Welcome to the NZPI August Newsletter. A welcome arrival of some tiny flippers and feet in some colonies, which means a few penguin pairs got in an early start this breeding season so hopefully they can fledge chicks before the busy summer holidays. Growing awareness and appreciation for our Kororā means they are finally receiving the attention they deserve! Programme Director Hiltrun was recently featured on 1News to discuss issues around construction and the recent Wellington Kororā that was sadly killed. Community Programme Manager Melissa delivered a Science Night presentation in Raglan with a great turn out. Melissa also spent some time with our Bay of Plenty groups and attended a Kororā workshop hosted by Western Bay Wildlife Trust to help support upcoming Auckland and Bay of Plenty projects. Development of our purpose-built penguin monitoring app is underway, and we are really excited to strengthen the capability of capturing all types of penguin data through citizen science and empower our groups to address key threats to their colonies - through robust data collection. We have added some more resources to our website, including a downloadable Dashboard Guide, Health & Safety - because we want everyone to be safe out there while doing good work - as well as some Education Resources designed for quick reference/handouts for events etc. to help with awareness and advocacy! Our favourite competition - Bird of the Year is fast approaching, so please show your support for our feisty littlest penguin!

“Citizen science offers the power of science to everyone,

and the power of everyone to science.”

-Jennifer Shirk

If you have missed our previous newsletter editions, you can read them here Science & Advocacy - New Zealand Penguin Initiative (nzpi.nz)

Huge thanks to Whāingaroa Environment Centre for hosting Melissa and their wonderful hospitality, and the amazing work done by the Karioi Project.

Learn more about them here: Karioi Project

We have started developing some visual resources that can be downloaded and used to help with community education & advocacy

Available at: Habitat & Monitoring Resources - New Zealand Penguin Initiative (nzpi.nz)

North Island Visits

Melissa hit the weather jackpot with her recent trip to the Waikato and Bay of Plenty to deliver a presentation, catch up with groups and provide support at a hands-on Kororā workshop.

Project WETA Waihi Beach

Kororā have inhabited Waihi Beach and surrounds for decades, however coastal development and predators have threatened their population. Pippa and Project WETA are undertaking immense pest control efforts to make safe habitats for Kororā and other native bird species. 

Learn more about efforts from Project WETA here: SWB – Sustainable Waihī Beach (sustainablewaihibeach.co.nz)

Western Bay Wildlife Trust

Melissa attended an educational and hands-on Kororā workshop hosted by Western Bay Wildlife Trust and led by Julia from PenguinsPlus. It was a great turn out from keen penguin people from across the Bay of Plenty and Auckland regions. Melissa got to reconnect with the WBWT team amongst familiar habitat, where she spent a decade working with Kororā. It was great for her to catch up with a few members from some of our new groups and meet some aspiring penguin people. She also got to help out with some night and nest monitoring. Hiltrun presented an in-depth talk online discussing the ins and outs of nest boxes. Michelle Bradshaw from the DOC banding office also talked about data management and the Falcon Database to ensure everyone knows the importance of recording/reporting marked birds (microchipped or banded). Lynn Miller from WildWays covered some valuable rescue/rehab basics.

Everyone that attended the workshop went home with an immense amount of knowledge and inspiration that can be applied to their projects.

Huge thanks to WBWT and PenguinsPlus for their wonderful hospitality and sharing their valuable expertise to support Kororā conservation. Learn more about them here: Little Blue Penguin & Wildlife Conservation in Bay of Plenty | Western Bay Wildlife Trust