The number of reported kiwi deaths are "just a fraction of what's happening out there", charity Save the Kiwi says.
It comes after six kiwi were mauled by suspected roaming dogs in the Opua State Forest, in the Bay of Islands, in the past few weeks.
Save the Kiwi dog specialist Emma Craig told Breakfast the deaths are "not out of the blue".
"Having these kind of numbers all at once is a little unusual but we are aware that it's a well-established pattern of dogs killing kiwi right across the country but with some hotspots, including Northland," she said.
Craig said in the case of the Opua Forest, one or several dogs are returning repeatedly to the same area after getting a taste for kiwi.
"I think anyone that knows anything about dogs will tell you that once a dog gets on to a prey item, they're pretty keen to keep going exploring that so could well be the case with what's happening here."
While the cause of the kiwis' deaths are unconfirmed at this stage, the "external evidence is pretty obvious", she said.
"When you've got bite marks, you've got the feather loss, you've got an otherwise healthy kiwi that's dead, there's not too many options out there and very, very likely it will be a dog."
Craig said the reported kiwi deaths are "just a fraction of what's actually happening out there".
"Between 1990 and 1995 in Northland, there were almost 200 kiwi that were confirmed killed — about 70% of those were due to dogs and similar patterns have been seen since."
She said "all of these deaths are preventable".
"Going forward, we can take instances like this as good lessons for what to do differently next time."
Craig advised people to keep a watchful eye on their dogs "at all times" and avoid taking them into areas where kiwi live unless it is necessary.
"If they do have to be in those areas because they live there or they work there or they hunt there, they need to keep their dogs under really good control.
"If they're walking their dog in an area where kiwi live because they live there also, then walking your dog on a lead is a really good option."
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