October is Save Kiwi Month and Kiwis for kiwi is encouraging New Zealanders to join in the Great Kiwi Morning Tea on Friday 21^st October to raise much needed funds to protect kiwi and their habitat. 

People can get together at school, with friends, family or at work to share a traditional Kiwi morning tea and collect donations.

Here's a recipe that people can use. 

What you will need:

2½ cups cooking oats

½ cup shredded coconut

1 tsp vanilla paste

½ tsp sea salt

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ cup chopped dried apricots

2 tbsp almond butter

100g good quality dark cooking chocolate

 ½ cup raw honey

Method:

Preheat oven to 160*C and line a 20 x 30cm baking tray with baking paper.

Mix first six ingredients in a large bowl.

Place almond butter, chocolate and honey in a heavy-based saucepan over a low heat.

Stir until melted together. Pour over the dry mix and work quickly to combine.

Press into baking tray and put in oven for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to cool completely (finishing in the fridge) before cutting into bars.

Funds will be used to support community-led kiwi conservation projects throughout New Zealand including predator control, Operation Nest Egg and education programmes.  Every $100 raised is enough to protect a kiwi for an entire year.   Visit www.kiwisforkiwi.org to register or to make a donation.

Kiwi facts:

• There are five species of kiwi in New Zealand, with two of the species at less than 1000 each in number.  In total, there are less than 70,000 kiwi left.
• More than 95 percent of kiwi chicks born in areas without predator control are killed before they reach breeding age.  However, up to 60% of kiwi chicks survive in areas where predators are controlled.
•  The biggest enemy of kiwi is the stoat which is responsible for killing 60 percent of kiwi chicks.  But weasels, ferrets, possums and feral cats are also responsible for eating eggs and chicks.
• There are more than 100 community-led volunteer groups working to protect kiwi, and where they are managing pests and predators, kiwi numbers are increasing.Dogs are the biggest culprit when it comes to adult kiwi deaths.  Every dog is capable of killing kiwi.  People who own dogs and either live or visit areas known to be the home of kiwi should keep their dogs under control at all times.  Kiwi avoidance training for dogs can help, but isn’t a guarantee that a dog won’t attack a kiwi. The best thing to do is ensure that they never meet.  More about the programme and a full list of qualified trainers is available at www.kiwisforkiwi.org
• Everyone can help turn around the decline of kiwi numbers:

-            volunteer for your local kiwi conservation group or for Department of Conservation activities such as helping set and clear traps

-             donate to help support the 100+ groups who are doing the hard work on the ground.

-             hold a Great Kiwi Morning Tea!

-             visit www.kiwisforkiwi.org  to find out more

• We are on the cusp of reversing the decline of kiwi and with a strong focus on large scale predator control initiatives, positive and impactful changes are on the horizon.  We can save kiwi from extinction.