One day, Tanemahuta was walking through the forest. He looked up at his children reaching for the sky and he noticed that they were starting to sicken, as bugs were eating them. He talked to his brother, Tanehokahoka, who called all of his children, the birds of the air together. Tanemahuta spoke to them. "Something is eating my children, the trees. I need one of you to come down from the forest roof and live on the floor, to eat and kill the insects. Then my children will be saved, and your home can be protected. Who will come?"

All was quiet, and not a bird spoke.

Tanehokahoka turned to Tui. "E Tui, will you come down from the forest roof?" Tui looked up at the trees and saw the sun filtering through the leaves. Tui looked down at the forest floor and saw the cold, dark earth and shuddered. "Kao, Tanehokahoka, for it is too dark and I am afraid of the dark."

All was quiet, and not a bird spoke.

Tanehokahoka turned to Pukeko. "Pukeko, will you come down from the forest roof?"

Pukeko looked up at the trees and saw the sun filtering through the leaves. Pukeko looked down at the forest floor and saw the cold, damp earth and shuddered. "Kao, Tanehokahoka, for it is too damp and I do not want to get my feet wet."

All was quiet, and not a bird spoke.

Tanehokahoka turned to Pipiwharauroa. "Pipiwharauroa, will you come down from the forest roof?" Pipiwharauroa looked up at the trees and saw the sun filtering through the leaves. Pipiwharauroa looked around and saw his family. "Kao, Tanehokahoka, for I am busy at the moment building my nest."

All was quiet, and not a bird spoke.

Tanehokahoka turned to the Bellbird. "Bellbird, will you come down from the forest roof?" Bellbird looked up at the trees and saw the sun filtering through the leaves. She thought of the happy songs she sung all day as she danced in the treetops and looked down at the forest floor and saw the cold, damp earth and shuddered. "Kao, Tanehokahoka, for I could not sing my song of happiness all day if I was down there on the forest floor."

All was quiet, and not a bird spoke. Great was the sadness in the heart of Tanehokahoka, for he knew, that if one of his children did not come down from the forest roof, not only would his brother loose his children, but the birds would have no home.

Tanehokahoka turned to Kiwi. "E kiwi, will you come down from the forest roof?" Kiwi looked up at the trees and saw the sun filtering through the leaves. Kiwi looked around and saw his family. Kiwi looked at the cold damp earth. Looking around once more, he turned to Tanehokahoka and said, "I will."

Great was the joy in the hearts of Tanehokahoka and Tanemahuta, for this little bird was giving them hope, but Tanemahuta felt that he should warn kiwi of what would happen. "E kiwi, do you realise that if you do this, you will have to grow thick, strong legs so that you can rip apart the logs on the ground and you will loose your beautiful coloured feathers and wings so that you will never be able to return to the forest roof. Your beak will grow long and sharp so that you can scratch out the insects which are eating the trees and you will never see the light of day again."

All was quiet, and not a bird spoke.

"E kiwi, will you come down from the forest roof and do this thing that I ask of you?" The kiwi took one last look at the sun filtering through the trees and said a silent goodbye. He also looked at all the other birds, their wings and their coloured feathers and smiled at their beauty. Looking around once more, he turned to Tanehokahoka and said, "I will."

Then Tanehokahoka turned to the other birds and said, "Tui, because you were too scared to come down from the forest roof, from now on you will always wear the white feather as the mark of a coward. Pukeko, because you did not want to get your feet wet, you will live forever only in the swamp. Pipiwharauroa, because you were too busy building your nest to help me, you will never again build a nest of your own, but lay your eggs in the nests of other birds, who will scorn and curse you. Bellbird, your song of happiness will no longer ring out from the trees. From now on your song will only be heard in the dawn and evensong. But you..... my little kiwi, sweet brave kiwi, because of your great sacrifice, you will become the most well known and most loved bird of them all and will become known as the symbol of New Zealand."