KIWI RELEASE
at Matapōuri on April (29th at 4.00 pm) - POSTPONED
· Apr 5
Updated: Apr 28
Hosted by TLC and Te Whanāu a Rangiwhakaahu Marae. Organized by Kiwi Coast and Backyard Kiwi.
Please join us to pōwhiri, presentations of new Kiwi to be released, and community Kai !
Join Our Exclusive Workshops for Dog Training and Dog Owners Education!
Oct 30, 2024
At Tutukaka Landcare Coalition, we are excited to invite you to our upcoming workshops dedicated to enhancing the bond between dogs and their owners through education and training.
WHAT TO EXPECT:
Our first workshop will cover essential topics such as the nature of dogs, sharing good time with your dog, obedience training, behavior management, and responsible pet ownership. You'll learn valuable insights and hands-on techniques from veterinarian Leslie Baigent to help your dog reach their full potential.
KNOW YOUR DOG: NOVEMBER 23RD, 10 AM TO 12 PM, AT NGUNGURU HALL.
FOR DOG OWNERS ONLY, NO DOGS PLEASE!
Our second workshop is essentially for WORKING or HUNTING dogs and it is designed to train them to avoid kiwi.
KIWI AVERSION TRAINING: DECEMBER 1ST, 9 AM TO 2.30 PM, TAWAPOU
Don't miss this opportunities to create a harmonious and fulfilling relationship with your furry companion!
For booking: email : info@tutukakalandcare.org.nz
NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER Preserving and enhancing biodiversity on the Tutukaka Coast
MARCH 27TH, 2025
TLC has been very active in the past months, trapping, bird monitoring, weeding and communicating with locals.
Weeding or habitat restoration? S.W.A.T was originally chosen as a name to introduce our “Specialist Weed Action Team”. Sure we are an Action team, and we might be specialised, aiming to eradicate invasive plants that don’t belong in the native environment. However, weeding is a bit simplistic, even boring.
We don’t pick grassy or herb invaders out of a garden, rather we cut large plants with loppers or saws, paste the stumps with herbicide gel, fell small trees and sometimes we spray invasive vegetation on public or private land. We do this to clear the space occupied by invasive plants and restore the native habitat which is threatened by many introduced species. We think our acronym can remain, but we are adding another meaning: Strengthening the Wilderness Aspiring to Thrive!
Since August, we have visited public reserves - Snells Point, Matapouri, Shoebridge, Woolleys Bay reserve – as well as private properties to control climbing asparagus, moth plant, cape ivy, flowering cotoneaster, wilding pines, pampas grass, woolly nightshade and more.
At William Parata Reserve we arranged a planting day to support the amazing, dedicated work of a local who has for the past few years battled gorse and moth plant on the track and adjacent properties.
Photo: Ben carrying plants to the site. Next photo: Murray planting at the lookout of William Parata Reserve.
Advocating for a Healthy Environment. At the beginning of November, TLC along with Forest and Bird and Save the Kiwi attended the Ngunguru School Dog Show - our message to the community - dogs and birds can live together if we take care to educate our pet animals.
We will soon hold a Know Your Dog workshop at Ngunguru hall where veterinarian Lesley Baigent will entertain with funny, interesting, and highly informative stories about dogs, with tips on how to train and interact with our canine friends.
We will also have more dogs trained in kiwi aversion at Tawapou in an initiative supported by DOC and Save the Kiwi.
All these efforts are directed at protecting and enhancing the biodiversity of this amazing High Value Area (HVA) of the Tutukaka Coast. The whenua from Scow Landing along the coast to Sandy Bay, and approximately 10 km inland has been formally recognised by the Northland Regional Council as an HVA, where high biodiversity values and recreational interests are matched with strong community support in pest control.
Riroriro, Photo from M. Pullman
What is Biodiversity? Biodiversity means the variety of life in an area: animals, plants, fungi, and microorganisms. These work together within an intricate web, in ecosystem that maintains balance and supports life - from oxygen to food, from water to shade, and from pleasure to connection. It is important to us because it supports the processes that sustain all life on Earth, including our own.
Check this very short and playful video on biodiversity:
https://youtu.be/XTC4qiXd36Q?si=YcrG3CCdarYoiKxB
Any loss or deterioration in the condition of biodiversity can compromise all these values and affect human wellbeing. That is why part of TLC’s work relates to checking the health of our biodiversity on the Tutukaka Coast.
