‘Surreal’: Leonardo DiCaprio praises kiwi conservation group

Hollywood actor and environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio has praised a Wellington-based conservation group that rehomes kiwi in the wild.

In an Instagram post, the Academy Award winner praised the Capital Kiwi Project, which has been working to reintroduce kiwi to the hills near Wellington.

In his post, DiCaprio wrote: “By restoring a wild, sustainable population of kiwi to Wellington, they are making a significant contribution to saving this beloved species and rewilding New Zealand.”

Capital Kiwi Project founder and project lead Paul Ward told 1News it was "surreal" to wake up and see that such a big name had posted about the organisation.

"I woke up to a bunch of notifications and a whole heap of new followers, and then I saw that actor and environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio had shared our project with his 62 million mates," he said.

It was quite surreal, really. I mean, what we have been doing down here in Wellington has attracted a bit of attention. Our first chicks ended up on the front page of The New York Times, and one of our birds was in National Geographic magazine.

"So, the work that we've been doing has generated some attention. But reaching that kind of audience is next level."

He said the post came "completely out of the blue" with no prior warning.

But there was also a connection between Capital Kiwi Project and DiCaprio.

The project has been forming a relationship with Re:Wild, an organisation founded by DiCaprio as an environmentalist, working to tackle extinction crises around the world.

"To be waving a kiwi flag, the New Zealand banner in that space, we’re pretty stoked," Ward said.

He said that since the post, the project has received “a flood” of new followers – showing the work they do is noticed and appreciated. Ward also hopes it will be an inspiration for other projects.

"It shows the interest globally in the work that we're doing to look after our target species and in our backyard.

"I think it shows you what's possible when people work together around us around a shared purpose."

DiCaprio has been using his platform to promote environmentalist efforts for decades.

He has served on the boards of several environmental organisations, including the World Wildlife Fund, Re:Wild, the Natural Resources Defense Council, Global Green USA, and the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

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