Taking care of penguin business

PROTECTING THE PENGUINS: Community-led Protect Waikahua Korora Kohanga members raised concerns after Eastland Port resumed its construction work (pictured) on the Waikahua seawall. Some group members reported seeing the movement of korora (little blue penguins like those in the following picture in this gallery) near the area for the past two weeks. The Department of Conservation said it had assisted port staff to resurvey the area before further work started. A search of the area using torches to look into crevices was also done. “No penguins were located in the area where work was undertaken on Monday,” a DoC spokesman said. A management plan has been formulated to protect the penguins that nest in the wall. Picture by Ben Cowper

A penguin management plan is in place after a report estimated up to 70 kororā nests were lost during the construction of the Waikahua seawall at Eastland Port last year.

“It is impossible to tell how many pairs have been disturbed since 2020 as a standard baseline survey was not undertaken prior to the deconstruction work occurring.” the plan says.

It acknowledged the significance of blue penguin at this site was overlooked throughout the resource management consenting process.

Eastland Port engaged local ecologist and Ecoworks NZ owner Steve Sawyer to develop the 10-year plan (2022-2032) which includes works to enhance the seawall habitat and protect the kororā.

It directs the port to install a penguin exclusion fence to prevent kororā from entering the southern log yard and interacting with port operations.

The fence will act as a barrier for ferrets which are known predators of kororā.

Several protected breeding/nesting burrows will be installed on the seawall. They will be surrounded by low-growing coastal plants, and provide additional shade and shelter to prevent visiting kororā from over-heating in the summer months.

Accessibility at the bottom of the rock wall will be improved to ensure penguins are able to get up the seawall and around boulders easily to find the nesting boxes.

Mr Sawyer highlights in the plan that in his experience most kororā mortalities in Tairāwhiti have largely been attributed to domestic dogs and ferrets — a pattern recorded at other sites in New Zealand too.

With the nesting area on the seawall now behind a security fence, signs will be put up to raise awareness about kororā and to encourage dog owners to keep their animals on a lead around the seawall.

Predator traps will be deployed and monitored along the Waikahua Seawall, Titirangi and Kaiti Beach.

Annual population monitoring of kororā is vital in evaluating the success of the conservation efforts, Mr Sawyer says in the plan.

A specialist dog and handler will undertake annual kororā surveys along the Waikahua Seawall between September and October.

Last November Eastland Port contracted conservation dog handler Joanna Simm and her dogs Rua and Miro to search the port revetment wall for penguin sign.

A total of 18 detections were recorded across all sections of the revetment wall — upper and lower tiers and both old and new sections.

The plan says the locations of individual or nesting pairs on the rock wall structure, and dedicated penguin boxes, will also be recorded with GPS.

“A report will be produced annually and include a summary of the number of pairs, breeding success, chick productivity to fledging, and include plans for the following season.”

Mr Sawyer’s plan acknowledges the possibility of more kororā using the site before the de-construction of the old revetment wall and the associated vegetation cover.

“It appears that this site had established as an excellent blue penguin habitat due to reclamation debris being deposited many years ago. It was also a site largely protected from human and domestic dog disturbance.

“Eastland Port staff should have had the appropriate conservation management advice and operating procedures provided to them from the outset by experts.

“This would have ensured that this species was fully protected during the revetment deconstruction phase,” the plan notes.

Eastland Port infrastructure manager Marty Bayley said, “This is a long-term commitment and our shared goal is to implement a protected coastal habitat which will support visiting and breeding kororā in the future” .

Through Mr Sawyer’s experience with successfully establishing a kororā colony locally, informed advice and input from local iwi and hapū, Department of Conservation, and various stakeholders, the port had come up with a comprehensive penguin management plan to protect the special taonga, he said.

The management plan does not acknowledge a previous report written by penguin expert and Massey University professor John Cockrem.

The report by Dr Cockrem highlighted that about 35-70 korora nests were estimated to have been lost due to the construction work last year.

Mr Sawyer’s plan only recognised the loss of three kororā that DoC had recovered and sent for necropsy.

Protect Waikahua Korora Kohanga member Karen Pewhairangi said the group was disappointed the port did not consult with them about the plan.

Mr Bayley said the Port was fortunate to have such an experienced professional like Mr Sawyer make the plan, and had consulted all the stakeholders involved in the process.