Ammon News - A rare kiwi species has been found in the wild on mainland New Zealand for the first time in 50 years, the nation's conservation authority said.

The smallest of the kiwi species, the kiwi pukupuku (little spotted kiwi), was thought to only live in offshore islands and fenced predator-free sites, the Department of Conservation (DOC) said.

However, a DOC-contracted hunter spotted the bird in a remote part of the South Island's West Coast. Tiny feathers were collected from the kiwi to confirm the bird was a kiwi pukupuku.

Kiwi Recovery Group leader Emily King said the discovery was almost miraculous. "The last known sighting of a kiwi pukupuku on the mainland was in 1978. Despite years of targeted searching, we hadn't found them - until now," she said.