Primary school kids raise money to help save Kiwi

News Release

Primary school kids go all out to raise money to help save Kiwi

Rotorua, 3 February 2015: Determined to help save our native Kiwi a group of young Warkworth Primary School students designed a website and set about fundraising.

The 6 and 7-year-olds filled the website with hand drawn pictures and letters and also made videos, all calling for donations to help save New Zealand's Kiwi. https://sites.google.com/a/warkworth.school.nz/room24kiwikids/home

Teacher Jo Gormley says the kids have absolutely amazed her with their enthusiasm and passion. "They've come up with some imaginative ideas along the way, including saving the Kiwi from possum by putting rotten eggs in Kiwi nests to trick them!

"With a bit of investigating they then discovered that you can look after eggs in incubators and thought that sounded like a way better idea, so they set out to raise the $1200 it costs to look after a kiwi chick."

Teacher Jo used to work at Rainbow Springs in Rotorua, where Kiwi Encounter New Zealand's largest hatchery of Brown Kiwi is housed, so she approached the park about the kids' idea. Of course it was received with great enthusiasm and with fundraising complete the kids are now the proud sponsors of new arrival Cuddles.

Cuddles is from the Coromandel and is now in an outside aviary and steadily gaining weight. He/she now weighs 559g - stacking on an impressive 73g in a week!

If you would like to sponsor a kiwi, visit www.rainbowsprings.co.nz for more details.

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.

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