A kiwi has been recorded in the heart of the Mana Manu conservation area for the first time.
In July 2026, one of our motion-activated cameras captured a Coromandel brown kiwi in the early hours of the morning, near the edge of the swamp. "One morning I got a message from one of the other guys saying,’ We’ve got a KIWI!", says Predator Control Coordinator Eric Hamilton. "It was amazing to see."
Watch the footage of our visitor below.
A Coromandel brown kiwi caught on one of our security cameras near the swamp, July 2026.
The sighting was a real surprise. Our kiwi listening survey in June had not picked up any calls. Neighbours on the edges of the trust land have reported hearing kiwi over the years, but we had never recorded one. This bird was right in the centre of the area, a good distance from the boundary.
We haven't seen it since. It may have been a male travelling through. Even so, it is a strong sign that our work is paying off. Kiwi chicks are especially vulnerable to stoats and cats, and without pest control most never reach adulthood. Our ongoing trapping of rats, mustelids and cats is creating a safer place for kiwi to live and breed.
The swamp margins are ideal kiwi habitat. Kiwi feed mainly on invertebrates such as earthworms, insect larvae and spiders, probing the soil with their long bills. In a dry summer, the clay ridges bake hard, but the swamp edges stay damp and soft enough for foraging.
"It's wonderful for everyone," says Eric. "It tells us we must be doing great work here." We'll keep watching and listening, and we hope this visitor is the first of many.