Dogs and Kiwi: Creating Space for Both to Thrive (with Emma Craig)

• 🎧 Episode overview

  Dogs navigate the world through scent, and kiwi have an irresistibly strong smell. Add to this a kiwi's lack of a breastbone, and even the gentlest nudge from a curious dog can be fatal. 

  So, how do we create the space for both kiwi and dogs to thrive as they increasingly share the same spaces?

  In this episode of the People Helping Nature Podcast, Save the Kiwi's dog specialist, Emma Craig brings practical solutions to this challenging reality.

  From night-time containment to specialised avoidance training for working dogs and tackling feral pack challenges, she shares how simple changes in dog management make huge differences for kiwi survival.

  For example, in the Whangarei Heads, local dog owners embraced these approaches which hugely contributed towards kiwi numbers soaring from just a handful to over a thousand birds. 

  It's not about excluding dogs from the landscape - it's about empowering owners with the right tools to protect both their pets and our native wildlife as kiwi return to the places we live, work and play.

• 🔑 Key topics covered

  Here are some of the things we discussed in this episode:

  • Why the unique scent and anatomy of kiwi makes them especially vulnerable dogs

  • The success story of the Whangarei Heads, where community buy-in saw kiwi numbers soar from just a handful to over 1,000 birds

  • How kiwi avoidance training works and why it's particularly effective for working dogs

  • The emerging challenge of feral dog populations in conservation areas

  • Why night-time containment and walking pet dogs on a lead are critical tools for their owners

  • The importance of providing designated dog exercise areas when restricting access to kiwi habitat

  • How local communities can influence dog management through council bylaws

  • Why kiwi's prolific breeding offers hope when communities take action

  • Practical ways to balance both species' needs as kiwi return to urban areas

  • And much more…

• 👩 About Emma

  Emma Craig works for Save the Kiwi in a dual role as both the Northland Coordinator, and the National Dog Specialist. She has over 20 years of experience working with kiwi, including being part of the Whangarei Kiwi Sanctuary team to find solutions to kiwi being killed by dogs.

  Her current role draws on her past experience and has a particular focus on how to work with dog owners to achieve positive results for dogs, for kiwi and other wildlife, and for the wider community. Emma lives in Northland with her family, and has the privilege of being able to hear kiwi calling from their backyard every night.

  🔗Learn more:

  • Website: www.savethekiwi.nz 

  • Facebook: www.facebook.com/savethekiwinewzealand 

  • Instagram: www.instagram.com/savethekiwinz 

  • LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/save-the-kiwi

• 🎙️ About the podcast

  The People Helping Nature podcast is brought to you by Conservation Amplified, a registered New Zealand charity.

  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.

  Listen in and follow us to start or deepen your journey.