The Omataroa Kiwi Project is proud to announce the arrival of their first kiwi chick of the season, weighing in at 360g, hatched at Kiwi Encounter, Rotorua on Monday 18 August at 2.30pm.

Omataroa Kiwi Project field workers, Ian Tarei and Richmond Ngamare were delighted with the news especially when they heard that it was the first chick hatched at Kiwi Encounter’s artificial incubation facility for the 2008/09 kiwi breeding season. This will be the 581st chick to hatch at Kiwi Encounter, using BNZ Operation Nest Egg™. Staff felt it was a good omen to have such a healthy strong chick to start the season.

Ian Tarei noted that the Omataroa Kiwi Project has benefited from the skill, experience and training provided by the Whakatane Kiwi Project. The Whakatane Kiwi Project is a partnership between Environment Bay of Plenty and the Department of Conservation, in conjunction with Te Runanga o Ngati Awa.

Mr Tarei has been sharing this knowledge with a group of younger whanau, who have helped him with tracking kiwi, collecting their eggs and assisting with predator control in the Omataroa Forest.

Environment Bay of Plenty spokesperson David Paine, added his support to the ongoing work. “It is fantastic to see that all these local conservation projects are going from strength to strength and we can confidently say that kiwi are being protected here in the Eastern Bay of Plenty.”

This chick is hopefully just the first of many successes for the greater Whakatane kiwi population. The Whakatane Kiwi Project currently has 12 kiwi sitting on nests which means there could be up to 24 more chicks to hatch in the first part of the kiwi breeding season.