Latest news with #ŌtanewainukuKiwiTrust
Miami Herald
4 days ago
- General
- Miami Herald
Shocked driver stops for rare creature on New Zealand road. Watch ‘epic' moment
Though they might look cute and fluffy, bushtail possums are serious threats to native wildlife in New Zealand. After their introduction in the mid-1800s in an attempt to establish a fur trade, possums have spiraled out of control, taking up habitat and spreading disease to the creatures that call Aotearoa, or New Zealand, home. That's why driver Campbell Hutchings nearly sped up his car when he thought he saw one of the invasive animals on the road, according to a June 4 news release from the Department of Conservation. Thankfully, he decided to get a closer look first. 'He slowed down on the road near Ōtanewainuku and was rewarded with a kiwi encounter many New Zealanders dream of,' wildlife officials said in the release. 'In a video sure to tug at on heart strings, his first reaction is shock, followed quickly by a delighted 'It's a kiwi!' as the unconcerned bird meanders across the road.' Officials shared the video of the surprise moment. Hutchings hops out of his vehicle as the bird moves slowly across the road, saying he has never seen one in the wild before, the video shows. 'Epic!' he exclaims. Brown kiwis are the most common kiwi population and are found on the northern island of New Zealand, according to the release. Seeing them at all used to be very rare, but sightings are increasing as their numbers grow thanks to conservation efforts. 'We're at a point where encounters with kiwi are becoming more frequent. Kiwi live in a range of habitats so they won't necessarily stay in a neat patch of bush, they cross the road and enter backyards, it's amazing, but also risky for the birds. It's essential we all play a role in protecting them,' Department of Conservation Tauranga operations manager Kristine Theiss said in the release. 'You can see in this video just how naïve they are — absolutely no idea about roads or cars — so we ask drivers to watch out for them at night in kiwi areas,' Theiss said. 'There's often a yellow kiwi sign indicating their presence in the area.' There are now an estimated 26,000 brown kiwi that have multiple daytime shelters and burrows they use, sometimes in tight vegetation but other times along the edge of roads, wildlife officials said. 'As bird numbers increase, we are calling on our community to slow down when traveling around Ōtanewainuku to protect them from vehicles,' Ōtanewainuku Kiwi Trust chair Lesley Jensen said in the release. The Ōtanewainuku forest is near the northern coast of New Zealand's north island.
NZ Herald
24-05-2025
- General
- NZ Herald
On the Up: Teen volunteer finds joy in helping Ōtanewainuku Kiwi Trust, COLAB
High school student Jules Delaere is finding there's a joy in volunteering to help others. She's just completed her first volunteer sessions, first with Ōtanewainuku Kiwi Trust clearing trails and then with COLAB in Te Puke 's Kai Resilience movement, supervising activities on last month's Kids' Kai Trail. The 17-year-old Te Puke High School student said her job was simple – helping hand out goody bags, helping at a few stations, walking the children to the local early learning centre and helping them make 'flower bombs' of seeds to plant out at home. 'I saw an ad for volunteers to help out with the Kids' Kai Trail last month and thought 'that's a bit of me, that sounds cool'.'
Scoop
22-05-2025
- General
- Scoop
Jules Finds Her Joy In Volunteering
May 19, 2025 Young volunteer Jules Delaere is finding there's a joy in volunteering to help others. She's just completed her first volunteer sessions, first with Ōtanewainuku Kiwi Trust clearing trails, and then with COLAB in Te Puke's Kai Resilience movement, supervising activities on last month's Kids' Kai Trail. The 17-year-old Te Puke High School student says her job was simple - helping hand out goody bags, helping at a few stations, walking the children to the local early learning cantre and helping them make 'flower bombs' of seeds to plant out at home. 'I saw an ad for volunteers to help out with the Kids' Kai Trail last month and thought that's a bit of me, that sounds cool.' She'd already had a taste of volunteering at Pukehina, helping with veges grown for The Daily cafe to use in their school lunches and family meals. 'It's my first year volunteering, and it's pretty cool.' Jules is part way through her Duke of Edinburgh Silver award and started volunteering to add to her service hours. 'There's a real joy in being involved in my community.' Her final year of school keeps her pretty busy, but she's also enjoyed working with the kiwi trust helping clear the trails. Next year she hopes to study chemical engineering at university - and still volunteer. For COLAB coordinator Christ Johnstone, managing young volunteers has been a new experience. 'We appreciate the energy and enthusiasm they contribute.' COLAB is a collective of individuals and groups working together to create a thriving, sustainable community in Te Puke. The Kids' Kai Trail was designed as an educational opportunity for tamariki, as part of the Flavours of Plenty festival. The children were able to take part in a variety of free activities, learning about how food is grown, planting seeds, and finishing with making their own pizza toppings at The Daily. 'We had a fantastic day, and this was a wonderful opportunity for COLAB to offer free activities for children to learn about food and growing. About 60 people took part and we had half a dozen young people volunteering. 'Young people bring a different energy to an event. They can relate to the kids and they don't have that 'parent' approach. The kids really appreciate that. The volunteers also had a ball on the day.'
