An only-in-New Zealand experience has left one international sailing crew much wiser about a unique conservation challenge—saving the emblematic flightless kiwi.
After a day out in the Hauraki Gulf during their Auckland stopover, the Volvo Ocean Race sailing team ‘Turn the Tide on Plastic’ has released two kiwi chicks on Motuora Island.
The United Nations team is carrying the sustainability message on their year-long round-the-world voyage. Alongside the competition to win the race, this team is on a mission to promote ocean health by highlighting the global issue of single-use plastic.
Members of the team, which included New Zealander Bianca Cook, Lucas Chapman, and Bernardo Freitas, took part in the release of two, three-week-old baby kiwi chicks on Motuora Island—a kiwi sanctuary crèche in Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf.
The island, home to a resident population of around 100–150 kiwi, is a pest-free haven for young kiwi chicks raised under the Operation Nest Egg (ONE) programme.
Source: Tourism New Zealand
