Terawhiti Station, a 4800-ha farm off Wellington's west coast, is the cornerstone of a project that has seen kiwi return to the capital.

By Gianina Schwanecke, producer

Established in 1843, Terawhiti Station has seen many changes over its 180-year history - the most recent being the re-introduction of kiwi to the hills surrounding this 4800-hectare property on Wellington's southwest coast.

The kiwi release is the culmination of a project several years in the making.

Listen to the story on Country Life

It's here that the first of 138 kiwi were released in 2022 as part of the Capital Kiwi Project.

There are over 1000 traps on the farm - just part of the 4600 or so set across the 24,000-hectare stretch of land which underpins the project.

It's a partnership between private landowners, tangata whenua and local communities determined to do their bit for New Zealand's national bird.

Michael Grace, a shareholder and director of Terawhiti Station, had known the project's founder Paul Ward for many years.

When first approached with the idea, his reaction was one of surprise. "Who wouldn't want kiwi in their backyard?"

Factors to consider were whether the kiwi could survive, any pest control, and how the project would be managed on a working sheep and beef farm.

Grace, a descendant of James McMenamen who took over the farm in 1847, grew up on the property near the rural Wellington settlement of Mākara.

"Having native flora and fauna back on the property is really exciting because we want to leave the property in a better space than I grew up with ... and the reintroduction of kiwi is a good step towards that."

He's proud of the project's progress within a short time frame - the first kiwi chicks hatched on the farm late last year.

"In four, five years, we've got a burgeoning population. In the kiwi conservation world that is lightspeed."

Farm manager Guy Parkinson admits he was sceptical at the start, though he and his wife, Carolyn, have always been "environmentalists at heart".

He believes the kiwi aren't the only things to have benefited from the project; the swathes of regenerating bush on the steep hills are good for other bird life, too.

Parkinson says having kiwi on the property has been "pretty seamless", fitting in with the farm operation.

"When I started here 15 years ago, it was almost like a blank canvas."

"Cattle here were virtually a feral mob of wild cattle and we only had about 270 wild sheep when I started. So, yeah, it's completely different, a complete transformation."…

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details