Hello,

Just time for some quick updates before the holiday!

The penguin breeding season on the Coast is almost complete with a few kororā chicks still to fledge. We have seen many ups and downs and we'll share a taste of that below and then more details in the new year when we have had time to collate and analyse the details.

To gather all of that information, our Ranger, Lucy Waller, and her wonderful group of volunteers have been valiantly collecting data from Cape Foulwind near Westport to Jackson Head south of Haast, and, further south, Catherine Stewart has been monitoring Fiordland crested penguins down at Gorge River. Lucy's main focus has been on little penguins or kororā and at our study site south of Greymouth. She has also fitted in some penguin education including dissection classes with senior biology students at John Paul II High School, more on that in the new year.

Another team of volunteers north of Punakaiki have been looking after the penguin protection fences there and have been horrified to discover the theft of two gates, risking penguins being killed on the highway, but their support has in fact been boosted by this set back and we are hugely grateful for their actions and donations.

Westland petrels or tāiko are fledging near Punakaiki now and through to the end of January and they need your help to make it safely into the next phase of their lives - find out how below.

Behind the scenes, the day to day business of the trust continues, ensuring we stay up to date with changing requirements for charities, assisting DOC in responding to reports of sick or dead penguins, applying and reporting to grant making bodies, and trying to keep up with and respond to the many and varied threats to nature and our environment, among a host of other things.

Recently, we have had to shift platforms for credit card donations (now Raisely) and emails (now EmailOctopus). If you spot any glitches, please do let us know.

Fundraising is critical to maintain our important work and if you can find a way to help us, among the cost of living crisis and extra holiday costs, your support will mean the world to us. Perhaps, if you're wondering what to give the person who has everything, you could make a donation on their behalf. More on that below and it's something you can do right up to or even beyond the big day!

Christmas means something different to each and every one of us but I'm sure there will be some reflection on the year and for some it will mean a gap at the table and in their lives as they miss important people who are away or who have died during the year. I know there will be some reading this who will be in that boat, including in our team and our communities, and we wish you well through grief and hopefully happy memories.

We would all like to wish you a safe and happy Christmas and new year, and we thank you for all your interest and support, we couldn't do what we do without you; we'll be back in 2026.

Inger

Inger Perkins, Manager, on behalf of the West Coast Penguin Trust Team

Donate here

2025 penguin season

It has been a mixed bag with tiny chicks as well as adults sadly not making it this year, likely due to starvation, but also some big healthy chicks. There are reported to be mild La Niña conditions meaning above average sea surface temperatures off the West Coast. We will investigate this along with our breeding success data, our foraging data, and detail for individual penguins and report back in the new year.

Foraging study

Knowing where kororā go to forage and how often and how deep they dive adds valuable understanding to our interpretation of annual breeding success data.

This year, we have seen penguins travelling around three times as far and for three times as long as we have seen before, ringing alarm bells.

Again, this will be a key part of our analysis in the new year.

Theft of gates

Our penguin protection fence has saved many penguin lives over the past 11-12 years so it was with profound disappointment that we learned two gates were stolen in the past month. This undermines the integrity of the fence and is a kick in the guts for the trust and our brilliant volunteers who look after the fence. We are enormously grateful to them and local supporters for covering the cost of replacements and installing and securing them.

Petrel protection

Westland petrel / tāiko chicks are fledging now and lights pose a significant threat. Driving on the coast road at night particularly around Barrytown and Punakaiki means that vehicle lights could be followed by birds on their maiden flight. Tragically, if they come down on the road, the next vehicle along often kills them.

You can help by driving much slower in this area at night for the next few weeks and encouraging others to do the same.

Find out more here

WC Penguin Encounter

We have been part of the conversation over a few years as a new penguin encounter opportunity evoloved for Franz Josef, and were thrilled to be present for the opening ceremony in October.

Ambassador penguins have been settling into their new luxury home and will count themselves lucky as they could not have survived in the wild. Perhaps you'll get to meet them and the kiwi and tuatara at the West Coast Wildlife Centre this holiday season (and with a discount for West Coast locals!).

Donate for Christmas!

Here's a simple way to give a different kind of gift this year. Simply make a donation for our penguin conservation efforts and print off or email a little card to tell the recipient.

That should bring both giver and receiver some penguin shaped joy this year!

Find out more here

ON A NEED TO KNOW BASIS ...

DOC hotline 0800 DOCHOT (362 468)

Handy to know if you come across an injured penguin or any sick or injured wildlife that seems to be struggling whilst out there on the beach, river mouths or roads. If you see a little penguin / kororā on the beach it almost certainly needs assistance. If you see a Fiordland crested penguin / tawaki on the beach north of Fox Glacier, it may well need assistance.

Biosecurity NZ hotline 0800 80 99 66

To report groups of three or more sick, dying or dead birds, marine mammals or other wildlife.

Also, if you see or hear about a dead penguin, please let us know using our simple reporting form, ideally with a photograph and clear description of the location. If you can have a look and it's obvious or apparent, your thoughts on possible cause of death would be very helpful. We can then add the information to our database - which informs our conservation actions. If you can move the penguin out of sight and out of reach of tides and dogs, that will be helpful in case we need to collect it.

Thank you.

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PO Box 56
Hokitika
West Coast
New Zealand