Kim McGuire with one of the eggs from Cape Sanctuary
The Gallagher Kiwi Burrow has welcomed eggs from Cape Sanctuary and Maungataniwha marking the start of the 2026 breeding season. The eggs are currently in incubators and chicks are expected in the next few weeks.
The Gallagher Kiwi Burrow rolls into its seventh year. The facility was opened in October 2019 at Wairakei Golf & Sanctuary in Taupō. Eggs from all over the North Island have been brought to this facility. Over the years, The Burrow has hatched more than 450 kiwi.
Upon arrival, the eggs are checked by the team at The Burrow. These will then be measured and will undergo candling, a technique where a light is shone on the egg to monitor the growth of the precious young kiwi. The eggs are placed in an incubator, which will automatically rotate the eggs in a similar way an incubating kiwi father would.
A kiwi egg being candled (left), a couple of eggs in the incubator (right)
Notably, many of the chicks reared at this facility were released to the predator-free fenced sanctuary Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari as part of the Kōhanga Kiwi programme. They thrived, and the offspring of those kiwi have been translocated to a range of locations on the West side of the North Island supporting the return of wild kiwi populations.
The other kiwi chicks hatched at this site are taken to the crèche at the Wairakei Golf & Sanctuary or the Napier Kiwi Crèche where they will grow up to 1 kilogram in size, which is called the ‘stoat proof weight’ when they are large enough to cope better with introduced predators. At this age, the kiwi will be released back into the wild where they were lifted from as eggs.
A chick hatched at the Gallagher Kiwi Burrow from a previous season
“It has been truly exciting to see the legacy of The Gallagher Kiwi Burrow grow over the last seven years. It felt just like yesterday when we partnered with Wairakei and Gallagher Insurance to build this facility and now hundreds of chicks have passed through its doors” says Michelle Impey CEO of Save the Kiwi.
Kim McGuire, the Poutiro Kiwi Senior Kiwi Keeper at The Burrow, shares that she has been with The Burrow since 2020, “I started at the second season of The Burrow and it’s been incredible hatching birds that now contribute to the large-scale translocations that we do.”
The team has been keeping a close eye on avian influenza which has been detected in three New Zealand birds. “The last few months of preparation have been especially busy with the arrival of the H5N1 bird flu. We have had protocols in place since 2025 and are closely monitoring the situation.” Kim assures that protecting the young kiwi in their care and ensuring the safety of The Burrow staff remain the highest priority. The protocol will be adapted and updated as the bird flu situation unfolds.
Kim has worked in kiwi incubation and hatchery facilities since the May 2018 where she started at the West Coast Wildlife Centre. “This is such a hopeful time to be in kiwi conservation. For North Island brown kiwi especially, we’re at this stage where population growth is picking up speed and hatching these chicks help keep that momentum going.”
