Rheem are proud partners of Save the Kiwi – an organisation dedicated to protecting and preserving New Zealand’s national bird. There were once millions of kiwi that called Aotearoa home, but in the last few hundred years, deforestation and introduced predators have caused this number to rapidly decline. Currently, kiwi numbers are still falling by roughly 2% every year – and there are now only 68,000 kiwi remaining in New Zealand.

Action is needed to stop this decline, and that’s why Save the Kiwi work tirelessly to raise awareness, educate communities, and secure the future of kiwi populations across the country.

Over the last few years, Rheem were lucky enough to be involved in kiwi releases at Motutapu and Rotoroa Islands, as well as provide and install a hot water cylinder for Save the Kiwi’s custom built incubation facility – the Crombie Lockwood Kiwi Burrow. This cylinder has been providing the hot water needed to keep the facility clean so the kiwi hatched can have their best start to life before they’re released to safe places in the wild. More recently, Rheem were also proud to include Save the Kiwi as part of their Auckland Home Show stand. One of the actual wooden boxes used to relocate kiwi was incorporated in the stand design, and kids had a chance to test their kiwi knowledge and even win a prize!

If you’re interested in doing your part for our national bird, it couldn’t be easier in October. Save the Kiwi are getting involved in Forest and Bird’s annual ‘Bird of the Year’ competition, because this year there’s a bit of a twist. 2023 marks Forest and Bird’s centenary, so instead of ‘Bird of the Year’, this year’s competition is ‘Bird of the Century’ – and Save the Kiwi believes there’s only one bird that should win. Lisa Carrington, Kane Williamson, John Key, Helen Clark, and Graham Henry have all joined the cause as ambassadors, and you can join too by casting your vote in October!

For Save the Kiwi, it’s a no brainer. The symbol of the kiwi has been used to identify us as New Zealanders since the early 1900s; it’s on the wings of our air force (ironically); and it’s been used by our banks, backpacker buses, bacon makers and power providers. Save the Kiwi wants to make sure that our national icon is still living and thriving in the next 100 years – and the 100 after that – so sometime between Monday 30 October and the Sunday 12 November 2023, make sure you cast your vote for the iconic kiwi!

As the legend goes, when Tāne-Mahuta and Tāne-Hokahoka needed a volunteer to live in the darkness eating bugs, which bird answered that call?

When parents of the 70s, 80s and 90s were struggling to get their kids to bed who could we rely on?

When we needed a catchy name for a fluffy, round fruit what did some clever bugger come up with?

When we open a packet of chips at a BBQ and need some extra flavour what do we reach for?

When we were running out of good ideas for flag designs who comes to the rescue?

When we’re traveling around the world on our OE and someone says “Hey are you Australian?” what do we proudly exclaim?