A trust dedicated to protecting kiwi in eastern Coromandel has been awarded $25,000 for predator control.

Announced today by Associate Conservation Minister Nicky Wagner, the grant comes from the Department of Conservation's Community Conservation Partnership Fund.

The Whenuakiwi Trust has been granted $25,000 to continue its successful kiwi care project at Whenuakite.

Nicky says the money will allow the Whenuakiwi Trust to continue its successful kiwi care project at Whenuakite, by hiring a contractor to target predators such as possums and rats.

The Minister also announced today that the same conservation partnership fund is gifting $57,000 to the Kauri 2000 Trust to help prevent the spread of Kauri Dieback disease on the Coromandel Peninsula.

'It's very pleasing to be able to support such a worthy project as Whenuakiwi Trust, as monitoring at Whenuakite has shown it to be a very safe haven for Coromandel brown kiwi, with numbers more than tripling in the past decade or so,” says Nicky.

'The grant will allow the trust to continue meeting its objective of protecting all native flora and fauna in the area,” Nicky.

The Whenuakiwi Trust, also known as Whenuakite Kiwi Care Group, was established by the local community in 2000.

'The continued support of the trust from the community is to be commended, and it will ensure the ongoing success of the kiwi care project,” says Nicky.