Jono, Ben & Megan - The Podcast - Saving A Baby Kiwi's Life!

Episode Date: February 22, 2026

Ben’s sister joins us to reveal how she helped rescue a kiwi.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sister Amelia works in Russell, beautiful spot. Parora Bay winery has accommodation, and she's an amazing a Kiwi encounter over the weekend. This is incredible, and she joins us right now to tell us about it. Good morning, Amelia, how you doing? Hey, how's it going? Not too bad. The favourite of the family.

Our favourite of the family too. Oh, well. Matriarch, you know. Amelia's the favourite. She got to go to Hollywood on the Gold Coast, movie world a couple of times. But anyway, that's fine. Hey, hey, we're not taking that. We're not bitter about that.

Anyway, so. Do you know that's all he bangs on about. He brings that up all the time. There's some childhood trauma there, mate. One time and I was barely 18. Twice, twice, way. Anyway, that's not why we brought Amelia on there to air my family agreements is

because a couple of days ago, something really unusual and I expected happened to you at your place of work. So you have accommodation at the winery where you work up in the Bay of Islands, Piderot Estate, yeah. And yeah, so there's a pool there

where people can, you know, the stay get to use. And you thought it was a hedgehog in the pool? Yeah, I built up with a hedgehog. And then I looked and I was like, oh my goodness, it's a Kiwi. And it was stuck in this little platform in the pool filter where pine needles go. And he had fallen in and obviously stuck on this filter. Like he couldn't move. There was nothing he could do. And if I hadn't noticed him, he would have been there for over a day. So I got someone people to help me to housekeepers. And they came and helped me and we got him out because

I rang a Kiwi handler just to make sure we were doing everything okay. And then we got him and we put him in a box and we kept him in the dark for the day and then we released him back into one of our nesting boxes on site in the afternoon. Oh, wow. So what would have smelled like a chlorinated kiwi? What would have smelled like? I know, the poor little guy. But he was okay and they said he was fit and healthy.

He was about two weeks old. So two weeks? Oh, yeah. Apparently they get left by their moms. Two weeks, that's it. They're on their own, out of the house. Yeah, gone. Megan's like, Bastie, I.

Yeah, next time they're on grape, I'm going to be like, well, at least you're not a Kiwi, you would have been left to your own devices. Yeah, that's them until they're about four years old. And they grow, yeah, they start to look for females. But it was a pretty special experience. Do you know what I really love is because your family's been riddled with Kiwi encounters. Your mum, Jenny Boy, she had a Kiwi... In the little sleepout downstairs, right?

Yeah. Came in the cat door. That was one of the first people I rang, and I was like, well, do you know what? I've got one on you. You got one in the pool filter I was like I save one from the pool She was like get out of town And so Ben

Because your mother's story Jenny she made national news headlines So he found out about this And he's found out about this on the weekend He's made you sign an NDA For all the film rights The movie rights and the media rights You're not releasing this to anyone

He's like we want the exclusive We got the exclusive We can't get exclusive for your own family Yeah So you want this video to be the media story I know. I thought this was my time to go viral on TikTok maybe. No, you could do it. I just wanted the radio exclusive. Your videos are good. That's okay.

I'm right to the video, thank you. We've got the release and that's fine. Like the Kiwi, it's been released into the wild on our radio show. What a really cool. Like, a special thing because, you know, many Kiwis, well, most Kiwis have gone the whole life without ever seeing a Kiwi and to help save one, send it back into the wild. It was pretty cool.

Yeah, the guests that had just checked out were so gutted because they didn't swim in the pool. like, had you swim in the pool, you would have noticed it. Kiwi out there in the wild smelling like a public pool right now. I know. That's a really cool story, though, because, yeah, you're right. Most people go their whole lives, not even. Now she's giving you the exclusive.

Are you going to let go of the Gold Coast? I don't know. Movie World's pretty cool. I know. Have I done enough? Well, now she's got something else to hangover of it, you know? Two times at Moving World now also saved the Kiwi. See, our favourite boys.

Yeah. Amelia, still be the favourite. What are you doing tomorrow, mate? Do you want to do a radio show, Amelia? I could do it. Yeah, I could. You could. You could.