The Capital Kiwi Project is a partnership between the local community, iwi and landowners committed to restoring a wild kiwi population in Wellington.

It is made possible with foundation funding from Predator Free 2050 and support from a range of other supporters.

To create a new habitat for wild kiwi, the Capital Kiwi Project has established and maintained the largest community-owned stoat trapping network in the country. More than 4,500 traps spread over 24,000 hectares – the size of the Abel Tasman National Park – of mainly privately-owned land has reduced predator numbers to levels that enable our namesake and taonga to thrive.

The project’s Predator Free commitment is to eliminate stoats entirely from the southwest core of the project area.

As of June 2023, 63 wild kiwi have been successfully introduced into the scrub-covered hills to the south-west of our Capital City. Hundreds more will follow.

Extinct in Wellington for well over 100 years, our goal is that many Wellingtonians bordering our parks and wilderness areas will shortly go to sleep hearing our wild kiwi calling at night. We’re well on the way towards that vision.