Source: New Zealand Government
Conservation Minister Kiri Allan is welcoming a new initiative encouraging philanthropic contributions to save our national icon, the kiwi.
Speaking at the launch of the Kiwis for kiwi Endowment Fund, which aims to raise $20m over the next five years to support kiwi conservation, she said the taonga species faces multiple pressures.
“Kiwi populations are declining at a steady rate of two per cent a year and cover only a fraction of their former range; we want to flip that around to a two per cent increase.
“Loss of habitat, introduced predators, and increasingly, the impacts of climate change are taking their toll. Right now, only six per cent of chicks in the wild survive to adulthood.
“Fortunately, we have turned a corner toward restoring kiwi to their former range so that one day we’ll see kiwi in our backyards.
“We have a Kiwi Recovery Plan with the ambitious goal of 100,000 kiwi by 2030, Government has committed $19.7 million of Jobs for Nature funding towards restoration projects, and Kiwis for kiwi are working closely with iwi and hāpu, community groups, private landowners and businesses so that kiwi go from endangered to widespread.
“The Kiwis for kiwi Endowment Fund will allow philanthropists to contribute directly to ensure all species of kiwi are abundant for our tamariki and mokopuna.
“The endowment fund will help grow important kiwi restoration programmes as we all continue to work to secure the future of our national icon,” Kiri Allan said.
Former Prime Ministers Sir John Key and Helen Clark are joint patrons of the fund.
Background
About the Kiwis for kiwi Endowment Fund
The Kiwis for kiwi Endowment Fund allows philanthropists who are passionate about the survival and longevity of our national icon to contribute to help save the kiwi in powerful and purposeful way.
Kiwis for kiwi is aiming to raise a base fund of $20m over the next five years which will enable them to maintain their support of kiwi conservation efforts and create momentum for future growth of the kiwi population.
Sir John Key and Helen Clark have chosen to support this initiative because they believe that if all New Zealanders work together, we can save our national icon for future generations. For more information about the fund and how to donate to it, visit www.endowmentfund.kiwi.
About Kiwis for kiwi
Kiwis for kiwi is the national kiwi charity that, in partnership with the Department of Conservation, works alongside community-, iwi- and hāpu-led kiwi conservation projects all over New Zealand to protect the kiwi population and take our national icon from endangered to everywhere. For more information, visit www.kiwisforkiwi.org.
Kiwi facts
- We have just under 65,000 kiwi in New Zealand.
- Only a quarter of wild kiwi live in safe habitat protected by predator control. Kiwi are still declining nationally, as most populations are unprotected from predators.
- Stoats are responsible for most kiwi chick deaths on the mainland Without predator control, only 6% of chicks survive to adulthood. With adequate management, this can increase up to 60%.
- Adult kiwi can have an average lifespan of 30-40 years, but dogs and ferrets can reduce that to 12-13 years.
- Kiwi currently stand a much better chance of survival in areas where predators are controlled or absent. Where work is being done to protect kiwi, the numbers are increasing.
- There are well over 100 community-led and iwi-led kiwi conservation projects in New Zealand, with the momentum continuing to grow. Combined they protect over 200,000ha of kiwi habitat (at last estimate).
- $19.7 million of Jobs for Nature funding is being invested in kiwi conservation activities. The funding will enable the scaling up of community kiwi restoration projects and create more predator-free land for kiwi.
