Published: 10 July, 2025
Rowi Translocation | Ōruawairua
Kaitiakitanga in Action
Earlier this year, Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a-Māui Trust provided cultural support and assistance to the Department of Conservation (DOC) with the translocation of Rowi from Ōruawairua Island in Tōtaranui sounds to the Ōmoeroa Ranges near Franz Josef on Te Tai Poutini.
As kaitiaki, our ultimate responsibility in these Taonga Species Translocations is to keep everyone culturally safe, tuku mauri to the whenua and taonga, and be a constant companion to our taonga as they embark on their journey to a new home.
On Ōruawairua, two of our whānau members joined DOC staff to track, capture, and monitor the health of the Rowi as they were readied for their hīkoi south. This hands-on experience was both humbling and powerful, a reminder of the sacred relationship between tangata whenua and our taonga species.
Te Ātiawa whānau member Michael reflected on his experience:
"Kia ora, ko Michael tōku ingoa. I recently had the pleasure of attending Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a-Māui’s kiwi translocation with DOC on Ōruawairua Island.
We had a packed first day, where Shane Grant and I quarantined our gear and set off by boat with three rangers straight to the island. On arrival, we moved all our gear to the research hut where we would be staying and then set out in pairs across the island to set up listening devices in different locations. During this excursion, I witnessed beautiful areas of native bush with birdsong and stunning views of the Sounds and Te Moana o Raukawa.
While doing this mahi, I learnt a lot about the work DOC does for the taiao in the Sounds, and I got to explore old gun emplacements from the war, which was particularly fascinating to me. After a long mission across the island, we settled down for dinner and had an early night to be ready to track the rowi at dawn.
In the early morning, we woke up and split off to find the kiwi burrows using audio trackers. We found a burrow near the ridge of the island and excitedly helped the ranger retrieve two beautiful, dark-coloured kiwi, one of which was huge. It took us a while to safely retrieve them, after which we trekked to the boat, which took us back to the hut. Overall, we found four Kiwi on the island and prepared comfortable carriers for them to travel to Franz Josef in. After this, we gave the Rowi a karakia for their long journey and said farewell to Ōruawairua.
The translocation was a great opportunity for me to connect with our ancestral whenua and meaningfully engage with the taiao. I will not be forgetting those kiwi anytime soon! It was a privilege to represent Te Ātiawa on this trip, and I would like to thank the Trust and DOC for the opportunity."
Translocations like this are a special and meaningful opportunity for whānau to reconnect with our taonga species, learn more about conservation practices, and actively express our role as kaitiaki. We are committed to building our capacity and providing more opportunities for whānau to be part of these kaupapa in the future.
