How do you rate the call of the kiwi?

Central Wellington residents could soon be waking up to the shriek of kiwi.

Mayoral candidate Justin Lester has pledged to bring the national bird back to the capital's reserves, including Polhill reserve, which borders the suburbs of Highbury, Aro Valley and Brooklyn.

Fellow mayoral candidate Jo Coughlan has also revealed plans to make the Town Belt pest-free within a decade if she ends up wearing the mayoral robes after October's election.

PETER DRURY/FAIRFAX NZ Wellington mayoral candidates are talking about bringing kiwi back to live in central Wellington.

Lester said he saw no issues with introducing nocturnal kiwi – which have a call akin to a high-pitched whistle or deep throaty cry – in suburbia.

"I would love to be woken up by the sound of the kiwi. If that is the worst problem we have got, I think we are doing pretty well."

Lester said that, if elected, he would put plans in place to make Wellington a pest-free city that could be home to the brown kiwi within seven years.

KRIS DANDO/FAIRFAX NZ Mayoral candidate Justin Lester reckons kiwi could survive in central Wellington reserves.

He insisted it would not lead to restrictions on pet ownership.

Nearby residents would be asked to be "responsible" owners, and keep dogs on leads, or cats inside overnight, he said.

The Zealandia sanctuary in the suburb of Karori currently has kiwi inside its predator-proof fences, but there are no kiwi elsewhere in central Wellington.

CAMERON BURNELL/FAIRFAX NZ Jo Coughlan also wants to make Wellington pest-free.

Lester saw no need to predator-proof the areas where the initial introduction of kiwi would be, pointing out places such as Polhill Gully and Makara Peak already had sophisticated trapping programmes, creating a "virtual fence".

While some minimal council resources and money would be needed, he did not see the cost being large.

The Department of Conservation says brown kiwi have a "national vulnerable" threat status with a nationwide population of 25,000.

Halo Project spokesman Geoff Simmons said pests had already been brought under control in Polhill Reserve, where saddleback birds were living successfully, so Lester's plan was achievable.

Coughlan said that, if elected, she would work with DOC, the regional council, and other organisations to implement a pest eradication programme, involving trapping, with a view to making the Town Belt pest-free within a decade of launch.

"Rats, stoats, possums and feral cats would be key targets," she said. "It's time for these destructive pests to go."

WHAT THE CANDIDATES THINK:

Celia Wade-Brown: Says introducing kiwi is a nice idea, but they would be doomed to an untimely death unless dogs were excluded from wider urban areas than currently suggested.

Keith Johnson: Unsure if kiwi were suited to the central city, but likes the idea of them there. Believes making Wellington pest-free is possible, but a barrier would be needed along SH1.

Nick Leggett: Open to any idea, no matter how left-field, if it brings new energy to the city, but says the capital's residents are more interested in getting the basics right, not gimmicky promises.

Nicola Young: Says Lester's kiwi plan is a is a "bird-brained idea" and shows he is out of touch with Wellingtonians' big concerns, like "rocketing" rates bills. "First he wanted pandas, now it's kiwi; will moa be next?"