The Cry of the Kiwi Is Back in Wellington — After 150 Years

Under the silver light of the moon, a haunting, rising whistle drifts across the hills west of Wellington. For the first time in over 150 years, the call of the North Island brown kiwi once again belongs to the capital’s night. It is a sound many thought they’d never hear here again — but thanks to the Capital Kiwi Project, hundreds of these iconic, nocturnal birds now roam wild in the rugged, coastal landscapes around the city. Even better, their chicks are hatching and surviving in the wild, proof that this rewilding experiment is working.

Bringing the Kiwi Home: The Story So Far

This is no fenced sanctuary or fragile zoo population. The Capital Kiwi Project has reintroduced the birds into an open, working landscape — more than 24,000 hectares of steep farmland, coastal scrub, and native bush stretching from Mākara to the south coast. These are the same ridgelines where wind whips over gorse, tūī dart through flax flowers, and the Tasman Sea shimmers blue on the horizon.

It all began in late 2022 with the release of 11 kiwi into the hills marking the first return of kiwi to the capital in more than a century, followed by dozens more in the months after. By early 2023, another 52 had joined. Today, over 200 roam free, with a total permit for 250 releases over five years.

How The Community Made It Possible

This is one of the most ambitious community-led conservation projects in New Zealand’s history — and it’s working because it’s woven into the lives of the people who live here. This ambitious reintroduction was made possible by an expansive, community-driven effort to rebuild habitat and restore native wildlife. More than 100 landowners across this terrain opened their land to conservation, embodying community stewardship on a grand scale.

At the project’s heart is a predator control network of 4,500 stoat traps, spread across a landscape larger than Abel Tasman National Park. Stoats are the number one killer of kiwi chicks, and without removing them, reintroduction would have been doomed. Farmers, lifestyle block owners, and urban fringe residents have all opened their land to trapping, creating a predator-controlled patchwork where kiwi can nest safely.

But it’s not just about traps and tools. Local iwi have guided the kaupapa, school children have learned to identify kiwi calls and track footprints, and volunteers — young and old — check traps, plant native trees, and help monitor the birds. In some schools, the kiwi has become more than a lesson in conservation; it’s a living, breathing neighbour the children may one day see or hear.

No Fences, No Cat Culls — Just Collective Stewardship

This is an open-range conservation model. There are no predator-proof fences and no culling of domestic cats. Instead, the project focuses on targeted control of stoats, possums, and ferrets, alongside strong community education about responsible pet and dog ownership. In these hills, conservation coexists with sheep grazing, mountain biking, and everyday life — showing that wildness and human activity don’t have to be enemies.

A Milestone Achievement: Wild-Born Chicks

Late 2022 brought a breakthrough: the first kiwi chicks born in the wild near Wellington in over 150 years. In June 2024, one project lead described it as a “proof of concept” — if you protect the habitat and them diligently, kiwis can truly reestablish. Spring 2025 updates show the project is nearing its full quota, with just over 200 kiwi now free-ranging in the hills.

A Song That Changes a City

Hearing a kiwi in Wellington is more than an ecological win; it’s an emotional one. For many locals, the return of this taonga species has changed how they see their home. Neighbours gather to share night-time kiwi call recordings. Farmers take pride in knowing their paddocks shelter wild chicks. Children run home from school to tell their parents they’ve spotted kiwi tracks in the mud. The bird’s return has deepened people’s relationship with the land and with each other.

Why This Matters for Cities Everywhere

Urban-adjacent conservation often focuses on parks and small sanctuaries. Wellington’s success shows something bigger is possible: restoring species at a landscape scale, without locking them away. The recipe — relentless predator control, local leadership, landowner cooperation, and patient, long-term monitoring — can be adapted anywhere.

For cities looking to future-proof biodiversity, this is a living case study. It proves that ambitious, community-driven action can bring back the wild — even to the city’s doorstep.

A Call to the World

The kiwi’s call across Wellington’s hills is more than a sound. It’s a promise — that if people choose to work together, they can give nature back its voice. It’s a testament to human will and nature’s resilience.

If you run a conservation programme, a city climate plan, or a community trust, study the Capital Kiwi Project. Learn how an unbroken chain of people, from schoolchildren to farmers, iwi to scientists, can make space for the wild to return.

Because if a flightless, nocturnal bird can make a comeback in the capital of Aotearoa, maybe the impossible isn’t impossible after all.