Kiwi kids to don beaks for inaugural Save Kiwi Week

Thousands of kiwi kids to don beaks for inaugural Save Kiwi Week

Rotorua, 9 October 2013 - More than a thousand children dressed as kiwi will head to Rotorua's Rainbow Springs next Tuesday (October 15) to help raise funds for New Zealand's inaugural Save Kiwi Week.

Kitted out top to toe in brown and black, the children will be given 'kiwi beaks' when they arrive at the park and they will donate a gold coin for park entry, with all proceeds going to kiwi conservation.

Rainbow Springs has hatched 1,250 kiwi chicks over the years its been involved with kiwi conservation and a celebratory photo will be taken to commemorate this milestone. In stark comparison, another photo will be taken of a group of 62 children representing the mere 5 percent of kiwi chicks that would have survived in the wild if left to fend for themselves.

Rainbow Springs Marketing Manager Michelle Caldwell says, "The work that Kiwi Encounter does here at the park is amazing, without their help incubating the eggs and raising the chicks until they're a healthy weight and can survive in the wild, our national icon would be struggling in numbers.

"Our work along with Department of Conservation and all the volunteers and trusts that protect natural habitat throughout the country so kiwi can flourish, is invaluable for preserving kiwi for ongoing generations and years to come."

While at the park the children can visit Kiwi Encounter and see the Kiwi Encounter team in action. So far this season 13 chicks have hatched and there are a further 25 eggs in incubation.

Save Kiwi Week runs from October 14 - 20 and is being organised by 'Kiwi's for Kiwi', a charitable trust dedicated to kiwi conservation.

Rainbow Springs is an icon of NZ tourism, and has been open since 1932. Spread over 22 acres of Rotorua Parkland, Rainbow Springs is a conservation and breeding haven for endangered species like the Kiwi and tuatara. Features of the award winning tourist attraction include New Zealand’s only “open to view” Kiwi hatchery, and a range of wildlife including trout, tuatara and native birds.

ENDS

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