Spring news update J007006 Experience Pūrangi 53 Rata St, PO Box 126, Inglewood 4347 PURANGI P: 06 756 8925 | E: [email protected] KIWI www.experiencepurangi.co.nz TARANAK I From the Chair It’s a thrill to touch a real kiwi How many people have seen and touched a real kiwi? Not many have had that pleasure – the bird’s secretive and nocturnal habits means it remains a bit of a mystery to most. For that reason it is always a real pleasure to host Sparky the one-legged kiwi and his carer Robert Webb, who each year fly from Whangarei to Taranaki and visit selected schools so children (and their parents) can meet a real-life kiwi. So thank you Robert, for continuing to annually visit Taranaki with your special bird, Sparky. And our thanks also to Greymouth Petroleum for your sponsorship help. Cost. That’s our ongoing challenge. Our sanctuary in east Taranaki is 13,000ha in size – that’s half the size of Egmont National Park – and it costs about $45 per hectare to maintain predator control out there. Being a community project we spend a lot of time applying for grants and fundraising. With that as background, we were delighted to be the recipient of money raised at a fantastic evening and art auction at New Zealand House in London. I attended the event, and I was humbled by the way expatriate New Zealanders were prepared to put their hands in their pockets in support of what we are endeavouring to achieve in our isolated part of the world 18,500 km away. We have seen some staff changes with Brent moving on. His marketing background enabled us to Experience Pūrangi chair Karen Schumacher re-brand to reflect the wider work we are involved with. We wish him well in his future endeavours. Sparky loves meeting Taranaki children We love hosting Sparky! he admires what is being achieved by the team at Sparky the famous one-legged kiwi has just paid another Experience Pūrangi. visit to Taranaki, and once again he charmed the “It’s very impressive. While nationally, New Zealand’s hundreds of children and adults who met him. kiwi population is estimated to be reducing at around Sparky lives at the Whangarei Native Bird Recovery 2 percent a year, out at Pūrangi the kiwi population Centre. For the past 16 years he has been a kiwi is increasing at better than 9 per cent a year. That’s ambassador, working with his carer Robert Webb to help excellent.” promote wildlife conservation. Sparky is a Northland brown kiwi, one of four species The Whangarei centre is an impressive place, created in of the North Island brown kiwi that each have a slight 1992 by Robert and his wife Robyn, and over the years genetic variation – the others are Coromandel brown, they have cared for and treated thousands of sick and Eastern brown, and Western brown. injured birds – more than 60 percent of which have been successfully released again. Sparky was brought to the centre in 2002 after he had been caught in a gin trap – that’s why he has only one leg. He’s now a star, travelling with Robert to selected parts of New Zealand to meet members of the public. For most people, this is the first time they will have seen and been able to touch a kiwi. Sparky and Robert have travelled to Taranaki seven times now as our guest. This time around they visited primary schools at Lepperton, Urenui and Omata, and attended a function at our office in Inglewood. Robert says it is vitally important to the future of kiwi that Sparky gets to meet as many children as possible. “Our children are the next generation, and they will be the New Zealanders responsible for the conservation of our native birds and their habitats,” he says. Sparky gets fed a worm during his visit to Lepperton School Robert especially likes to visit Taranaki because Karen Schumacher, Karl Burrows, Experience Pūrangi trustee Gavin One of Experience Pūrangi’s Kōkako Faull, and his son Edward Faull, at the London fundraiser We’re checking how our London event raises funds Kōkako are faring for Pūrangi Last year we were blessed with the arrival of 20 North Island Karl Burrows lives in London, but he maintains a strong Kōkako, they were caught on Hauturu (Little Barrier Island) personal connection with his home region of Pūrangi, and then transported to Taranaki and released into the Pouiatoa especially his Ngati Maru Iwi. Forest. So, when during a visit home Karl learned all about what is These beautiful birds, with their slate-grey colouring, black being achieved by Experience Pūrangi, he decided to support masks and blue wattles, instantly made Experience Pūrangi’s the cause by organising a major mid-year fundraiser in conservation estate their home. England’s