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New Zealand’s most famous doctor met his kiwi namesake near the remote Taranaki bush.
Chief Health Officer Dr Ashley Bloomfield, who has also had a kea and rhinoceros in Botswana named in her honor, was present when Bloom was released from a burrow in Purangi, east of Inglewood, on Monday.
Born at the National Kiwi Hatchery in Rotorua in September, Bloom was named after the man behind the country’s Covid-19 response following a call for suggestions from TVNZ viewers. Breakfast.
ANDY JACKSON / Stuff
Bloom the Kiwi meets Dr. Ashley Bloomfield, after whom she was named, with Ranger Jayden Fabish.
Bloomfield said it was just one of “many unusual things that has happened this year,” but being there for Bloom’s launch with his wife Libby and their three children was “wonderful.”
“We had planned to be in Taranaki on a family vacation anyway.”
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The young bird may have been born in Purangi and never received the esteemed name if Father Trev hadn’t had a problem with his transmitter.
Male kiwis can often leave their nests once disturbed, so when Purangi staff went looking for Trev, they removed the two eggs he was hatching and took them to the Rotorua hatchery where they hatched.
ANDY JACKSON / Stuff
Purangi Conservation Manager Kathryn Strang, Dr Ashley Bloomfield and Emma Bean, the National Kiwi Hatchery Manager, prepare for Bloom’s release.
As a general rule, they try to get the birds to reach 1 kg before release, as it gives them a better chance to fight off predators, said Purangi conservation manager Kathryn Sprang.
So, after growing old enough to be freed with a transmitter to track her movements, Bloom was taken from Rotorua to Purangi on Monday.
And after she was weighed and her beak measured, so the team could trace her growth, they put her in a box and took her up into the hills in a truck.
The Bloomfield family also went up to the launch site to see Bloom being placed in her burrow, hoping that she would stay there and settle in before emerging after dark.
Bloomfield said it was special to be there, but also to see the commitment and hard work of the Purangi people trying to increase the number of kiwis.
ANDY JACKSON / Stuff
Along with Bloom, a kea and a rhino in Botswana have been named after Bloomfield.
“When we think about the future of New Zealand and, in particular, if we are going to think about the future of tourism, it is these types of companies that will be important for the future.
During the launch, Bloomfield was also informed of the importance that Purangi had for the iwi of the area.
Ngati Maru General Manager Anaru Marshall said that during the 1918 flu epidemic iwi members had practiced isolation there.
“Our people who lived on the coast at that time came back here.
“Over the years, it has been a place where many people have come seeking refuge.”
