Who's Killing the Kiwi

This 43-minute documentary looks at the grim reality of New Zealand's fast-disappearing national symbol, and the efforts of those passionate about saving it. Remarkable facts about the evolutionary oddity are framed by the point that "the nation which laments that the moa was wiped out is committing the same crime against the kiwi". The documentary asks the unsettling question: do we want the stoat or kiwi as our national icon? Director Haunui Royal examines the many threats to the kiwi, the consequences of colonisation — and the surprising importance of kiwi viewing tours to the bird's survival.

In the late 1980s, the Department of Conservation got quite concerned about the decline of kiwi. We were aware that kiwi were disappearing from areas where they'd been for many years, but that's much, much worse than we ever imagined.

– Hugh Robertson, coordinator of the Kiwi Recovery Programme

Key Cast & Crew

Jo Webster

Writer, Research

John Patrick

Sound Recordist

Jeffrey Thomas

Narrator

Swami Hansa

Cinematographer

John Harris

Producer

Haunui Royal

Director