Rare Rowi kiwi chick relocated onto Mana Island

Conservation Minister Dr Nick Smith today released New Zealand’s rarest kiwi chick – the first from a Rowi breeding programme – onto Mana Island – a predator-free kiwi sanctuary off the Kapiti Coast.

“This is a significant step in the programme to save our most endangered kiwi. The population of Rowi is down to 375 and just 80 breeding pairs. The risk with such a small population is the lack of genetic diversity and that is why this new chick is so significant. This transfer is part of the National Kiwi Recovery Programme which aims to increase the population of Rowi to 600 by 2018,” Dr Smith says.

“This chick is literally worth its weight in gold. There was a major investment in the transfer of five unproductive Rowi pairs two and a half years ago from Okarito on the West Coast to Blumine Island in the Marlborough Sounds. This is the first chick from this programme and the first outside their remaining habitat at Okarito. The chick is being transferred to Mana Island because of the opportunity to naturally breed with other Rowi on Mana.

“The chick’s birth is the product of a partnership between the Department of Conservation, Kiwis for Kiwi and the Untouched World Charitable Trust. It is a great example of how conservation partnerships can work and how community-led conservation projects can make a real difference.

“DOC will genetically test the chick shortly to establish its sex and it will be named following a public competition by Kiwis for Kiwi.

“I invite kiwis with a passion for kiwis to help name this very special chick that will play an important role in ensuring the survival of the Rowi.”

More information can be found at www.kiwisforkiwi.org.nz