- Silvia Pinca
Monitoring Biodiversity. One of the ways TLC does this is by monitoring the presence of rare birds.
The matuku, or bittern, is rarely seen or heard these days but was once common on the Tutukaka Coast, including around the Matapouri and Ngunguru estuaries. With low and decreasing numbers, it is thought that there are now less than 900 birds left in New Zealand. Loss of wetland habitat, predation by mustelids, cats and dogs, and poor water quality are all factors in their decline. Locally, people have reported hearing and seeing them, so we know they are still present, but we do not know how many and whether there has been any successful nesting occurring. They like living in shallow, densely vegetated wetlands and feed around estuaries, streams, drains, flooded paddocks and roadsides.
From September through October and November we have been using automatic recorders at a number of wetlands, rivers and estuary sites to see if we can pick up the booming in the early morning and at sunset. Most of the data is currently being analysed, and the results will be added to last year’s data to get an overall picture of the bittern population as part of the much larger collaborative Matuku Mahi Northland project.
- Nan Pullman
Matapouri is again surrounded by kiwi. TLC is confident in making this claim after analysing kiwi calls from three automatic recording devices (ARDs) and talking to locals.
The data came from the addition of a new kiwi listening station at Parangarahu to the south, the reactivation of two listening stations to the north and several reports of people hearing kiwi calls in the village.
On July 7 with the help of Charlie Mackie I placed an automatic kiwi listening device (basically an automated recorder) about two thirds of the way down the hillside towards the coast from the Urupa.
Charlie Mackie with aerial following released kiwi.
We collected the device for analysis on July 11.
This ARD confirmed the presence of a male and a female kiwi calling strongly close to the device. These calls were what is often called a “duet” where the male usually calls first and is responded to fairly quickly by a female indicating they are probably a breeding pair.
Another pair was recorded somewhat further away but probably still within the same valley system. The recorder, unfortunately, doesn’t tell us which direction the call was from but gives a good indication of proximity.
In addition there were several other male kiwi calls in the mid distance and another call that was potentially a juvenile.
The recorder also picked up chatter from a korora (little blue penguin).
To the north ARDs in the Whale Bay and Otito reserves recorded calls from single birds. These sites were set up several years ago by Matapouri Kaitiaki but had not been used for some time and had never previously recorded any kiwi calls.
For more detail about the calls again being heard in the village it is probably best to have a natter with Carla and the locals at the shop.
With the combination of local predator trapping, dog control education and kiwi releases it is safe to assume kiwi are making a comeback at Matapouri.
- Malcolm Pullman
A true story of kiwi love! If you are interested in reading a story about kiwi calls in our neighborhood, check this intriguing tale from one of our community members, Emma, and which is speaking loudly about the wonderful effects of more than 20 years of efforts and engagement from all.
Effective pest control. Although the Tutukaka Coast is famed for its natural beauty, pest animals have been widespread across our landscape, and if not effectively controlled, they can cause significant damage to our native birds and forests. We're fortunate to have wild populations of kiwi and pateke (brown teal), and on calm nights, you can hear the distinctive calls of the kiwi. Yet, without pest control, stoats and feral cats can swiftly decimate these precious native birds.
A vital aspect of TLC's efforts is to maintain a network of hundreds of pest traps throughout the Tutukaka Coast area. These traps are checked and re-baited every few weeks, capturing several thousand pest animals annually - stoats, weasels, feral cats, possums, and rats.
But is trapping enough? Does it reduce pest animals to levels low enough to prevent damage to our natural environment? Experts say no.
Stoats are particularly destructive to our bird populations and are known for being cunning and hard to trap. Studies have shown that to maintain low stoat numbers, periodic use of a poison or toxin is required to target those elusive individuals that evade traps. By applying the toxin briefly every two or three years, stoat numbers can be drastically reduced, leading to a significant improvement in kiwi chick survival. TLC has adopted a pest control strategy that combines both trapping and periodic use of toxin. By employing this integrated approach, the population of kiwi and other birds on the Tutukaka Coast is thriving.
