At least five kiwis have been mauled to death by dogs in Coromandel since Easter.

The bodies of eight kiwis were found in the Moehau Kiwi Sanctuary area.

It's the worst pile-up of killed kiwi the sanctuary has seen since protection was first put in place around 2000, says Moehau Environment Group chairperson Lettecia Williams.

And a noticeable decline in kiwi calls suggest the eight confirmed deaths is just the tip of the iceberg.

Those deaths had been confirmed because of attached transmitters, which not every kiwi in the area has, says Lettecia.

There will be other birds. How many? That's the question."

"There are areas we know there are other - or there were other - birds. But we're not hearing them at the moment. We believe the number is much greater than eight."

The problem was pet dogs roaming freely, says Lettecia.

DNA samples have found five were killed by dogs. One DNA sample has results pending and the others were inconclusive.

The dog owner remains unknown.

Department of Conservation has been calling for owners to enrol their pet dogs into Kiwi Aversion Training and register their dogs' details into the national K9 DNA register.

The sanctuary - one of the most thriving kiwi populations in New Zealand - is a hunting area and well known place for dogs to roam. But hunters need a permit from DOC to show their dog has successfully completed dog aversion training.

Non compliance can result in persecution.

In four of the most recent cases kiwi transmitters weren't attached to the birds.

In two previous cases, when transmitters emitted a 'mortality beep' indicating no movement, the transmitters had been deliberately removed, according to DOC.

In a statement, DOC operations manager Nick Kelly says it's frustrating the deaths could have been avoided if dog owners took responsibility and precautions when visiting the sanctuary.

Thousands of hours and 20 years of volunteer work had gone into building up a thriving population of brown kiwi, says Lettecia.

Yet it can be wiped away in weeks, she says.

"It's about dogs not being under control.

"We can put things in place but there has to be an absolute understanding ... these birds can be killed very easily."

The kiwi are valued members of the community, she says.

"It's been like losing a family.

"[The kiwi] have characters, they have names, they belong. It's like losing whānau.

"Everyone in New Zealand should be standing up and saying this is horrific."

You can report unsupervised or unpermitted dogs via the DOC hotline on 0800 362 486.

-Stuff/Ruby Nyika