Spencer was released in April 2021 as part of the first kiwi release into the Kaitake Ranges. He came from the Taranaki Kōhanga Kiwi at Rotokare and was named after Spencer Guthrie, one of the founding members of the Kaitake Ranges Conservation Trust.
Spencer now resides on the southwestern side of the ranges with his partner, Pourewa. Together, they are an excellent breeding pair and have contributed many chicks to the growing Kaitake kiwi population over the years.
Puanga was also released in April 2021 as part of the first kiwi release into the Kaitake Ranges. He came from the Taranaki Kōhanga Kiwi at Rotokare and was named by Coastal Taranaki School and Te Ara Taiao.
Puanga resides near Pukeiti Gardens and consistently incubates two clutches of eggs each season. He is known to live in elaborate warrens and can be a challenge to catch for his annual transmitter change.
Tangahoe was released in April 2023 from the Taranaki Kōhanga Kiwi at Rotokare and was named by Tane Houston.
Tangahoe is an excellent breeder and is known to incubate three clutches each year. He can be a tricky bird to monitor, often hiding deep within the gully systems on the eastern side of the ranges and keeping monitoring volunteers and our rangers on their toes.
Many of the 183 kiwi release on Taranaki Maunga have been monitored over the years. As well as our featured birds the following have transmitters attached and are being monitored by our Kiwi Ranger Toby Shanley and a team of volunteers. Many of them live in close proximity to the North Egmont Visitors Centre.
66 kiwi have now been released on the Kaitake Ranges since 2021. Kiwi were once widespread throughout the ranges but had disappeared presumed due to predation from introduced predators. The Kaitake Ranges Conservation Trust and the Taranaki Mounga Project have been working hard to reduce predator numbers which have enabled kiwi to thrive and breed on the Ranges. Below is a list of monitored kiwi in the Kaitake Ranges:
Stella is sponsored and named by Blake Marston and family from Grounded Kiwi, she was released at Omoana near Tupaia in 2023 however both birds moved in completely different directions. She traveled around a bit, before settling down 2km away.We think she might have found a mate as she has been in the same place for some time now. We are hopeful that we come across a male in her burrow the next time she is caught.
Named by Ngāti Ruanui kaumatua, Uncle Sandy Parata, after Ngāti Tupaia, the hapū from the Rotokare Sanctuary rohe. Tupaia was released near Stella, as we had big plans for them. Unfortunately, Stella has decided to go on an adventure and has left Tupaia all alone! We are hoping he will find a wild female and start breeding within the next year or two.
Sponsored by Primo Wireless after their first manu on the Mounga, Primo, managed to escape her transmitter! Rewi is named after Dave one of their long serving staff members. When Rewi was first caught at the kōhanga for translocation, he was found in with his mate (now known as Ohia) and the two were released together at Omoana. They have subsequently stayed closed together near to their initial release site, and we are excited to see if they breed this year.
Alex is an adult male kiwi who was bred within the reserve at Rotokare. He was caught by professional dog catchers in 2017, and has been part of a group of males monitored since then to understand their productivity. We can see how often they sit on eggs and how many chicks hatch each year to gain better understanding of the population growth. Alex often hangs out right by the road, and one year he even had his breeding burrow right on the side of the road up a bank. We were able to use a ladder from the road to get to the burrow. His two chicks that year are called Axle and Prince. His 2020 clutch of eggs hatched during the first Covid 19 lockdown – so appropriately the chicks were called Ardern and Bloomfield! This picture shows one of his chicks undergoing a health check.
Papa is another bird with a very special story and has been in the news after he was attacked by a stoat on Waitaanga Rd, North Taranaki, in late 2019. Fortunately a truck driver noticed the kiwi’s plight while driving past, leapt from his truck and rescued the young chick from the jaws of the stoat at the bottom of a papa bank. He was sent to Wildbase Hospital for treatment, then to Wairakei Sanctuary to recuperate. In June 2020 he was brought back to Taranaki and released permanently in Rotokare Reserve to provide new genetics and become Founder #37 for the TKKR project.
Here is Prince the day she was release into the Totara Blocks. She was born in November 2018 at the kōhanga and named by our Trust Manager. She had been a little elusive to catch from time to time for her health checks, so we were please to release her without a transmitter.