We are so fortunate to live in a place inhabited by such ancient animals, who have seen changes and who are trustful enough to come back from the brink of extinction …
- I. Skipworth
Above photo: Pateke or Brown Teal, the 4th most endangered duck in the world, reintroduced on the Tutukaka Coast . Photo by I. Skipworth
AUTUMN NEWSLETTER
Apr 1, 2025
What’s been happening at TLC since December? Check these news:
A hot autumn for predator catches
Weeding and chasing invasive plants all over the Coast
Advocacy, Workshops, training for dogs and people!
Seat of the Pants Kiwi Rescue
When Geoff and Henry went for a walk to Sandy Bay they never expected to arrive back at Matapouri with a tiny live kiwi named Gerry a bit dehydrated and wrapped in one of their tee shirts.
Geoff Hanham and Henry Norcross spotted the little North Island Brown Kiwi baking in the sun on the hot tar sealed road above the south end of Woolley's Bay. At first they walked past but soon changed their minds thinking something should be done to make sure the little bird did not get run over.
Gerry may have been a bit dehydrated but was sprightly enough to give the walkers the slip and scurry off into a pampas bush perched on a cliff edge just outside a safety railing.
With Geoff holding the railing in one hand and grasping Henry's belt with the other, hoping no motorists came past to witness their unusual behaviour, Henry was able to lean out just far enough to snatch Gerry from the pampas bush.
Unsure of what to do next with their rescued baby they headed for Tawapou Native Plant Nursery where they knew kiwi release events had been held. From there, with some guidance from Tutukaka Landcare Coalition volunteers, Gerry was delivered to Robert Webb at the Whangarei Native Bird Recovery Centre.
Robert estimated the 250 gram bird was about three weeks old and suffering no more than severe dehydration. An overnight stay at the recovery centre had the little chick back to its feisty ways and ready for release at a more appropriate location than a summer baked coastal road.
Northland Regional Council biodiversity officer and experienced kiwi handler Pete Graham took over and delivered the youngster back to Tawapou for release into an area of QEII covenanted bush that is under intensive predator control.
Pete said time had been ticking for the little kiwi: "Another half hour in the sun could have been fatal. The quick actions of the impromptu bird rescuers definitely saved it."
Gerry at 250 g is merely a handful for Northland Regional Council kiwi handler Pete Graham. (Photo Malcolm Pullman)
Geoff and Henry were on hand to see little Gerry released, explaining that after their seat of the pants safety railing rescue it had seemed appropriate to link the first and last syllables of their names to identify the young bird.
Kiwi rescuers Geoff Hanham and Henry Norcross with Northland Regional Council kiwi handler Pete Graham just before safely releasing kiwi chick Gerry. (Photo Malcolm Pullman)
Tutukaka Landcare spokesman Mike Camm said that while the episode was a bit touch and go for the young kiwi it was also encouraging: "It shows that our landscape scale predator control work in the Tutukaka Coast hinterland is allowing wild kiwi populations to re-establish."
Malcolm Pullman
Kiwi among us.
On April 29th at 4 pm there will be a kiwi release kindly hosted at te hapū Rangiwhakaau marae, Matapouri. Everyone in the community is invited for the viewing of the birds and for the kai kindly offered to the community by TLC and te whanau a Rangiwhakaahu hapū.
Ferret Alert
At the beginning of March we had a very troubling image sent through to us, it was a picture of a dead ferret on the side of the road. What was troubling about it was, that apparently the photo was taken on Tutukaka Block Rd.
In the early days of Tutukaka Landcare when we first started trapping, several ferrets were caught, however we have not caught, nor even seen a ferret, in the Tutukaka Coast area for 20 years; so this is a very serious issue for us.
Ferrets are the largest of the three introduced mustelid species we have in New Zealand (the other two being stoats and weasels) and although they have established populations further south in areas like Central Otago, Northland has a very low density of them.
That's not to say that they don't show up and cause havoc with our native birds every now and again. Last year a ferret managed to get onto our Kiwi creche Matakohe/Limestone Island in the Whangarei harbour and was only detected because it killed one of our long time monitored Kiwi - Sir Ed, (named after the great man himself after he visited Whangarei Heads the previous year). Sir Ed (the kiwi) had been moved onto the island in 2005 as a chick and was an excellent dad, hatching many chicks over the last 15 years which is why he had a transmitter on.
After his transmitter started sending a mortality signal, the rangers went to check on him and found him dead and his egg cold. A fast response by the rangers, NRC, Backyard Kiwi and Kiwi Coast saw the ferret caught in a live catch cage the following day, however it is not known how many un-monitored Kiwi were killed before it was caught.
