Story perspectives

Parliament Celebrates 250th Reintroduced Kiwi in Wellington

5/2/2026

Summary

Story summary

Parliament ceremony welcomed the 250th kiwi released by the Capital Kiwi Project, marking a Wellington re-introduction milestone.
Paul Ward and volunteers moved seven kiwis to a protected hillside, raising the city’s re-introduced population to 250.
The 24,000-hectare sanctuary contains over 5,000 stoat traps and has a 90 % chick survival rate.
Volunteers and the local Maori tribe monitor suburbs daily, aiming to eradicate feral cats, possums, rats and stoats by 2050.

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Story summary

Parliament ceremony welcomed the 250th kiwi released by the Capital Kiwi Project, marking a Wellington re-introduction milestone.
Paul Ward and volunteers moved seven kiwis to a protected hillside, raising the city’s re-introduced population to 250.
The 24,000-hectare sanctuary contains over 5,000 stoat traps and has a 90 % chick survival rate.
Volunteers and the local Maori tribe monitor suburbs daily, aiming to eradicate feral cats, possums, rats and stoats by 2050.