My Speech

This is my Speech I made over the course of a few weeks.

 What do you think of when you hear the word kiwi, do you think of the kiwi bird, kiwi fruit or the kiwi nation? Many nations have a national symbol. Australia has the kangaroo, England has the lion or the bulldog,

South Africa has the springbok and South america has the puma. Do you think that it’s ok in 2020 that the kiwi, our national symbol, is in danger of dying out? What comes next after endangered… extinction or growth?

Tena koutou - toku ingoa ko Pippa. I am here to tell you that it is not ok that some animals are endangered and to give you some ideas about how we can save them and our environment.

If you have seen or heard a kiwi in the wild, good for you, but I want future generations to see and hear them as well. Hundreds of years ago more than 12 million roamed Aotearoa. I would like to see that kiwi numbers are going up all over New Zealand, not just in the wild, predator free places where they live now. However the kiwis progress is being potentially disrupted by us humans because we are stealing the kiwis habitat.  A Kiwi’s habitat includes dense bush, mangroves, sand dunes and rough farmland. Soon they may have nowhere to live because greedy humans are flattening their land to build big cities

The kiwi is endangered, but not as critically as some animals, like the Maui dolphin. Some people might think ‘’Oh well, the kiwi is dying out, there is nothing we can do‘’. Well those people are wrong because there is something we can do. Make yourself a superhero by stopping littering, this will keep the planet clean and stop cluttering up the kiwi birds’ habitats. If we do that it will help all animals, not just the endangered ones, plus if we all work together we can save the planet at the same time. You can also save the kiwi bird no matter where you are by donating money and your time at kiwisforkiwi.org  

I would like to see a kiwi bird for myself and I’ve found out that tawharanui regional park is the best place to do it because I live in Auckland. If I lived in the south Island I would go to Stewart Island. Habitat tours offer you a chance to see a kiwi bird for yourself. They take you at night because kiwis are nocturnal and it would cost you $130 per adult and  $60 per child, so $380 dollars for a family of four.

When I grow up I would like to be a vet that specialises in helping endangered animals. In 2040, when I’m 29, I hope that kiwi numbers have grown and they are no longer endangered so I won't have to help them as much. I wonder which animals I will be helping instead? Thank you for listening to my speech.