Because they are so much bigger than a stoat, ferrets are capable of killing adult kiwi and can decimate breeding populations (stoats will kill kiwi chicks until they are about 1 kg, but once larger, kiwi can fight off a stoat).
The standard DOC 200 trap will not catch a ferret as they are too strong and can pull themselves out, because of this the network of TLC traps is approximately 50% Fenn traps which will catch a ferret.
We Need Your Help!
We really do not want ferrets on the Tutukaka Coast, please familiarise yourself with these pictures and let us know if you have seen a ferret, so that we can attempt to intercept it.
An adult ferret
An adult stoat
Ferrets are mostly nocturnal, will scavenge roadkill and have a very bright eye-reflection when a light is shone at them, so please pay extra attention when driving around the coast at night.
By Cam McInnes
Please Contact Cam on 021 2648620
A hot autumn for predator catches.
Autumn of this year has been quite unusual having a prolonged period of high stoat, weasel and feral cat catches (CSW). Normally, a sharp spike in stoat catches occurs around December, and then declines steadily through to March. This year has been different, with catches of all three predators remaining high, and stoat and weasel catches declining only during March. Compared to the past two years, the total CSW catches so far are about 12% higher for the same period, meaning we could be in for a record annual catch by June.
Why is this happening? This is hard to answer, but the usual “run” of young stoats and weasels that normally occurs in December, seems to be late, with a peak occurring in February. This late “flush” of juveniles is possibly weather-related. Whatever the reason, we can thank our undaunted trappers for their fantastic efforts in removing these predators from our precious habitats.
Monthly catches of feral cats, stoats and weasels
By Nick Davies
Weeding and chasing invasive plants all over the Coast
Except for a few interrupted attempts of weeding at the beginning of summer, S.W.A.T. has been particularly active in the months since the end of November through to March, both with weeding actions on Wednesday – and sometimes Saturday - mornings, as well as promptly answering calls for help from various community members. Being it for dispensing herbicide gel bottles to landowners who are particularly active in fighting weeds in their own or their neighbours’ property, or for intervening directly when reaching the weeds is too hard; SWAT volunteers are there! Properties between Ngunguru to Sandy Bay are supported. S.W.A.T. gets there with their tools, long grabbing poles for catching vines and vine fruits, big bags for collecting plant pests, drills to poison invasive trees, booklets to inform on the target plants, and more.
Volunteer Beth drilling a privet in te Maika reserve
We have visited public reserves and private properties in many locations: Ngunguru Library path Reserve, Te Maika Reserve, Shoebridge Reserve, Snell Point Reserve, Ngunguru Marae, Waiotoi Rd in Ngunguru; Lawson Drive, Pacific Ridge, Pacific Bay, Dolphin Place in Tutukaka; Parangara’ahu restoration project and Te Wairoa reserve in Matapouri; Woolley’s Bay Beach reserve; and, Sandy Bay. The most frequent attacks were done on moth plants and their pods. Moth plant is, after all, the weed of the month, as our signs along the road indicate!
We felled or poisoned many cotoneasters, both in the middle of the back-dunes in Woolley’s Bay,- where there should only be native plants like five fingers or pohutukawa or kowhai! - and at the Shoebridge Reserve. This reserve has been a S.W.A.T. location for several years where native plants have found space after several major weeding actions. After the cotoneaster clean up, this beautiful bush at the back of the community gardens is reviving. Another battle has been fought against the abundant invasive plant Chinese privet.
Volunteer Hayley drilling and filling privet in Te Maika reserve.
Te Maika was invaded, but after S.W.A.T.’s repetitive attacks with the drill and fill method, the natives of the understory will have more chance to sprout up! More weeds were cleared like Brazilian peppertree, Blue morning Glory, wilding pines, woolly nightshades, climbing asparagus, cape ivy…
At the end of December S.W.A.T. was joined by a large group of Huanui College students willing to give back to the community through environmental service. Together they helped pulling hundreds of Cape Ivy stems, leaves and roots under the summer sun! And they want to come back!
