Kiwi measles?

Press, 18 June 1979, Page 2

Kiwi measles?

Greymouth reporter The Minister of Forests (Mr V. S. Young) is ‘•concerned’’ about the spots on kiwis which the Never Forget Auckland Committee says were seen by a doctor in Auckland recently. In a telegram to the committee, the Minister said he had referred the spots to his colleague, the Minister of Health (Mr Gair). After the announcement earlier in the week by Mr Young that the discovery of a rare sub-species of kiwi in the South Okarito Forest could well prevent selective logging in the area, the committee sent him a telegram saying that it had learned of the

discovery of spotted kiwis in Auckland City by “a registered doctor” but was not sure whether the spots were caused by freckles or measles. In his reply, Mr Young said that he believed “on good authority that there are many kiwis in Auckland, but in spite of West Coast views to the contrary they are not yet classified as a separate subspecies. I am concerned about the spots, however, and have referred the matter to my colleague, the Minister of Health." The Never Forget Auckland Committee is campaigning for a national park to be created in the heart of the business area of Auckland.