Bringing Kiwi Back: The Story of Translocations (with Tineke Joustra, Save the Kiwi)
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One day, hearing kiwi call from your backyard could be normal again.
To many New Zealanders, kiwi are our national icon - but not a bird they’ve actually seen or heard in the wild. Throughout Aotearoa, translocations are helping bring kiwi back from endangered to everywhere.
In this episode, we sit down with Tineke Joustra, Operations Manager & Population Biologist at Save the Kiwi to explore how kiwi are being returned to places where they once lived - and why people are the key to ensuring they thrive.
At first glance, a translocation might sound simple: move kiwi from one safe place to another. But as Tineke explains, it takes years of planning, predator control, monitoring, dog management, iwi and hapū relationships, community support, and a shared long-term vision before kiwi can be returned safely.
Because when kiwi come back, they do more than boost population numbers. They can become “the carrot” that motivates people to go the extra mile.
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How current kiwi population numbers compare to historical estimates
Why kiwi populations declined drastically
What kiwi translocations are and how they work
Save the Kiwi’s Kōhanga Kiwi Strategy
How safe sites can help grow kiwi populations for future release
What makes a landscape ready to receive kiwi
Why relationships are central to successful translocations
The role of iwi, hapū, neighbours, landowners and community groups
How kiwi populations could eventually reconnect through safe habitat corridors
Case Study: Capital Kiwi translocations
Case Study: Waiheke Island translocations
The importance of bringing kiwi closer to our backyards to restore our connection
And much more…
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Tineke Joustra is a conservation scientist with more than two decades of experience working with New Zealand wildlife. As the Operations Manager and Population Biologist for Save the Kiwi, Tineke merges science and logistics to lead the national strategic framework for kiwi conservation across Aotearoa. Her portfolio spans translocations, kōhanga management, population modelling, research/innovation, and driving excellence in best-practice standards. She is committed to building robust, science-based strategies in partnership with iwi/hapū and community projects to establish the best possible long-term decisions for kiwi recovery.
🔗Learn more:
Website: https://savethekiwi.nz
Save the Kiwi Kōhanga Kiwi Strategy: https://savethekiwi.nz/about-us/what-we-do/kohanga-kiwi
Report a kiwi sighting: https://savethekiwi.nz/report-a-kiwi
Kiwi avoidance training: https://kiwiavoidancetraining.nz
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We are on a mission to help make conservation mainstream by amplifying the awesome stuff people are doing to help nature all around Aotearoa New Zealand.
Because when people are aware, connected to the ecosystems around them and care enough to take positive action, only then will we see lasting change.
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