English Original
One day, Tanemahuta, guardian of the forest, noticed his tree children were sickening from insect attacks. He sought help from his brother, Tanehokahoka, guardian of the birds. Tanehokahoka gathered the birds, and Tanemahuta pleaded for one to descend from the treetops to live on the forest floor, eat the insects, and save the trees.
No bird volunteered.
Tanehokahoka asked each in turn. The Tui was afraid of the dark. The Pukeko refused to get its feet damp. The Pipiwharauroa was too busy building its nest. Tanehokahoka was saddened, for without the trees, the birds would be homeless.
Finally, he asked the Kiwi. The Kiwi looked at the sunny treetops and the dark forest floor, thought, and said, "I will."
Overjoyed yet fair, Tanemahuta warned the Kiwi of the consequences: "You will grow thick legs to rip logs apart. You will lose your fine feathers and wings, never to return to the treetops. You will dwell in darkness. Knowing this, will you still come down?"
The Kiwi took a final, sad look at the sun, the other birds, and their wings. Then it turned and said again, "I will."
As agreed, Tanehokahoka then dealt with the others. The Tui, for its fear, would forever wear two white feathers of a coward at its throat. The Pukeko, for hating dampness, was doomed to walk in swamps. The Pipiwharauroa, too concerned with its nest, was decreed a vagrant, laying eggs in others' nests.
But the noble Kiwi, who sacrificed its way of life and its wings for the forest, would be forever loved and revered.
中文翻译
一天，森林守护者塔内玛胡塔发现他的树木孩子们因昆虫啃食而生病。他向他的兄弟、鸟类守护者塔内霍卡霍卡求助。塔内霍卡霍卡召集了众鸟，塔内玛胡塔恳请其中一只从树冠下到森林地面生活，吃掉昆虫，拯救树木。
没有一只鸟自愿。
塔内霍卡霍卡依次询问。蜜雀害怕黑暗。紫水鸡不愿弄湿双脚。长尾杜鹃正忙于筑巢。塔内霍卡霍卡很悲伤，因为如果没有了树木，鸟儿们将无家可归。
最后，他问了几维鸟。几维鸟看了看阳光斑驳的树冠和黑暗潮湿的地面，想了想，说道：“我愿意。”
两位守护者欣喜若狂，但公正的塔内玛胡塔警告了几维鸟后果：“你将长出粗壮的腿来扒开朽木。你将失去美丽的羽毛和翅膀，永远无法回到树冠。你将生活在黑暗中。知道这一切，你仍然愿意下来吗？”
几维鸟最后悲伤地看了一眼阳光、其他鸟儿以及它们的翅膀。然后它转过身，再次说道：“我愿意。”
约定达成后，塔内霍卡霍卡处理了其他鸟。蜜雀因恐惧，将永远在喉部佩戴象征懦夫的两根白色羽毛。紫水鸡因厌恶潮湿，被罚从此在沼泽中行走。长尾杜鹃因只顾自己的巢，被判定为流浪者，只能在其他鸟的巢中产卵。
而高贵的几维鸟，为森林福祉牺牲了自己的生活方式和翅膀，将永远受到爱戴与尊敬。