Local Focus: A day in the life of a kiwi keeper

Te Puia Kiwi Conservation Centre manager Tracy Johnson (left) and Kiwi North’s Bree Brockelsby with the new breeding pair. Photo / Supplied

The kiwi is New Zealand’s most iconic bird but its numbers are declining.

Te Puia’s kiwi enclosure centre manager Tracy Johnson is one charged with the care, protection and preservation of this precious species, but, just what is involved in caring for kiwi?

“There’s a lot more to it than people realise.

“Obviously there’s the husbandry, like the general feeding and cleaning and that sort of thing, but, we do a lot of record keeping as well.”

She has spent more than 35 years in the industry, working closely with key people and various organisations.

“We have a lot to do with other stakeholders like the Department of Conservation, other zoos and parks and the co-ordinators of each managed species programme.

“We’re all working towards common objectives.”

The Enclosure hosts school groups, tourists and provides a learning tool for those interested in conservation.

“It’s nice to be able to host visitors, especially from New Zealand, who haven’t had the chance to view a kiwi before.”

“They’re often quite surprised about the habits of kiwi, what they get up to and what’s involved in actually looking after them and what’s happening in the real world.”

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“The numbers are still decreasing because of the introduced predators and what have you, so, they get quite inspired and go away feeling that maybe they can contribute which is a positive message that we’d like them to take away from our presentations here,” she said.

The enclosure recently welcomed a second breeding pair, duo Raukura and Zephyr that are currently on display.