Wild kiwi could become a common sight in New Zealand bush under a new plan to boost the endangered bird's numbers to 100,000 in less than 15 years.
The Department of Conservation (DoC) has released its draft Kiwi Recovery Plan 2017-2027, which would significantly scale up efforts to save the country's national icon.
Kiwi numbers have been dropping around 2 percent a year, thanks largely to predators like stoats and dogs.
But Conservation Minister Maggie Barry says a more concerted effort would see that trend reverse.
"This Government is not prepared to accept that our national bird is at any ongoing risk of potentially becoming extinct in their natural habitat.
"Through DoC's hard work supported by Kiwis for Kiwi and many other organisations, we know that where kiwi are managed we can achieve a 2 percent population growth. The challenge lies in scaling up those efforts and supporting them."
The plan focuses on three areas:
Report co-author and Forest and Bird campaigns and advocacy manager Kevin Hackwell says the "achievable and ambitious" plan focuses on making the wider ecosystem more hospitable for kiwis, rather than the current human intervention.
He says it also ties into the Government's Predator-Free 2050 plan.
"If kiwi don't have the predators managed, something like 5 percent of the chicks born every year make it to adulthood a year later. That can be almost reversed completely if you control the predators.
"The goal is seeing our national bird being healthy out in the environment, not having to be kept behind fences or anything."
The current strategy has been for humans to intervene by taking kiwi eggs, incubating them and growing them until their adults before releasing them into the wild.
"That's very expensive, very labour-intensive way of doing things and in that time, we've developed better techniques of doing large-scale pest control," Mr Hackwell says.
"[The plan says] you don't have to be intimately involved with every single bird. If you're looking at the whole population, doing good pest control then everyone benefits. That's the big shift."
Money for the strategy was made available in the 2015 Budget, with $11.2 million set aside for kiwi conservation.
A shortfall of $1.3 million will also need to be raised each year, primarily by charity Kiwis for kiwi.
But the Green Party says the Government should fund the programme outright, and not leave charities to "pick up the tab".
"The Government could easily pay the $1.3 million it is asking charities to pick up, and ensure our national bird's protection," conservation spokesperson Mojo Mathers says.
"The kiwi is our treasured national bird - the Government should not be leaving its survival up to charity or chance."
Public feedback is now being sought on the plane from iwi partners and other stakeholders, including conservation groups.
Consultation Draft Kiwi Recovery Plan 2017-2027
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