Students from Huanui College volunteering in Wooley's bay
Volunteers - including mahi Hapori Team from Tokotoko Solutions - at the Parangara'ahu restoration block in Matapouri
At the beginning of March S.W.A.T. was approached by a group of young, and not so young, men from the Mahi Hapori team at Tokotoko Solutions offering free help to S.W.A.T. for few months! We jumped on the opportunity and invited them to help with one of our projects in Matapouri. What an amazing team!, so eager to use tools and fell invasive trees like pines and tobacco weeds! We had a glorious weeding event with more than 20 people, cheered by the community and refreshed by wonderful kai at the end of the morning prepared by knowledgeable hands of a volunteering professional chef!
Volunteer Demi weeding moth plant at the Ngunguru Marae,
Would it not be great if every event were followed by a feast?? But yet, it happened again, when S.W.A.T. went to assist the Ngunguru Marae in clearing the grounds around the community buildings of the invasive pests there: mothplant, of course, but also Asparagus, privets, cotoneasters, palm grass….And yes, at the end we were also invited to the whare kai for a feed after the efforts! Thank you!
Volunteer Janet with the craft tools!
By Silvia Pinca
Advocacy, Workshops, training for dogs and people!
Attendants and trainer Lesley Baigent at the Women Trapping Workshop at Tawapou
Interaction with the community: S.W.A.T. and TLC are always present on the social media for updating actions or alerting on pests or inviting the community to workshops or the like. However, in this last quarter we also engaged with several wahine for a Women only trapping Workshop, led by professional trapper and conservationists Ngaire Sullivan and Lesley Baigent from Kiwi Coast and kindly hosted on the gorgeous ocean overlooking Tawapou grounds. More than 20 keen women took part of this event with interest, stories, skills, and strong dedication to kill animal pest predators! Two of these girls are now part of the TLC community of engaged volunteers and added 2 traps to the 903 already existing in the larger TLC trapping network of the High (ecological) Value Area we belong!
The fun and informative workshop Know Your Dog workshop was held at the Ngungru hall so we had another flock of community members who learned how to talk to their pet dog, understand their needs and how to achieve from them a good behaviour when out and about in this highly biodiverse and special environment.
Working dogs also had their time at Tawapou for the Kiwi Aversion Training, a teaching exercise designed and recommended for hunting and working dogs especially, since they are already used to received rules and trainings from their owner and might not be effective for pet dogs. Several pet dog owners also participated but the trainers recommend to have the owner also attend the more appropriate Know Your Dog workshop.
The presence of TLC at the Matapouri Gala in January and at the Tutukaka twilight markets has provided excellent opportunities for the community to approach us with questions regarding trapping or weeding, upcoming workshops, enrolment into the mail list and more. Now that the season for night market is over, you can reach us at:
By Silvia Pinca
Weeding Wide Community Event
· Mar 11, 2025
Next MARCH 15th at 8.30
we will have another community event in Matapouri catching wilding pines & tobacco weeds on the Matapouri ex pine forest we have been working on before.
This will be a fun weeding event followed by a lunch offered by the landowners and S.W.A.T. and volunteer chefs!!
Please come and work as a community, to help restore a forest and enhance the biodiversity on this piece of coast!!
You will need gloves and water bottle and meet at the entrance of the block, just 200 m South of the Matapouri village, on the main road.
Please reply by email info@tutukakalandcare.org.nz if you intend to come.
Kiwi growling for mates swap?
Nov 22, 2024
A Ngungurian real story
Kia ora Silvia, I thought you might like to share this story with your TLC readers. I live right on the edge of the village near Pipis, and last week I could hear a male kiwi calling repeatedly late at night. It is typical to hear him call once nightly from my place, but repeatedly was unusual. After a few minutes I heard a female calling also. It is really uncommon for me to hear the female as they call less frequently, and their calls don’t travel as far. This piqued my interested enough that I went outside on the deck to hear better, and then everything really started to kick off!
I could hear a second male calling, and then two kiwi making a huge racket running through the bushes not far from the house. The male would start trying to call, but a few moments in I could hear what sounded very much like the female shoulder-barging him. There was a heap of enthusiastic growling going on (yes, kiwi growl, and also snap their bills to show aggression), chasing, and crashing through the undergrowth for quite a few minutes.
It didn’t take long to piece together what I think was going on. Kiwi generally nest more than once a season, and the first nests will have finished recently. The chicks are independent within a few weeks of hatching, so it leaves the parents to get on with round two of nesting for the year. I would guess that the (likely already paired up) female had a visiting male come to see if she wanted to consider swapping mates and nesting with him. From her response, I think it was a hard no! The males are generally around 2 kg in weight, and the females can be double this, so I think she was using her size advantage to let him know not to bother asking again. Male kiwi will fight each other quite savagely if they are having territorial disputes, and when it comes to matters of the heart this females clearly wasn’t shy about expressing her opinions.
