Christchurch’s Willowbank Wildlife Reserve has quietly achieved something no other wildlife facility in Aotearoa is known to have done — successfully working with all five species of kiwi.

Over decades of conservation work, Willowbank has supported the incubation, hatching and rearing of great spotted kiwi (roroa), little spotted kiwi (kiwi pukupuku), rowi, Haast tokoeka and North Island brown kiwi. This achievement places the reserve at the heart of national efforts to protect one of New Zealand’s most iconic and endangered taonga species.

Working alongside the Department of Conservation, iwi and conservation partners, Willowbank has played an important role in programmes such as Operation Nest Egg, helping raise vulnerable chicks until they are strong enough to return safely to the wild.

Recent milestones, including the rediscovery of little spotted kiwi breeding on the West Coast, have further strengthened Willowbank’s role, with eggs transferred to the reserve for safe incubation and chick-rearing.

This work highlights Willowbank’s long-standing expertise and its ongoing commitment to protecting Aotearoa’s native wildlife for future generations.

— Willowbank Wildlife Reserve