our organisations to leverage what the other is doing, coordinating trapping, kiwi surveying and stakeholder engagement,” says Celine. “The kaupapa of our organisations are closely aligned and centred on the common responsibility of acting as kaitiaki for kiwi.”

With plans to harvest the block’s Radiata Pine in late 2022, it is important to understand more about the resident kiwi and put the appropriate monitoring measures in place to ensure their ongoing protection.

ETET Manager Rebecca Somerfield is excited as the block sits within its expanded project area.

“Pine plantations are frequently used by kiwi and other native wildlife, with two of our kiwi with transmitters having moved out of native bush and into pine plantations, highlighting the need to understand kiwi in these areas during different phases of harvest,” says Rebecca.

“We commend PKW for striving to learn more about the kiwi in their area, and how harvesting can be done to minimise disturbance to the species. These learnings will in turn provide further recommendations that will help kiwi conservation across the region.”