Northland, the Motatau Kukupū Project
Kukupū is the Northland name for kererū. Ngāti Hine elder Kevin Prime initiated the Motatau Kukupū Project in 1996 because he wanted to see a return in kukupū numbers in the Motatau forest, a 350-hectare piece of protected land located between Whangarei and Kaikohe in Northland. Members of Te Runanga o Ngāti Hine, mostly Māori 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 kukupū. As a result of the programme, chick production has improved dramatically, adult kukupū numbers have increased, and improvements to forest health and water quality have also been observed.
Auckland, the Kererū Awhina Project
Based on Auckland's North Shore, the Kererū Awhina (care) Project was formed in conjunction with the Kaipatiki (ecological restoration) Project, a small non-profit community group. The Kererū Awhina Project was launched in August 2004 and aims to enrich the kererū food supply and habitat by encouraging the planting of fruiting native trees such as puriri (Vitex lucens), nïkau (palm: Rhopalostylis sapida), pigeonwood, and kowhai (Sophora spp.). The Project has also been developing kererū education programmes for local schools and community groups.
The Project's objectives are to promote safe habitats for kererū by controlling browsing and predatory mammals, to promote backyard feeding of kererū in urban settings, and to promote the building of kererū corridors between rural and urban settings. By providing a free resource and response centre - 0508 kererū - the Project hopes to involve the public in kererū observations and rescues.
Banks Peninsula, Kaupapa Kererū
Kaupapa Kererū is an iwi-lead, community based, multi-agency project that was set up in 2000 to increase the numbers and range of kererū on Te Pataka o Rakaihautu/Banks Peninsula, Canterbury. Kererū have been an important food resource for Ngai Tahu on Banks Peninsula.
Kaupapa Kererū is co-ordinated by representatives from Ngāi 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 kererū populations. Ecological research is also being undertaken to gain information to assist with improving kererū habitats. The project has produced a calendar with kererū illustrations by local school children, information on kererū biology, and survey forms to allow the public to report kererū observations.
Eastern Otago, Project Kereru
Project Kereru, dedicated to the rehabilitation and release of kereru, is a community based conservation rehabilitation project that is changing the fate of the sick and injured kereru in Otago and surrounding areas. We are supported by the Dunedin Branch of Forest and Bird, The Dr. Marjorie Barclay Trust, Department of Conservation and Watties.
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 kereru 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 kereru we have released. Since December 2006, Project Kereru has been part of the national banding programme. All kereru in our care are banded with a small metal band on their leg prior to release, with the hope that we get feedback on what happens to and where these birds go once they are set free.