Photo from "Save the Kiwi"
Kiwi dads sit on the eggs for close to 3 months before they hatch, so any nests that are laid now won’t have chicks until around Waitangi Day, but it’s exciting to think that the little kiwi chicks from the first nests are potentially right on the edge of the village at the moment. The chicks don’t call so it’s harder to know they are around, but their miniature footprints can sometimes be seen along the edges of muddy puddles. It’s a good reminder to keep cats at home, and to keep them inside at night. The chicks are completely vulnerable once they leave the nests, and they have no defense against cats.
In the late 1990’s I was living very close to where I live now, right on the edge of the village in the same little valley. The potential for kiwi to be so close to the village wasn’t even on my radar then, and it is incredible to think that in one generation they are now right here amongst us. What a privilege to be the benefactors of those with the vision to start the mahi all those years ago.
I regularly work with communities who have had kiwi missing from their nightly soundscape for decades, and I see the boundless effort they need to invest to try to get kiwi returned. They really look to communities like ours, and strive to be at the point that we are one day. We simply wouldn’t be here without responsible dog ownership. So a big thank you also to all the dog owners who ensure their canine companions are safely contained in a run or inside at night, who keep their dogs under control (even on their own properties, because kiwi don’t see human boundary lines), and who walk their dogs on a lead anywhere kiwi might be. It’s so valuable to have both well taken care of dogs, and a thriving kiwi population.
by Emma
Listen to kiwi calls here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__4rDoA0mPU
Counting kiwi
It all begins with an idea.
May 18, 2024
2 min read
Kiwi Counts 2024
It’s that time of year again when we sit out in the dark and listen out for those precious kiwi we’ve been working hard to protect!
The monitoring method involves recording all kiwi calls heard over a 2 hour period on four nights. Special dates are chosen each year by the national Kiwi Recovery Group, to coincide with the darker phases of the moon, as kiwi are thought to call less during a full moon.
The dates for 2024 are:
First window: 27th – 14th May, 6 – 8pm
Second window: 25th– 14th June, 6 – 8pm
Please let your local DOC or Kiwi Coast Coordinator know if you’ll need help covering your sites so we can provide support and assistance.
Good luck to all listeners! Keep warm and keep safe – always let someone know where you are listening and what time they should expect you home or hear you’ve made it back safely.
Download Kiwi Call Count Instructions…
Don’t forget that the new Kiwi Coast Listening App is now available to help make this task a lot easier. Remember to download this and have a run through before you go – and take the standard listening form with you too as a back up! Training workshops are available to help if needed – let us know if you are keen.
If you use Kiwi Listening Devices instead of human listeners, be sure to book these as soon as possible with DOC, Kiwi Coast or NRC so we can help get them out to everyone and rotate them around the sites in time.
Just get in touch if with DOC or if you need more help with this or any aspect of Kiwi Listening in 2024.
Three young male kiwi attracted more than 300 enthusiastic visitors
It all begins with an idea.
May 18th 2024
Three young male kiwi attracted more than 300 curious and enthusiastic visitors to Matapouri’s Te Rangiwhakaahu marae recently.
For many it was the first time they had seen Aotearoa’s national icon alive and up close. For others it was a chance to reacquaint themselves with the extensive trapping and habitat restoration work underway locally.
Following their afternoon encounter with the large gathering of well wishers, chaperoned at every step by accredited kiwi handlers, the young kiwi were placed in specially prepared burrows just on dusk.
The birds had been raised on Matakohe/Limestone Island in Whangarei Harbour which serves as a kiwi creche. They were each fitted with a tiny radio transmitter so their movements can be traced as they settle into their new home territory.
The kiwi were welcomed onto the mainland at Onerahi with a whakawaatea led by Te Parawhau kaumatua Fred Tito. At this point one of the kiwi was named JJ in memory of the late Jeroen Jongejans who co-founded Dive Tutukaka and supported many community conservation causes.
