Two dogs have been seized in the Bay of Islands as authorities investigate the deaths of around 20 highly protected kiwi in a single bay on the Purerua Peninsula, north of Kerikeri, amid growing concern among conservationists.
The most recent deaths include four kiwi found dead around Boxing Day, adding to a mounting toll that has alarmed wildlife officials and volunteers working in the area. All of the maulings are understood to have occurred in Wharengaere Bay.
Department of Conservation (DOC) Bay of Islands ranger Adrian Walker confirmed that “a significant number” of kiwi had been killed on the peninsula, particularly over the past four months. He said animal management officers from the Far North District Council had seized two dogs from a property in Wharengaere Bay on January 13.
The kiwi carcasses are now undergoing testing to determine whether the seized dogs were responsible. The Far North District Council has been approached for comment.
The Purerua Peninsula is considered one of New Zealand’s kiwi strongholds, boasting a large-scale pest control initiative, Predator-free Purerua, and the highest kiwi call count ever recorded nationally. However, repeated killings by roaming dogs, combined with what some conservationists view as slow enforcement action, have led to frustration and anger within the community.
Since this time last year, about 20 kiwi are believed to have been killed in the bay. That figure includes nine deaths between late January and early March, four kiwi found dead on a beach in November, and another four carcasses discovered on December 26 and 27.
The timing of the latest deaths has added to the embarrassment for authorities, as they coincide with the presence of an international film crew on the peninsula. A CNN team has been filming kiwi and documenting the work of Predator-free Purerua, focusing on efforts to eradicate invasive predators and protect native wildlife.
The documentary is primarily centred on feral cats, including one animal nicknamed “Nine Lives”, believed to have devastated the local pāteke, or brown teal, population.
This is not the first time roaming dogs have been linked to kiwi deaths at Wharengaere Bay. In mid-2019, a rare prosecution followed the deaths of six kiwi, after a 50-year-old woman pleaded guilty to owning a dog that was allowed to roam freely. She was ordered to pay $300 in reparations, and the dog was destroyed.
Elsewhere in the Bay of Islands, at least six kiwi were killed in Ōpua Forest near Paihia in 2023, while earlier incidents in Kerikeri and Russell have also resulted in fines and the destruction of dogs responsible for killing the national bird.
