Both Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara and Te Kawerau ā Maki hold deep cultural, spiritual, and historical connections to the Motutara Settlement Scenic Reserve and Goldie Bush Scenic Reserve.

Within Te Ao Māori, the kiwi is revered not only for its ecological role but also as a sacred taonga deeply embedded in Māori cosmology, identity, and connection to the natural world. Far beyond its status as a national symbol, the kiwi embodies the spiritual and ancestral ties between people and place.

According to Māori tradition, the kiwi was once a bird of the forest canopy. When Tāne Mahuta, the god of the forest, asked for a bird to descend to the forest floor to combat pests threatening the trees, only the kiwi accepted this perilous task. As a result, the kiwi sacrificed its ability to fly and its vibrant feathers, becoming a flightless, nocturnal bird.

This act of selflessness earned the kiwi a revered place in Māori lore, symbolising courage, humility, and guardianship of the forest.

In the Māori world view, people are connected to all things within the natural world. Kiwi are a taonga of the natural world and therefore, through whakapapa, we are related. This connectivity determines the role of Māori and stakeholders in kaitiakitanga (guardianship and protection). Central to kaitiakitanga is the concept of mauri (the life principle or vital essence of a being or entity) which is ever present within the realms of the natural world.

When there is a negative change in the mauri of an ecosystem, that mauri is weakened and not strong. Protection of kiwi goes beyond a focus on a single species but involves the strengthening of mauri.

There are five species of kiwi, all endemic to Aotearoa: Brown kiwi, Roroa/Great spotted kiwi, Kiwi pukupuku/Little spotted kiwi, Rowi and Tokoeka.

It’s estimated that there were once around 12 million kiwi in Aotearoa. By 1998, the population had plummeted to fewer than 100,000 birds, and by 2008, it had dropped further to approximately 70,000.

In 2025, the estimated kiwi population stands at around 68,000. However, kiwi populations are slowly increasing in managed areas.

Kiwi are nocturnal flightless birds in the ratite family, which includes emus, cassowaries and extinct species like the moa and elephant bird. Kiwi are endemic to New Zealand Aotearoa, where they live on the forest floor.

Kiwi have some very unique adaptations to terrestrial life, including hair-like feathers, vestigial wings, no tail and marrow-filled bones.

Strong legs enable them to dig through undergrowth and nostrils on the end of their long beak help them forage for grubs, insects, fruits and fungus.

These birds can live for up to 50 years and mate for life. During the mating season (June to March), bonded pairs will call to each other and meet in established nesting burrows.

Females produce one egg per season, famously one of the largest eggs in proportion to the female’s size. Eggs are either incubated by both parents or solely by the male, depending on the species.

These birds are quite elusive, but kiwi habitat may be identified by the presence of kiwi beak probe holes in the ground, footprints, downy feathers and scat. Kiwi calls are also quite loud and typically are heard around dusk.

The project began in August 2022 with a mission to restore the endangered Kauri, podocarp, and broadleaved forest ecosystems in and around the Goldie Bush and Motutara Settlement Scenic Reserves. Over the past year, we’ve also uncovered a promising opportunity: the potential to reintroduce kiwi to the area.

So far, we’ve deployed more than 600 traps across the reserve and on surrounding private properties, working with over 30 landowners to create a protective halo around the forest. Thousands of invasive predators have been removed, and we’re continually increasing the reach and density of our predator control efforts.

We’re also collaborating with conservation partners in Te Henga to establish a connected “wildlink” to the south — creating a larger, safer landscape for native wildlife to return and thrive.

The project spans approximately 2,000 hectares, bounded by Constable, Taiapa, Muriwai Valley, Valley, Annandale, and Wairere Roads. The area includes significant stands of Kauri, podocarp, broadleaved forest, as well as mānuka, kānuka, and open pasture. It forms an important ecological corridor, linking with protected ecosystems in Te Henga to the south.

Kiwi face their greatest threats from stoats, ferrets, and dogs, with secondary risks from other predators like cats, rats, and pigs, as well as vehicle strikes. Without predator control, 94% of wild-hatched kiwi will not survive. Before any translocation is possible, it’s essential that we have pest threats under control.

To safely return kiwi to the area, we must address the significant threat dogs pose at all life stages. The pungent, musky smell of kiwi makes them especially attractive to dogs, even well-behaved pets. A comprehensive Dog Control Plan is essential to meet site suitability requirements for translocation. This includes measures like Kiwi Avoidance Training (KAT), educational workshops for dog owners, and practical steps to reduce the risk of dog encounters in kiwi habitat.