Kukup? is the Northland name for kerer?. Ng?ti Hine elder Kevin Prime initiated the Motatau Kukup? Project in 1996 because he wanted to see a return in kukup? numbers in the Motatau forest, a 350-hectare piece of protected land located between Whangarei and Kaikohe in Northland. Members of Te Runanga o Ng?ti Hine, mostly M?ori landowners, manage the Motatau Forest Reserve with the support of the Department of Conservation and Landcare Research.

The programme includes rat and possum control through trapping and poisoning, tree ringing, bird counts (before and after control measures), nest monitoring, and public education about the dangers facing Motatau kukup?. As a result of the programme, chick production has improved dramatically, adult kukup? numbers have increased, and improvements to forest health and water quality have also been observed.

Auckland, the Kerer? Awhina Project: http://www.kereru.org.nz

Based on Auckland's North Shore, the Kerer? Awhina (care) Project was formed in conjunction with the Kaipatiki (ecological restoration) Project, a small non-profit community group. The Kerer? Awhina Project was launched in August 2004 and aims to enrich the kerer? food supply and habitat by encouraging the planting of fruiting native trees such as puriri (Vitex lucens), nïkau (palm: Rhopalostylis sapida), pigeonwood, and köwhai (Sophora spp.). The Project has also been developing kerer? education programmes for local schools and community groups.

The Project's objectives are to promote safe habitats for kerer? by controlling browsing and predatory mammals, to promote backyard feeding of kerer? in urban settings, and to promote the building of kerer? corridors between rural and urban settings. By providing a free resource and response centre - 0508 kerer? - the Project hopes to involve the public in kerer? observations and rescues.

Banks Peninsula, Kaupapa Kerer?:
http://www.ngaitahu.iwi.nz/Ngai%20Tahu%20Whanui/Natural%20Environment/Environmental%20Research/Kaupapa%20Kereru

Kaupapa Kerer? is an iwi-lead, community based, multi-agency project that was set up in 2000 to increase the numbers and range of kerer? on Te Pataka o Rakaihaut?/Banks Peninsula, Canterbury. Kerer? have been an important food resource for Ngai Tahu on Banks Peninsula.

Kaupapa Kerer? is co-ordinated by representatives from Ng?i Tahu, the Department of Conservation, Landcare Research, Lincoln University, and the Banks Peninsula Conservation Trust.

Work is being done with local communities to raise awareness of and support for restoring kerer? populations. Ecological research is also being undertaken to gain information to assist with improving kerer? habitats. The project has produced a calendar with kerer? illustrations by local school children, information on kerer? biology, and survey forms to allow the public to report kerer? observations.

The Project itself first came into being in 2002, but the seeds were sown a decade prior to this when I (Nik Hurring) first became a Vet Nurse. My employer at the time was very interested in wildlife and we saw much of the injured wildlife from the Dunedin area in the clinic, so I continued caring for birds but mainly for the kererü when my employer left to live in Australia in 1997.

We have come a long long way since the early days. We now have two specially designed aviaries made from shipping containers. This means that in the event of being asked to move from the special location the aviaries are presently situated in, they can easily be moved by being lifted onto the back of a large truck and so are considered mobile.

Liz and Eric Green joined the project in 2005 and together we have now cared for a large number of birds with a success rate of over 60% of kererü we have released. In December 2006, we initiated a banding programme to give us an idea of what happens to our birds upon release. As well as small metal bands on one leg, we are also placing a small jess on the other leg. The colour of jess will vary over time. To date we have birds with fluoro yellow, orange, pink and bright blue jesses flying around.

For further information please contact mailto:projectkereru@xtra.co.nz .