Don’t flipper coin, vote kororā for Bird of the Year

The kororā is top of our pecking order this year as they face a number of challenges with the changing environment, and have suffered a number of fatalities and injuries from dog attacks recently.

Forest & Bird's Bird of the Year competition started in 2005 to showcase the plight of New Zealand’s native manu, and is now the tweet of the town – and even the world. 

The pūteketeke Australasian crested grebe won the Bird of the Century last year, thanks largely to a global campaign by British-American comedian John Oliver.

Vote here from 2-15 September

Mayor Tory Whanau says this nationwide competition showcases the importance of protecting, treasuring and celebrating our native manu.

“Over the years, Pōneke has seen bird numbers soar thanks to decades of collaboration between Council, Zealandia, Predator Free Wellington and the many volunteers who contribute hugely to protecting our native bird species and reducing predator activity.

“But the kororā need a bit more attention, so we’re taking this opportunity to remind everyone how we can better protect this taonga of our coastline.”

Wellington City Council’s Urban Ecology Manager Daniela Biaggio says we share the urban coastline with kororā, and there’s plenty of room for us all to co-exist safely and happily. 

“It is an incredible privilege to have penguins that call our Capital city home. There have been too many avoidable kororā deaths over the last few years, and we need to make a collective effort to protect them.

“Just a few small actions can help, like ensuring dogs are on a lead everywhere except for designated off-leash areas – where they still need to be supervised and kept under control.

“Keep an eye out for any sign of kororā, they are faithful to their homes, but with many homes impacted across the harbour we may see individuals scoping out new sites for nesting, and they don’t tend to read the signs.

“If you regularly walk your dog along the coast, you may want to consider avoidance training where dogs can learn to avoid the birds and nests.

“Be careful with discarded fishing gear, take care when driving around our coastlines at night and look out for our little blue pedestrians, and together we can help them thrive.

“Don’t hesitate to contact our Dog Control team on 04 499 4444 if you see any roaming dogs where they’re not supposed to be,” adds Daniela.

Council will be painting the town blue throughout the campaign to shine a light on the plight of our little feathered friends, including lighting up the Michael Fowler Centre, a Cable Car tunnel, the Albatross sculpture, and the Queens Wharf sails.

The Bird of The Year campaign runs from 2 September – 15 September, so don’t forget to vote for our precious kororā little penguins at birdoftheyear.org.nz/vote.

Council works closely with mana whenua, Places for Penguins, the Department of Conservation, Predator Free Wellington, and penguin ecologists to minimise risks to penguins.

Council also works with partner organisations to facilitate community-led avoidance training for dogs, there are on-going ecological restoration projects to support kororā habitats, and signage is increasingly placed around sites where kororā are nesting.

If you spot a sick or injured kororā call the Department of Conservation (DOC) on 0800 362 468.

If DOC suggests the animal requires treatment, please take it to The Nest Te Kōhanga at Wellington Zoo where they receive rescues and rehabilitate injured kororā, in addition to all the other conservation work they do for native birds and other species – and they're backing kororā for Bird of the Year as well. Learn more about this process on the Forest and Bird website.

If you find a dead kororā, call DOC at 0800 362 468. Take pictures of the bird and the surrounding space to help DOC understand what happened.

You can also send photos to the Places for Penguins project by Forest and Bird via their Facebook page, or email placesforpenguins@gmail.com.

It takes a city to really help them fight their plight. Visit wellington.govt.nz/korora for more information.