One kilo kiwi on his way

BY GRANT JOHNSTON

Maungatautari’s home grown kiwi, Huatahi is now no longer a juvenile. At his official weigh in on Friday, the six-month-old kiwi tipped the scales at just on a kilo.

Maungatautari Ecological Island Trust operations manager, Pim de Monchy said that meant the first kiwi born on Maungatautari for what is thought to have been a hundred years, has now passed into the sub-adult category.

It is conceivable that in the next year or two Huatahi could be conceiving himself. Kiwi males are normally ready to mate at round three and a half years of age, but have been known to father offspring at as young as 11 months.

In any event, Huatahi’s milestone was greeted with quiet satisfaction by Maungatautari staff on Friday. Mr de Monchy’s regular health check showed Huatahi was free of parasites and in reasonable shape, given that it is winter. He said Western North Island Brown Kiwi like Huatahi used to be found from Port Waikato to Wanganui in as far as the Kaimanawa’s, but now they are only found from Mt Ruapehu to Stratford.

‘‘There might be 10,000 kiwi, but without projects like this their future would not be good.’’

Hopes are high that more kiwi eggs will be incubated (by their dads!) on Maungatautari in the next month or two.