As the efforts of Kiwis to save kiwi have grown, so too has the need to incubate kiwi eggs. In 2017 we ran out of capacity at the facilities across the North Island. And so, in 2018, with the injection of a converted shipping container we expanded the capacity at the National Kiwi Hatchery in Rotorua. But it wasn’t enough.
The ambitious programme that Kiwis for kiwi have initiated to reverse the decline in our kiwi populations required more capacity…much, much more. Consequently, plans were formulated to build a new incubation, hatching and brooding facility. A facility that would be:
- State-of-the-art incorporating best practice design principles and systems
- Located in the central North Island to service both eastern and western kiwi populations
- Capable of processing 200+ eggs per season once fully operational
With the clock counting down to the 2019 breeding season a miracle was needed to transform our concept to reality.
And then along came Crombie Lockwood! Carl O’Shea and the team at Crombie Lockwood have a long-standing commitment to New Zealand’s fauna and flora. And they leapt at the chance to fund this critical component in our kiwi restoration work. Our plans have become a reality – The Crombie Lockwood Kiwi Burrow has hatched.