Kiwi, fences, and forest futures | Welcome to the walled wild
The field trip starts outside the Visitors Centre at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari, where operations manager Dan gives us an overview of the sanctuary, their education programme, and the 47-kilometre pest-proof fence that keeps all the wildlife safe inside the enclosure. He also introduces the involvement Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari has in the Kōhanga Kiwi kaupapa.
- Why is the fence around Sanctuary Mountain so important, and how does it stop different animals from getting in?
- What is the purpose of the Kōhanga Kiwi project, and how does it help kiwi populations around Aotearoa?
- Why do you think it’s important for students and visitors to learn about places like Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari?
Carving a legacy, restoring a taonga
Bodie shares the kōrero behind a kiwi carving he has been working on. He also explains how the concept of ‘tono’ was exercised when Ngāti Koroki Kahukura, mana whenua for Maungatautari, asked another iwi to help them build a new population of kiwi on Maungatautari.
- What story does the carving tell, and why is it important to Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari?
- What does the Māori concept of tono mean, and how was it used to bring kiwi to the sanctuary?
- Why do you think it’s important for Maungatautari to return kiwi to the places they originally came from?
Tia the conservation kurī
Tia is a conservation dog that helps the kiwi team find kiwi, especially wild kiwi that haven’t been fitted with a transmitter. Try to keep up with Tia’s boundless energy as you gain an insight into her training and tracking prowess.
- Why are conservation dogs like Tia helpful for finding kiwi, even though dogs can be dangerous to them?
- What special training does Tia have to keep kiwi safe while she’s working in the bush?
- How does Will use the lead and the muzzle to help Tia stay safe and do her job properly?
Kiwi care in action | Te hauora o te kiwi
See the process of a kiwi health check that birds found on the maunga by conservation dogs go through before being fitted with a microchip and transmitter.
- What kinds of health checks does Helen do on the kiwi before they are moved to a new home?
- Why is it important to check for a microchip in each kiwi, and what does it tell the team?
- How does the medicine help kiwi before they are released into a new environment?
Ākonga connections with Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari
Pukeatua School sits near the base of Maungatautari and plays an important part in helping the Kōhanga Kiwi kaupapa. The school has given the kiwi team a spare classroom, which is now used as the kiwi health and operations centre. Meet some of the school’s ākonga and hear about the connections they share with Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari.
- How are students from Pukeatua School helping to protect native species around Maungatautari?
- What is a wildlife corridor, and why is it important for native birds?
- How do the values at Pukeatua School connect with the native birds and the sanctuary nearby?
The kiwi muster: from forest to future
Follow Gaia and other Save the Kiwi crew using telemetry gear to track kiwi for the Kōhanga Kiwi kaupapa. During the muster, kiwi are captured, given a health check, then put into special transport boxes for translocation to other areas needing a boost in their kiwi populations.
Keep your phone secured in your pocket as we bush-bash our way through the undergrowth in search of a kiwi in its burrow!
- How do the team use special equipment to help them find kiwi in the forest?
- What steps do they take to make sure the kiwi are safe and healthy before moving them to their new home?
- Why do you think the team holds a karakia before the kiwi leave Maungatautari?
