KIA HIWA RĀ! KIA HIWA RĀ!

Pirongia Te Aroaro o Kahu Restoration Society is proud to announce

The return of Kiwi to Mt Pirongia begins!

a community kaupapa and an initiative undertaken by PTAoKRS, Te Ara Pūrahorua, mana whenua, senior ecologists, field specialists, DOC, and in association with Save the Kiwi, to prepare Pirongia for the return of Kiwi.

And we are thrilled to announce that Pirongia Te Aroaro o Kahu Restoration Society (PTAoKRS) has been awarded $20,000 in funding over two years from Save the Kiwi to help our community prepare for the return of Kiwi to Mt Pirongia.

For generations, Kiwi have been absent from the maunga. Now, together, our community has the opportunity to prepare their home, restore their habitat and create a safe environment before we welcome them back to the ngahere where they belong.

(photo Brown Kiwi - DOC)

A kaupapa for our whole community

Te Karanga o Kahupeka – Calling Kiwi Home is about our community working alongside one another towards a common goal - restoring the maunga, protecting our Taonga species, and creating a positive kaupapa that brings people together.

The Kiwi Komiti, under the umbrella of PTAoKRS, brings together representatives from the Society, Te Ara Pūrahorua, mana whenua, senior ecologists, field specialists, and DOC.

Te Karanga o Kahupeka

We extend our gratitude and acknowledgement to Te Ara Pūrahorua for their guidance, and to Mana Whenua for giving their blessing for us to carry the name Te Karanga o Kahupeka. Created for this kaupapa, the name has been embraced with their support, connecting this journey more deeply to the whakapapa, history and people of Pirongia.

The name Te Karanga o Kahupeka honours Kahupeka, the renowned Tainui Tūpuna, explorer and healer, whose journey is woven through the whenua and whose name lives within the name of the maunga itself - Pirongia Te Aroaro o Kahu. It connects the whakapapa of the maunga with the call to prepare the way for Kiwi to return home, honouring the cultural history and spiritual legacy of Pirongia.

Preparing their papakāinga - their home

Bringing Kiwi home isn't as simple as releasing birds into the forest. Their home must first be ready and safe. Over the next three years, we will need our community to come together to strengthen predator control and undertake the mahi required to prepare Pirongia for Kiwi to return.

This includes working alongside mana whenua, landowners, dog owners, growing and training our volunteer network, monitoring the health of the ngahere, and working with DOC, Save the Kiwi and local groups towards the approvals and ecological readiness required for their return.

Our goal is to return Western North Island Brown Kiwi to Pirongia, with the source population and translocation pathway to be determined in partnership with DOC, Save the Kiwi and Mana Whenua.

The funding from Save the Kiwi will support Steve Allan traps, live-capture equipment and modifications to existing trap boxes, strengthening our ability to target direct threats to Kiwi, particularly stoats and ferrets.

And this story isn't just about our future. It's about the people our maunga needs today.

It's about our entire community preparing the papakāinga of one of Aotearoa's most treasured Taonga, while continuing the restoration mahi that protects all the Taonga species that we protect who call Pirongia home.

The journey to bring Kiwi home starts today…

ANSWER THE CALL 📢

Become part of the journey

Click the heading to go to the link

🌿 Register Your Interest

Want to be part of Te Karanga o Kahupeka – Calling Kiwi Home? Register your interest to stay connected, contribute to the kaupapa, share your skills or knowledge, or be considered for our first Stakeholder Hui.

🌿 Join our Volunteer Events

Whether you're checking traps, helping with predator control, planting natives, assisting at events or lending a hand behind the scenes, every volunteer helps prepare their pathway home.

🌿 Become a Member

Membership strengthens our Society and gives you the opportunity to help shape our future — from restoring Pirongia to returning Kiwi to the maunga.

🌿 Make a Donation

Every dollar helps us restore habitat, strengthen predator control, purchase vital equipment and prepare a safe home for Kiwi.

Rally. Reconnect. Restore. Return. Regenerate.

🌿 Te Karanga o Kahupeka

Our First Stakeholder Hui

14 November 2026 | Pūrekireki Marae

Kotahitanga & Kaitiakitanga - To help shape the next stage of the journey, Pirongia Te Aroaro o Kahu Restoration Society will hold our first Kiwi Stakeholder Hui, hosted by the ahi kā of Pirongia at Pūrekireki Marae.

We will bring together local Mana Whenua, landowners, community groups, volunteer leaders, agencies, ecologists, scientists and others who will be affected by, contribute to, or hold responsibilities connected to the return of Kiwi.

This first hui will be by invitation so we can keep it focused on those most directly connected to the kaupapa.

If this is you and you would like to receive an invitation, please visit our website and complete the Stakeholder Registration Form.