The other two birds – Parangarahu and Te Wairoa - were named later in the day by the Chairman of the Te Whanau a Rangiwhakaahu Hapu Trust, Aperahama Edwards. Their names reflect the coastal area around Matapouri and the two main streams that flow into Matapouri estuary.
“We are really proud of our shared efforts to restore our taonga and raise community awareness. As mana whenua in Matapouri we are committed to the protection of our taonga,” Mr Edwards said.
The gathering at the marae was organised by Tutukaka Landcare Coalition (TLC) backed by the Northland wide Kiwi Coast organisation and generously hosted by Te Whanau a Rangiwhakaahu hapu.
TLC chairman Mike Camm said it was part of an ongoing Kiwi Coast initiative to boost kiwi numbers in areas where sufficient predator control and dog management had been undertaken to ensure the young translocated birds had a good chance of long term survival.
Mr Camm acknowledged the longstanding support and partnership held with Te Whanau a Rangiwhakaahu Hapū and their important role as Mana I te whenua of Matapouri.
In their natural surrounds and with effective predator control kiwi can be expected to live around 50 years and a breeding pair often produce at least four chicks a year.
Tutukaka Landcare began 20 years ago with a handful of volunteers and a few traps. It now has a professional trapping network covering 11,000 hectares and is one of the Northland Regional Council’s High Value conservation areas.
Todd Hamilton at Te Ranguwhakaahu marae, Matapouri
Along with the Whangarei Heads Backyard Kiwi project, TLC was one of the founding partners of the Kiwi Coast organisation which, with the backing of Foundation North, has grown to support more than 225 conservation focused groups across Te Taitokerau.
How to improve your relationship with your dog
It all begins with an idea.
A “Know Your Dog” workshop was held at the Oceans conference room in Tutukaka by Veterinary Lesley Baigent, on Feb. 24th, 2024. Lesley was the usual successful speaker and kept the interest of the 16 participants active and curious. Everyone learnt so much about how to understand a dog ad how to "speak dog"! It is so important to know how to interact with our dogs to have happy animals and to teach them how to avoid birds on the beach and on bush tracks.
NEWSLETTER - August 2024 - Busy six months at TLC!
It all begins with an idea.
Aug 2, 2024
Kiwi release - trapping- weeding and more
It's been a busy six months for Tutukaka Landcare, highlighted by the release of three more Kiwi at Matapouri.
Recording device
Photo by M. Pullman
In addition, our volunteers have completed the annual pateke count, taken part in a pioneering bittern survey, continued to track down the threatened and highly illusive bat populations and have just completed the annual kiwi caIl survey, while our trappers kept curbing the possum and stoat populations, and Cam followed released kiwis in their wanderings paths in the bush.
On top of all these exciting projects our war on weeds has continued with regular Weedy Wednesdays (occasionally Saturdays) coordinated by our SWAT (Special Weed Action Team) leader Silvia Pinca.
And meanwhile our professional trappers have continued the battle against stoats and feral cats across approximately 11,000 hectares of the Tutukaka hinterland.... Keep reading...
Crowd at the Te Rangiwhakaahu marae.
Listening to Todd Hamilton about kiwi life.
Photo by K. Pullman
3 kiwi released!
More than 300 people gathered at Te Rangi Whakaahu Marae in April for a chance to see the three Taonga Kiwi welcomed into their new rohe.
The event was organised by Tutukaka Landcare Coalition (TLC) backed by Kiwi Coast and generously hosted by Te Whanau a Rangiwhakaahu hapu.
The release is part of an ongoing Kiwi Coast initiative to boost kiwi numbers in areas where sufficient predator control and dog management has been undertaken to ensure the young birds have a good chance of long term survival. With effective predator control kiwi are expected to live around 50 years and a breeding pair often produce at least four chicks annually.
The birds had been raised on Matakohe/Limestone Island in Whangarei Harbour which serves as a kiwi creche. They were each fitted with a tiny radio transmitter before being released into specially prepared burrows just on dusk. Subsequent weekly monitoring of their radio signals has shown they have settled well into their new home territory.
The kiwi named JJ in memory of the late Jeroen Jongejans, who co-founded Dive Tutukaka and supported many community conservation causes, was released near the end of Clements Road.
The other two birds – Parangarahu and Te Wairoa - were named by the Chairman of the Te Whanau a Rangiwhakaahu Hapu Trust, Aperahama Edwards. Their names reflect the two main streams that flow into Matapouri estuary.
