Welcome to the New Zealand Penguin Initiative Newsletter. Winter is a busy time for our kororā/little penguins, with a few colonies already incubating eggs! For most of the country- penguin pairs are busy re-establishing pair bonds, gathering nesting materials and gaining condition, so they are primed for chick raising. Two more groups have joined our growing penguin network! Avian Influenza has now been confirmed across the ditch in Australia, which requires extra caution and vigilance for people working with our native wildlife. We are excited to announce that our National Diet Study is now available on our website- showcasing amazing results from dedicated scat (penguin poop) collectors. Penguin data entry submissions to DOC’s FALCON database are now due at the end of August to better align with penguin activities. We have created an instruction guide to help people monitoring/marking colonies add in their valuable marking and resighting events for kororā. Stoats are a high-risk predator for penguins, and many of our native species. A recent penguin victim from an Otago Peninsula colony, was fortunate to be rescued and taken for prompt treatment following a vicious attack. Western Bay Wildlife Trust are seeking your support for dog bylaw submissions, to help protect penguin colonies in the Western Bay of Plenty. A North Island colony has made a head start with breeding and is keeping up with Oamaru and Dunedin! Our monthly support meeting will be held tomorrow at lunchtime- see details below if you’re interested in joining in the conversation.

If you have missed our previous newsletter editions, you can read them here www.penguininitiative.nz/news

We warmly welcome our first Eastern Bay of Plenty and Tasman based groups to the New Zealand Penguin Initiative family. The Ōhiwa Headland Sanctuary Trust and Penguin Lovers of Parapara (PLoP). We are very excited to support these dedicated communities throughout their penguin protection journey and learn more about kororā living along their stunning coastlines.  Their data contributions towards the National Monitoring Programme will be very valuable to help us fill some big knowledge gaps and it’s always great to see more locals getting involved in looking after penguins in their “backyard”! 

Signs of HPAI can include:

• Weakness and lethargy

• Difficulties standing or walking

• Tremors, seizures or other neurological signs

• Twisted neck

• Head pressing or circling

• Difficulties breathing or gasping

• Swollen eyes or head

• Sudden death, sometimes without obvious signs

If you suspect HPAI- Contact MPI’s exotic pest and disease hotline: 0800 80 99 66

When contacting MPI, helpful information includes:

• An accurate location of the birds (GPS coordinates and precise descriptive location information)

• Photographs and/or videos of sick and dead birds

• Estimates of numbers of birds affected and the species

• Descriptions of the visual symptoms of illness in sick birds

• An estimate of how long the birds might have been present

Alot of our readers will have been following our regular updates about the National Diet Study progress, and it can now all be viewed on our website! Click here to see the incredible results so far: Kororā/Little Penguin National Diet Study - New Zealand Penguin Initiative. 

The most recent samples (autumn 2026) results are in, and also available on the website- No new fish family crossed the 10% relative read abundance for this season, but there was plenty to be learnt about what kororā eat around the country! There is lots of information about each season and each colony, as well as all the fish families.

Big thanks to all those involved and making this research possible! Anyone interested in contributing to the study, is welcome to submit a scat sample of their own. Get in touch for more information or for any diet study queries admin@penguininitiative.nz. 

In May, a family visiting Allans Beach (Otago Peninsula) interrupted a stoat attacking a resident male kororā. The stoat ran off but the penguin had sustained bites around the head and neck that needed immediate attention. This awesome family drove him to the Dunedin Wildlife Hospital and saved his life. There are traps installed and regularly monitored at Allans Beach, and still this happened - in fact another four kororā were found dead and probably killed by a stoat in April and May. Without this dedicated family rescuing this penguin- the kill count for this stoat would have been five!

It serves as a reminder that we must undertake effective pest control to keep our penguins safe; including monitoring traps and pest presence regularly, and ideally going the extra mile to target those extra smart or trap avoidant predators as soon as they show up!

Our Mount Maunganui group Western Bay Wildlife Trust are seeking community support to help protect their penguin colonies and strengthen current dog bylaws and restrictions. A core priority is to protect penguins inhabiting Moturiki Island, Mauao and the coastal vegetation/dunes along Mount Maunganui to Papamoa. Moturiki Island and Mauao are currently no dog zones, however dogs are often seen off leash near penguin burrows and/or penguin pathways. To improve the safety and welfare of kororā around Mount Maunganui, and the wider Western Bay of Plenty coastline, it is recommended submissions include:

• Mussel Rock (Shark Alley) be made a permanent and year-round NO DOG ZONE.

• Dogs are banned in coastal dunes (expect when on a leash using beach accessways). 

• Signage is easily visible from multiple access points and contains direct and clear messaging.

• Fencing/protective barriers are installed near sensitive wildlife habitats and/or problematic dog regulation areas.

• Strict monitoring and enforcement of policies, bylaws and regulations.

Submissions close 5pm Thursday 2nd July

Have your say here: Dog Management Policy and Bylaw, and Keeping of Animals Bylaw review - Let's talk Tauranga or email: policy@tauranga.govt.nz

For more information, please contact Western Bay Wildlife Trust: Little Blue Penguin & Wildlife Conservation in Bay of Plenty | Western Bay Wildlife Trust