September 2009 Recipients
Project Kiwi Trust received funding for a kiwi enhancement project. The $6,500 grant will assist in the incubation and hatching of kiwi eggs.
“Project Kiwi Trust invests in Operation Nest Egg by transporting eggs to Rainbow Springs, Rotorua to ensure egg and chick survival. Chicks are returned to their source location once they reach a safe weight of 1,000 grams. Chicks are better able to defend themselves against predators once they reach this weight,” said Paula Williams, Project Kiwi Trust.
The main goal for the 2009/2010 breeding season is to deliver a minimum of 20 kiwi eggs to Rainbow Springs.
The trust was established in 1996 primarily to increase the kiwi population on the Kuaotunu Peninsula near Whitianga in the Coromandel, where studies have indicated the predation of kiwi chicks is the major cause of the kiwi population decline.
Over the past 13 years the trust has established a robust trapping system to control predators and monitor kiwis over its operational area of 4,100 hectares. The initial goal of increasing the survival rate of kiwi chicks to 20 percent was achieved and the trust currently averages 40 percent.
