Save the Kiwi, formerly Kiwis for kiwi, is a New Zealand conservation charity working with the Department of Conservation (DOC), iwi, hapu, community groups and other partners to protect kiwi and create safer habitat across Aotearoa. Its work combines funding, public awareness, predator control and practical recovery programmes.
- Location: Aotearoa New Zealand
- Current name: Save the Kiwi (formerly Kiwis for kiwi)
- Focus: Funding and supporting kiwi conservation, predator control, advocacy and recovery work
What is Save the Kiwi?
Save the Kiwi is the current name of the organisation previously called Kiwis for kiwi. Its roots go back to the 1991 BNZ Kiwi Recovery Programme, which brought together DOC, BNZ and Forest & Bird. The organisation became Kiwis for kiwi in 2012 and adopted the Save the Kiwi name in 2021. Save the Kiwi’s history explains the change and its continuing mission to protect New Zealand’s national bird.
Why kiwi conservation matters
Kiwi are a taonga and a national icon, but introduced predators and habitat loss continue to put pressure on their populations. Save the Kiwi reports a national population of about 68,000 kiwi and an average decline of 2% a year where habitat is not protected. In places with effective predator control, the decline can slow and some local populations can increase.
For a wider introduction to the bird itself, see our guide to the brown kiwi. DOC’s kiwi recovery guidance explains that recovery work includes predator control, research, community involvement and carefully managed breeding and release programmes.
How Save the Kiwi works
Save the Kiwi funds and supports conservation groups, partners with DOC and tangata whenua, and raises awareness about the everyday actions that can make habitat safer. Its programmes include predator-control support, dog kiwi-avoidance training, advocacy, research and initiatives that help conservation groups do more on the ground.
The organisation also supports recovery approaches such as Operation Nest Egg and Kohanga Kiwi. Under Operation Nest Egg, eggs or chicks can be raised in managed settings and returned to the wild when young kiwi are large enough to better withstand stoat predation. DOC notes that this is one tool used alongside habitat protection and predator control, not a substitute for them.
Is Kiwis for kiwi legitimate?
Yes. Kiwis for kiwi is the former name of Save the Kiwi, a national charity that works in partnership with DOC and conservation groups throughout New Zealand. DOC describes the organisation as a long-term partner in kiwi recovery that raises and distributes funding for kiwi conservation projects.
How to help
Visit Save the Kiwi to donate, fundraise or find practical ways to protect kiwi. If you live in New Zealand, follow DOC guidance on keeping dogs away from kiwi habitat and supporting local predator-control and conservation efforts.
Related resource: Ways to Save Animals Facing Extinction