capital city. Now, a year on, we’re checking on how the Kōkako have settled Karl owns Hakaworks, a UK-based company that specialises in. More importantly did they successfully have any chicks last in kapa haka workshops for corporate clients. He used his season, as the team during monitoring in February identified business knowledge to organise the venue, programme, some nests high in the canopy. They’re very territorial birds, so catering, wines and music. they all should have established their territiories. The venue was New Zealand House, the programme featured Kōkako field expert Sid Marsh spent a couple of weeks with us, an auction of 16 creations by well-known New Zealand mapping the territories of pairs of birds. artists, the wine was via a sponsorship with Tohu Wines, The mapping exercise is the way for us to monitor for new food was supplied via London company Kai Catering, and the birds which would be the result of successful breeding last entertainment included a kapa haka performance by Ngati season and also serving as preparation for the release of Ranana. another 20 Kōkako next autumn. Taranaki’s own Govett-Brewster Art Gallery assisted by packing North Island Kōkako face the same challenges as kiwis. Once the artworks for their journey to London, and Air New Zealand very widespread, their populations have been decimated by supported the event by discounting the cost of transporting predators – and that is now requiring a massive effort to get the art. Everything ran to schedule, with the art arriving in their populations back to sustainable levels again. London on a Friday – the day before the big event (phew!). Experience Pūrangi is proud to be part of that effort, and our Special guests at the fundraiser were our chair Karen thanks go to Methanex NZ for its support in this regard. Schumacher and trustee Gavin Faull who were delighted to learn that the event raised about 20,000 pounds for the organisation. “It was an amazing night,” Karen says. “The event was completely sold out. Attendees were mostly Stop Press New Zealand expats, and there was a real sense of support Great news – during the mapping exercise we for what Experience Pūrangi is working to achieve. We are discovered that not only have many of the birds very grateful – and our special thanks to everyone who paired up, but they have begun breeding! We spotted contributed.” two young birds in the trees that have fledged – meaning they have wing feathers large enough for them to fly. For Experience Pūrangi this is huge news, because it confirms that last winter’s release of 20 Kokako into our conservation estate has been a success. Morning tea for kiwis October is Save the Kiwi Month – and it will be an opportunity for groups and individuals to raise funds to help increase populations of our national bird. The month is promoted by Kiwis for Kiwi, which is a national charity that supports community groups who are active in kiwi protection. One special event during the month will be what is known as The Great Kiwi Morning Tī, which is scheduled for Thursday, October 31. You can help us to make a difference by supporting this event. We would encourage you all to have morning tea with family, friends, colleagues, neighbours or even strangers, and ask Certified kiwi handler Bob Schumacher fits a for donations for the big kiwi conservation effort. Bring your transmitter to the leg of Rosa the kiwi fundraising effort into us to help our project. We in turn will record it on the national database so that nationally we can wave the flag that Taranaki is doing its bit to make a difference. Our nine special kiwis with This year we are very pleased to welcome our newest sponsor Tī Ora, who are getting right behind the Great Kiwi Morning Tī. their important jobs We have some pretty special Tī Ora packs to give away to the first 100 Morning Tī registrations. We thought we would give you an update about our named kiwi and what being transmitted means. At our conservation area in Pūrangi, east of Inglewood, there are nine special kiwis. Their names are Rosa, Baccy, Trev, Nahe, Titoko, Kotikara, Redwood, Murf and Bertrand. They’re all special because they are the birds that carry transmitters on their legs so they can be electronically monitored by Experience Pūrangi’s staff and volunteers. The kiwis are being monitored not only to keep track of their whereabouts, activities and their health, but also to find out if they are doing something else - incubating an egg or two. While it is the female that lays the egg, with Western Brown kiwis it is the male that incubates it for around 75 days until the chick hatches.