Jimny Joins Fight For The Kiwi

Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari is a ‘Save the Kiwi’ kōhanga site found in Pukeatua, just south of Cambridge. It is one of the world’s largest predator free projects. Maungatautari’s 47 kilometre long pest-proof fence surrounds 3,400 hectares of pristine forest and offers a safe haven for some of New Zealand’s most endangered species. This includes kiwi, takahē, kākā, kākāriki, kārearea, tuatara, giant wētā, and pekapeka.

Save the Kiwi’s Kōhanga Kiwi initiative works to increase kiwi population growth by taking kiwi eggs out of the wild, incubating, hatching, and raising them in captivity. The kiwi are then released into predator-free kōhanga sites where they’ll spend the rest of their days finding a mate, breeding and living without fear of predators. There are roughly 2,000 kiwi in the ecological sanctuary.

Recently a Suzuki Jimny Sierra joined their aid efforts on Maungatautari. Poutiaki Kiwi (Ranger), Craig Montgomerie, of Save The Kiwi and Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari gets to drive the Jimny. This is the second on their fleet, with the original Jimny still in good nick after 10 years on the mountain.

Craig is stoked with the performance of the new kid on the block. The Jimny Sierra navigates the rugged site easily enabling Craig access to 90% of the predator free area. The Jimny’s compact off-road capability means it can handle the Maungatautari terrain effortlessly. “Its receptiveness to the terrain and conditions is awesome, I can trust it to manage the landscape and safely transport kiwi with no problems. The Jimny is basically a quad bike with Bluetooth and air conditioning”.

“I really put the Jimny through hell when I first got it, I tried pushing it to the limit and it wouldn’t give up. Its ability to manoeuvre in tight and steep areas through the site and along the fence is unbeatable.” The Jimny continues to transform how kiwi can be monitored and transported through the Maunga’s wild landscape. The vehicle can fit four people or transport eight kiwis no problem.

Last year, Save the Kiwi achieved 100 kiwi releases using the Jimny. While Craig has experience with heavier 4WD vehicles, he says that the Jimny can outperform them with ease. In his words, the Jimny’s size, strength, and manual gearbox with low 4WD is a gamechanger.

Save the Kiwi’s Jimny was fitted with aftermarket Federal Couragia mud tyres, mud guards, and a Jimny roof rack basket with lightbar. Kiwi are nocturnal and hide deep in the bush, so the lightbar and spotlights for day and night visibility are essential for the protection team’s work.

Craig raves about the surprising benefit of having a compact vehicle like the Jimny Sierra in the bush, “It is a dream to keep clean. It’s a really easy vehicle to wash, I even enjoy cleaning it. This may seem like a simple thing but less time spent here means more time spent monitoring kiwi, exploring the mountain or moving between sites.”

Just like the kiwi, Jimny are icons in a class of their own. Craig loves the unspoken coolness that comes with being a Jimny driver, “It’s a cool vehicle that is easily identifiable, it has real character. Jimny drivers have their own little community, we acknowledge each other on the road with a wave or nod. It’s a good feeling to see another Jimny and its driver”.

Want to help the kiwi? You could donate, fundraise, volunteer or shop with Save the Kiwi. Head to their website to find out how.

To keep up with Save the Kiwi you can check out their Facebook and Instagram pages.