The 250th kiwi was released into Wellington's hills by the Capital Kiwi Project, completing a citizen-led mission to bring the national bird home after over 100 years.
On a hill above Wellington, in silence and dim red torchlight, volunteers set down seven crates and gently tilted them open. Long curved beaks appeared first, then the birds took tentative steps into the dark landscape, sped to a run, and disappeared. The 250th kiwi had come home.
The kiwi had vanished from Wellington's hills more than a century ago. Introduced predators and habitat loss had pushed the population to offshore sanctuaries, where they were carefully managed but rarely seen by most New Zealanders. The Capital Kiwi Project, founded by Paul Ward, decided that was not good enough.
Since 2022, the project has released 250 birds into the hills surrounding the capital, with 90 percent of chicks surviving. Volunteers monitor for predators, manage the landscape and welcome the birds back as neighbours rather than museum exhibits.
Before the release, something extraordinary happened. The birds were carried into New Zealand's Parliament banquet hall, where lawmakers and schoolchildren whispered in delight at seeing them up close. A man chanted a karakia, a traditional Māori prayer, marking the occasion as the cultural event it truly was.
There are only about 70,000 kiwi left in New Zealand, down from an estimated 12 million before humans arrived. The population drops roughly two percent each year in unmanaged areas. Projects like this one are proof that the trend can be interrupted when communities decide to act.
From each crate, a long beak protruded, and then the bird was gone into the darkness. That moment – quiet, unhurried, full of purpose – is what a century of effort looks like when it finally pays off.
Source: AP News