CONSERVATION | Native Wildlife & Biodiversity
KIWI Conservation
Protecting our iconic kiwi species into the future.
For nearly 30 years, Willowbank Wildlife Reserve has played a specialist role in kiwi conservation.
As New Zealand's national bird and one of our most treasured native species, kiwi hold a special place in our identity — and protecting their future takes specialist expertise, long-term commitment and collaboration.
At Willowbank, that means providing the facilities, expertise and hands-on care needed to incubate eggs, raise vulnerable chicks and support their journey back to the wild.
Through The Willowbank Foundation, we’re helping ensure this vital work can continue — supporting Willowbank’s specialist care and conservation of all five kiwi species into the future.
THE STORY
Specialist CARE.
Since joining Operation Nest Egg in 1998, Willowbank Wildlife Reserve has built almost 30 years of specialist kiwi expertise and experience, working alongside the Department of Conservation (DOC) and other conservation partners to give vulnerable kiwi eggs and chicks a greater chance of survival.
Eggs and young chicks are brought into specialist care at Willowbank, where they can be incubated, hatched, raised and monitored through one of the most vulnerable stages of their lives.
Over the years, Willowbank has cared for hundreds of kiwi chicks across all five kiwi species and is the only facility in the world to have successfully incubated all five species.
Today, that specialist expertise continues to play an important role in kiwi conservation — giving vulnerable kiwi the specialist care they need and helping protect the future of our national bird.
THE PROJECT
Kiwi conservation in ACTION.
Willowbank’s specialist kiwi care continues today, supporting conservation programmes and responding when vulnerable kiwi eggs and chicks need specialist expertise, facilities and care.
That experience was called upon again in 2025, following the extraordinary rediscovery of a mainland population of kiwi pukupuku | little spotted kiwi after nearly 50 years.
In December 2025, two wild chicks and two eggs from the newly rediscovered population came into Willowbank’s specialist care — bringing decades of kiwi expertise to an extraordinary new conservation opportunity.
Five kiwi species.
Almost 30 years of experience.
A conservation story that continues to evolve.
WHY IT MATTERS
Every kiwi counts.
Kiwi eggs and young chicks are particularly vulnerable. Providing specialist care during these critical stages can give them a greater chance of survival and contribute to wider species recovery.
For Willowbank, this is where decades of experience can make a difference — bringing together specialist knowledge, purpose-built facilities and hands-on care when vulnerable kiwi need it most.
From Willowbank’s long-standing involvement in Operation Nest Egg to the extraordinary rediscovery of kiwi pukupuku, each new arrival represents another opportunity to contribute to the future of our national bird.
Every egg. Every chick. Every opportunity matters.
MAKING IT POSSIBLE.
Specialist expertise. Hands-on CARE.
Willowbank Wildlife Reserve provides the specialist expertise, facilities and hands-on care required when kiwi eggs and chicks are entrusted to its care — from incubation and chick rearing to daily husbandry, health monitoring and diagnostic testing.
Building support. Strengthening IMPACT.
For almost 30 years, much of this conservation work has happened quietly behind the scenes. The Willowbank Foundation is helping build greater support and visibility around this extraordinary work, connecting people, partnerships and funding with the specialist conservation expertise already established at Willowbank.
Through our Kiwi Conservation project, Foundation support can help fund the additional requirements associated with specialist kiwi care — ensuring the expertise, care and resources are there when kiwi need them most.
OUR GOAL
Investing in the FUTURE of kiwi.
The Willowbank Foundation’s goal is to build greater support for Willowbank’s specialist role in kiwi conservation — helping ensure almost 30 years of expertise and conservation work can continue into the future.
By connecting people, partnerships and funding, we can help provide the resources needed to continue this extraordinary work and give more people the opportunity to play a part in protecting our kiwi.
Building support.
Enabling conservation.
Protecting kiwi into the future.
Help protect our KIWI.
Support The Willowbank Foundation’s Kiwi Conservation Project and help make this vital work possible — providing the funding and resources needed to support Willowbank’s specialist kiwi care and conservation into the future.
SUPPORT