Twenty thousand hectares of land would be made stoat-free under a plan - promised by Wellington Mayor Justin Lester - to bring kiwi to the capital.

Suburban Wellington could soon ring with the shrill call of the kiwi under an ambitious plan to eradicate stoats across 20,000 hectares by 2025.

Under the $2.8 million plan, an area of southwest Wellington roughly the size of the Abel Tasman National Park would have stoats eliminated and dogs controlled within a few years, allowing kiwi to be introduced, eventually moving into the suburban fringes of the city.

Mayor Justin Lester, who pledged to bring kiwi to central Wellington during his election campaign, pointed to the success in bringing kiwi to Wainuiomata in Lower Hutt to prove the idea was realistic within seven years.

The plan involves up to 12 different groups, including the regional and city councils. Securing money from the Government's Predator-Free 2050 fund would be "critical" to the seven-year timeframe, Lester said.

READ MORE:

* Kiwi thriving in Hutt Valley

* Opinion: Place for kiwi in Wellington

Just under $1m is available from the fund, which has a shortlist of seven projects, including Wellington's. It is expected a decision on funding will be made by the end of next week.

ROSA WOODS/STUFF Paul Ward, from Capital Kiwi, and Wellington Mayor Justin Lester believe they can bring kiwi back to central Wellington.

Wellington's application has been made by Predator Free Wellington and Capital Kiwi. Lester said that, if it failed to win government backing, the plan would not fail, but would move to a longer timeframe.

The city was already well ahead of the game in controlling predators and bringing back birdlife, thanks to the Zealandia sanctuary and having 5000 households already involved in predator eradication projects, he said.

"We would be 50 years ahead of any other capital city in the world."

Kiwi could one day be roaming some of Wellington's suburban back yards.

Paul Ward, from Capital Kiwi, said that if the funding application was successful, money would be used both for the kiwi area and also to make the Miramar Peninsula predator-free. The wider project, encompassing both areas, had a budget of about $19m over a decade, of which it was hoped one-third would come from the Government.

The Miramar area being run by Predator Free Wellington would be separate from the southwest Wellington area, run by Capital Kiwi, but eventually each would become completely predator-free and work together "like a pincer movement" to extend the area.

Eventually, this would be pushed out to make all of Wellington predator-free, with the motorway between Ngauranga and Mana becoming a barrier.

123rf.com While the type of kiwi to populate the area was not decided, North Island browns are in the mix.

Under Lester's seven-year plan, the area in which stoats would be eradicated would extend from the Brooklyn wind turbine to Island Bay in the south, then sweep around the southwest coast to Makara in the north.

Most of the land was private and rural. Landowners were already keen to eradicate pests and, as it was mostly private land, controlling dogs would be relatively easy, Ward said.

Kiwi, once past six months old, were relatively hardy against most predators, such as cats, rats, and possums, though many rats would get caught in the stoat operation, he said.

ROSA WOODS/STUFF The kiwi area would start in the south at Island Bay.

It was not yet decided what sort of kiwi would one day call southwest Wellington home.

Department of Conservation kiwi specialist Paul Jansen said kiwi were an "exceptionally tough" bird and could thrive in many terrains.

"If babies don't get eaten by stoats, and if the adults don't get eaten by dogs, they can go."

ROSA WOODS/STUFF It would cover the wind farm area.

The proposed south Wellington area, of about 20,000 hectares, was smaller and easier terrain than the remote and rugged 22,000-hectare Resolution Island, off Fiordland, which had already been made stoat-free.

"There is a very high chance of success."