Protecting our Taonga: the importance of Kiwi Monitoring
Following the release of 100 kiwi on Taranaki Maunga and Patuha – the largest release season so far - Ngā Manu Pīkoko have the opportunity to contribute to a fundamental part of ensuring the hauora of our manu taonga, through kiwi monitoring.
At the heart of Te Ara Taiao’s mahi is the kaitiakitanga of Aotearoa’s taonga species. Among these, Kiwi hold a central place, being a tohu for the hauora of our taiao and biodiversity outcomes. Monitoring Kiwi populations is important in ensuring their survival for future generations. Data gathered from monitoring offers invaluable information about their health, breeding, survival rates, dispersal patterns, population growth and the efficacy of conservation management programmes. This information then informs how we can best tautoko not only Kiwi, but Papatūānuku and all of her tamariki aswell.
Whaea Tiere demonstrates how to use telemetry equipment to Ngā Manu Pīkoko of te kura o Waitoriki.
When Kiwi aren’t nesting, they are constantly on the move, changing burrows and roaming the ngāhere. Their strong legs allow their territories to cover vast areas anywhere between 2 to 100 hectares. For example, Kaha the Kiwi who lives on the eastern side of Taranaki Maunga, has travelled approximately 15 kilometres since his release in 2023. With territories this extensive, telemetry equipment is key to tracking down these nomadic manu. A set of telemetry equipment consists of a directional aerial (similar to an old TV antenna), which is plugged into a radio receiver. Together, these items are able to pick up radio signals that are emitted by transmitters attached to particular kiwi.
The Taranaki Kiwi Trust monitors approximately 70 Kiwi around Taranaki using telemetry equipment. Transmitters are attached to the legs of a select number of Kiwi like a bracelet. The transmitters contain a mercury switch that senses movement through the Kiwi’s leg and produces a low-power radio pulse. The detection of movement provides information about the Kiwi’s location, activity, growth, survival and whether it is sitting on an egg. Each transmitter is like the Kiwi’s very own radio station with a unique signal. Telemetry equipment then helps us to tune in to each Kiwi’s radio channel and listen to the latest updates, which come in the form of audible beeps. The series of beeps is a bit like morse code for gathering information about the Kiwi, with different patterns indicating different behaviours and activities in the past 24 hours. If there has been no movement during this period, the signal changes to a series of rapid beeps, indicating that the transmitter has fallen off or in the worst-case scenario, that the Kiwi is dead. These patterns are recorded and added to ongoing monitoring data that helps inform decisions about Kiwi conservation management programmes.
Te Ara Taiao provides Ngā Manu Pīkoko with the opportunity to get involved in monitoring and gathering invaluable data that shapes how we tautoko Kiwi. The process involves a hīkoi into the ngāhere to areas where Kiwi signals have been previously observed. Next, the radio receiver is turned on and tuned into the appropriate radio channels linked to each kiwi that live in the area. The directional aerial is then held up as high as possible, and pointed in various directions to find a signal. This step requires keen listening ears and quiet mouths – not always an easy task for excited tamariki! Ngā Manu Pīkoko then listen intently for the sometimes faint, but distinct, “beep... beep” that indicates the presence of a Kiwi nearby. Sometimes no signal can be found. This can be due to hilly terrain, Kiwi being deep in their burrow, or wandering down a gully, as the ability to pick up a signal depends on having a line of sight between the directional aerial and a transmitter. However, this is all part of the learning experience and makes the event of picking up a signal even more momentous.
Ngā Manu Pīkoko from Waitoriki School working together to pick up a kiwi signal at York Road.
Kiwi monitoring is fundamental in honouring our role as kaitiaki of Aotearoa’s taonga species. By tracking their movements, health, and survival, we gain vital knowledge that guides how we tautoko our manu taonga. Ngā Manu Pīkoko play an important role in this mahi, actively contributing to the hauora of Kiwi in Taranaki, and passing on this knowledge to the next generation. Through the dedication of kaitiaki, community groups and organisations such as the Taranaki Kiwi Trust, together we can uplift the mauri of Taranaki Maunga and all of his ecosystems.
Mā te mahi tahi, ka ora ai ngā kiwi.
Through working together, the kiwi will thrive.
Author: Hineana Todd
