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Gallagher Kiwi Burrow
Gallagher and Save the Kiwi
We've partnered with Save the Kiwi, the national charity working to ensure the survival of our most iconic bird.
Our support made it possible to establish the Gallagher Kiwi Burrow, a dedicated kiwi incubation, hatching and brooding facility designed to help reverse the population decline and save kiwi from extinction.
Located within the grounds of Wairakei Golf + Sanctuary near Taupō, the Gallagher Kiwi Burrow opened in October 2019, and is equipped to rescue more than 200 eggs each hatching season.
Making progress hatching kiwi
Since the Kiwi Burrow has been in operation more than 220 kiwi chicks have been hatched and released* into predator-free habitats where they’re able to live with minimal risk and have the best chance to thrive. (*Updated May 2022.) Kiwi hatched at the Burrow are released into new predator-free habitats, where they’re able to live with minimal risk and have the best chance to thrive.
2019 - The Gallagher (formerly Crombie Lockwood) Kiwi Burrow opened in October and the first kiwi eggs were collected. In November the very first chick “Fenwick” hatched, named for the Kiwi charity's chairman and environmentalist Sir Rob Fenwick. With much of the North Island experiencing a summer drought, the number of kiwi eggs in the wild was greatly impacted, and just 22 kiwi were hatched.
2020 - The second hatching season kicked off in September 2020 with the arrival of “Whetū,” named by staff from Gallagher. With better weather conditions, and good fortune from Mother Nature, the season saw a total of 104 kiwi hatched.
2021 - With the first eggs collected late in September after a level 4 lockdown, "Locko" was the first arrival of the season. Kiwis for kiwi changed its name to Save the Kiwi, and in November Gallagher announced it was renewing the partnership for a further 3 years.
2022 - 98 eggs were hatched in the third season, bringing the total number of kiwi chicks hatched at the Burrow to 224. This included "Parakuihi", a kiwi chick hatched live on Breakfast TV.
2023 - Weather-related incidents made a challenging season at the Kiwi Burrow, but the team's hard work still saw 58 kiwi chicks brought into the world. This season also marked the the first time kiwi were released back into the wild, bringing the kōhanga kiwi strategy full circle. 100 kiwi have been released before the close of the season, into Tongariro and Makara hills in Wellington. We're proud to have our total hatch number at 282.
'Locko' was the first arrival of the 2021-2022 hatching season.
The Gallagher Kiwi Burrow
In the wild, only 1 in 20 kiwi chicks survive to adulthood because of the threat from predators like rats and stoats. By collecting kiwi eggs from the wild, hatching and caring for them for the first few weeks of their lives, their chance of survival jumps from just 5% to 65%.
Watch to see how the Kiwi Burrow is helping Save the kiwi to increase the survival rate of our kiwi population.
Kiwi Burrow opening - and first kiwi release
The Gallagher (formerly Crombie Lockwood) Kiwi Burrow opened in October 2019 at Wairakei Golf + Sanctuary.
Our CEO Carl O'Shea, and Michelle Impey of Save the Kiwi delivered the first kiwi eggs to the Burrow.
"Fenwick" was the first kiwi hatched in the Crombie Lockwood Kiwi Burrow, on 1 November 2019.
Fenwick was released in December 2019 into the grounds of Wairakei Golf + Sanctuary.