How we’re protecting one of Wellington's smallest residents

Big signs for our little penguins

The ecology and ranger teams at Council work closely with the community to retain and restore coastal habitat through planting, ecosystem weed control and animal pest control. 

One of our recent initiatives has been making it easier for dog walkers to help care for the kororā on our coasts.  

We heard the area between Moa Point and Whāhine Memorial Park was a bit confusing for dog owners to navigate. It’s home to various native birds, and a known nesting area of kororā, so uncontrolled dogs have fatal consequences for our small friends.  

The space is dog prohibited to protect our native manu. As there is no alternative sidewalk for dogs in this area, they are allowed on a leash along the main track as they pass through to their destination.  

Our rangers have been working with Places for Penguins and Dog Control Officers to make sure dog owners understand the rules and their importance, through clear signage around the tracks.  

Council’s Urban Ecology Manager Daniela Biaggio says she hopes the initiative will help make it easy for people to protect kororā. 

“We know Wellingtonians love our native manu and want to do the right thing for them, it’s all about making Wellington a city where people and nature thrive. 

“These amazing animals have been calling Te Whanganui a Tara home for a long time, and we want them to continue to do so for generations to come.” 

This new signage is just one of Council’s recent responsible dog ownership initiatives.  

Across the harbour the Parks Sport and Recreation Assets team is working with Mana Whenua, Places for Penguins, and ecologists, to improve how we deliver our infrastructure works to protect kororā.  

“We work around the penguins, adapting our time frames, thinking across multiple projects, checking for wildlife on site each day, and developing guidelines on how to safely deliver our work in a nature-rich city,” says Joel De Boer, Project Manager – Marine and Coastal. 

Kororā care from Te Nukuao Wellington Zoo 

Staff at Te Nukuao Wellington Zoo are also supporting kororā for Bird of the Year. As part of their mahi they provide expert veterinary care for sick and injured penguins at The Nest Te Kōhanga, to rehabilitate them for their return to the wild. As well as keeping kororā healthy, the vet team at Te Nukuao also collaborate on research about Plasmodium (malaria) in the wild population and collaborate with Places for Penguins to figure out the causes of death for penguins found in the wild.  

Healthy homes from Places for penguins 

By providing nesting boxes, predator control, and plant cover around Wellington's South Coast, the Places for Penguins team is creating safe places for kororā to live and breed. 

Every week, over 70 volunteers actively monitor over 100 nesting boxes around the coast of Pōneke, as well as a few natural burrows.  

Their mahi includes recording nest occupancy, and egg and chick survival during the breeding season, which lets us know the overall Wellington population of kororā and their food availability. They also find and report sick and injured kororā and help them get the medical attention they need. 

The team report very few chick deaths due to starvation in recent years compared to Auckland and Northland populations, which likely means there's still a healthy food source out in the harbour and Cook Strait.  

Predator Free Wellington 

While Places for Penguins provides homes for kororā, Predator Free Wellington’s work keep their spaces safer. Because they nest on the ground, kororā and their eggs are vulnerable to mammalian predators like rats, stoats and weasels.  

The team have been working in phases to eliminate these predators from the city. Phase one of this project was in Miramar Peninsula. As a result, kororā are doing very well on the peninsula, and they've been spotted around the place by residents, and the trail cameras that watch for rats sneaking back in. 

Predator Free Wellington is currently in phase two of their work to remove predators, working from the CBD to Island Bay. As more of the Pōneke coastline becomes predator free, they expect to see kororā waddle into more parts of Wellington! 

 While we all help kororā in different ways, our message is the same - be mindful of your animals, as they pose a major threat to kororā around the city.  

Bird of The Year is an annual campaign run by Forest & Bird to raise awareness for native wildlife, their habitats, and the threats they face. You can vote online until September 15.