Kiwi death
Sadly in November 2023, we lost several kiwis to dogs and cars. Two birds were killed by road traffic near the corner of Ngunguru and Kaiatea Roads. There is not much we can do about this apart from asking people to be extra aware when driving at night. Around the same time in the Sandy Bay area three kiwi and a Pateke were fatally mauled by dogs. More recently in June two more dog-killed kiwis were found in the Ngunguru forestry area, not far from Tane Moana. DOC and Armourgard coordinated a letter drop and door-knocking to hopefully get the dogs under control (or removed).
If you see a wandering dog please don't ignore it, call WDC Dog control on 0800 932 463. You might save a kiwi's life." - Cam McInnes
How many kiwi on the Tutukaka Coast?
Automatic Recording Device above Sandy bay - Photo M. Pullman
Our annual Kiwi call survey began in May and ended in mid-July. The final count of the human listening and automated listening devices is still being tabulated. But in recent years the general trend has shown an increase in kiwi numbers, clearly indicating the effectiveness of our advocacy and trapping regimes.
Photo by M. Pullman
Other Taonga taiao
Dotterels have been bravely reproducing on our beaches, even during the summer frenzy. With an estimated 2000 individuals in the NZ dotterel population the confirmed success of a nest at Sandy Bay that produced two fledged juveniles is a significant contribution to the species’ conservation. This successful nesting was monitored by Dave Gould and Malcolm Pullman. It was followed with stories in the Northern Advocate and a final article appearing in the New Zealand Herald.
Pateke conservation efforts, benefitting from our kiwi focused predator control work have also brought this once endangered duck back into our lives. Mike Camm reported the pateke flock counts for the Matapouri-Tutukaka-Ngunguru area in February 2024 at 172. With birds also counted on the south bank of Ngunguru River added we reported 303 pateke in our rohe. What a success!
In 2023 TLC took part in a preliminary acoustic survey to help locate any populations of the critically threatened long tailed bat. Their distinctive click sounds were recorded at three sites, in Matapouri, Tawapou and Ngunguru. For the 2024 survey the listening devices were concentrated at Ngunguru in an attempt to narrow down their main roost site and resulted in confirmation of 240 passes, up from the previous year’s high of 25.
In addition to kiwi, five species of birds are also monitored by TLC to gather further information about the impact of our conservation efforts. These five-minute observations of sound and sightings which began in 2023 are being repeated each year along the same transects and over time will create a valuable record about the health of our bird life.
Weed Work
The SWAT team chasing pest plants has been busy in many areas.
From wild ginger in Sandy Bay to mignonette and privet in Ngunguru, much of our weed work springs from garden waste.
In particular, garden waste dumping on the edges of our reserves is something we should avoid. It is a matter of respect for common property and nature. If you see this happening, perhaps have a kind word with the offenders about the risk this poses to our native habitats.
There are what appear to be several open green dumping sites on our road edges that are obviously the origin of significant weed spread.
Our weed action coordinator Silvia reports many landowners contact SWAT asking for support and advice. Whenever the weather allows SWAT volunteers take part in Weedy Wednesdays (sometimes Saturdays).
Veterinary Lesley Baigent during Know Your Dog workshop
Advocacy
The Tutukaka twilight markets have provided a venue for TLC to promote biodiversity advocacy and awareness. Meanwhile our trapper Cam McInnes has been interacting with new teachers and students at Ngunguru school, talking about biodiversity and setting up trapping programs with the students. More information about SWAT focus on plant pests, TLC predator control and education activities is regularly provided on the Tutukaka Landcare website www.tutukakalandcare.org.nz , and on Facebook. Also keep an eye on the 10+ digital screens at different venues on the Tutukaka Coast which play advertisements and news for TLC and SWAT. In particular Kiwi Aversion Training (KAT) for dogs has an ongoing education focus, although it is designed mainly for working dogs. One recent event with trainer Ethan Benney attracted 16 dog owners and 28 dogs. However, it is now recognized that ‘Know Your Dog’ workshops are more suitable for pet dogs. These events, led by retired vet Lesley Baigent, are highly entertaining and informative. Most people who attend (they are for people, don’t bring your dog) learn something new about their pet and how best to train them. TLC strongly recommends dog owners attend one of these sessions. As for the website, keep checking it in the next few days. It has been changing shape and we hope it is now more informative and interacting!