Bringing Kiwi Back: The Story of Translocations (with Tineke Joustra, Save the Kiwi)

About this episode

The episode discusses the efforts to bring kiwi back to their natural habitats in New Zealand through translocations and the importance of community involvement in these initiatives.

One day, hearing kiwi call from your backyard could be normal again. To many New Zealanders, kiwi are our national icon - but not a bird they’ve actually seen or heard in the wild. Throughout Aotearoa, translocations are helping bring kiwi back from endangered to everywhere. In this episode, we sit down with Tineke Joustra, Operations Manager & Population Biologist at Save the Kiwi to explore how kiwi are being returned to places where they once lived - and why people are the key to ensuring they thrive. At first glance, a translocation might sound simple: move kiwi from one safe place to another. But as Tineke explains, it takes years of planning, predator control, monitoring, dog management, iwi and hapū relationships, community support, and a shared long-term vision before kiwi can be returned safely. Because when kiwi come back, they do more than boost population numbers. They can become “the carrot” that motivates people to go the extra mile. Here are some of the key topics we discussed: How current kiwi population numbers compare to historical estimates Why kiwi populations declined drastically What kiwi translocations are and how they work Save the Kiwi’s Kōhanga Kiwi…

People in this episode

Guest: Tineke Joustra

Topics covered

• kiwi conservation
• translocation
• endangered species
• community involvement
• biodiversity
• predator control

Keywords

• kiwi
• translocations
• conservation
• population biology
• Save the Kiwi
• Aotearoa
• endangered species
• predator control

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Save the Kiwi

Places: New Zealand, Aotearoa

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