The Country
  • The Country home
  • Latest news
  • Audio & podcasts
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life
  • Listen on iHeart radio

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • Coast & Country News
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Horticulture
  • Animal health
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life

Media

  • Podcasts
  • Video

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whāngarei
  • Dargaville
  • Auckland
  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Hamilton
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Te Kuiti
  • Taumurunui
  • Taupō
  • Gisborne
  • New Plymouth
  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Whanganui
  • Palmerston North
  • Levin
  • Paraparaumu
  • Masterton
  • Wellington
  • Motueka
  • Nelson
  • Blenheim
  • Westport
  • Reefton
  • Kaikōura
  • Greymouth
  • Hokitika
  • Christchurch
  • Ashburton
  • Timaru
  • Wānaka
  • Oamaru
  • Queenstown
  • Dunedin
  • Gore
  • Invercargill

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Premium
Home / The Country

'Something has to change': Fisherman who found bottle-swallowing albatross says beach had 'so much' plastic

By Christian Fuller
Hawkes Bay Today·
16 Jan, 2020 10:02 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Havelock North's Graeme Ford with the emaciated southern royal albatross. Photo / Supplied

Havelock North's Graeme Ford with the emaciated southern royal albatross. Photo / Supplied

The Havelock North man who found an emaciated albatross with a 500ml plastic water bottle in its stomach on a Hawke's Bay beach has called for a change in public attitude to single-use plastics.

Graeme Ford said he spotted the distressed bird on a family fishing trip on Whirinaki Beach on January 1.

"We were out there fishing on a quiet afternoon at the beach and I noticed a bird in the water," he said.

"I found it strange right away because it was riding on the waves and was pretty close to the shore.

"It came in on a wave upside down, feet in the air and I knew just by looking at it that it was in a little bit of distress so that is when I went over and grabbed the bird."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Graeme Ford (left) and partner Lesley on Whirinaki Beach before finding the southern royal albatross. Photo / Supplied
Graeme Ford (left) and partner Lesley on Whirinaki Beach before finding the southern royal albatross. Photo / Supplied

After checking the bird for wing damage and other injuries, Ford made contact with the National Aquarium in Napier.

"We decided to take it to the aquarium to try and seek some help and advice from them," he said.

"They were great.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"They weren't convinced we had an albatross at first, but when we got there and they realised that we really did have an albatross they got in touch with DoC. They took it to a vet but unfortunately it didn't make it."

The Department of Conservation (DoC) said the juvenile toroa/southern royal albatross was taken to Wildlife Base, Palmerston North, where it died a few days later.

Discover more

Bay crayfish industry fears big losses from virus in China

28 Jan 05:00 PM
The 500ml plastic bottle found in the stomach of a juvenile albatross. Photo / Wildbase
The 500ml plastic bottle found in the stomach of a juvenile albatross. Photo / Wildbase

A 500ml plastic bottle, as well as the remains of a balloon, was found in the bird's stomach after an autopsy conducted by Massey University.

The results of the autopsy suggested starvation was a likely cause of death, with the plastic items obstructing the stomach and likely causing pain.

A balloon was also found in the albatross's stomach. Photo / Wildbase
A balloon was also found in the albatross's stomach. Photo / Wildbase

Ford, originally from Newcastle, United Kingdom, said he had never seen anything like that in the 13 years he has lived in New Zealand.

"It is crazy," he said. "It is even more crazy that this poor bird had a full bottle in its stomach.

"We'd been at the beach for five or 10 minutes and we were picking up plastic cups, bottles and all sorts.

"I thought I did enough just by recycling, but there is still so much out there.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"We need to make more of an effort to try and keep plastics at least away from the oceans at the very least."

Ford said: "Whether we need to have more bins out and about on the coastline to put things in – I don't know. But something has to change."

Minister of Conservation and Associate Minister for the Environment Eugenie Sage said the death of the albatross was "tragic."

"It highlights the importance of reducing the amount of plastic in nature," she said. "We've already banned single use plastic shopping bags and working on other unnecessary plastics.

"We need to reduce plastic use, make sure those we use are collected and reused or reprocessed to keep them out of streams and oceans."

Sage said a proposed National Plan of Action for Seabirds to better protect them was currently open for public comment.

The body of the toroa will be returned to Ngāti Tangoio, the local iwi near Whirinaki.

Greenpeace campaigner Holly Dove said the plastic bag ban in NZ was the tip of the iceberg.

"Now we need a comprehensive strategy to eliminate all pointless single-use plastic - especially plastic bottles."

Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from The Country

Premium
The Country

'They just keep coming': Illegal hunting causes frustration and fear on East Coast

The Country

Watch: CCTV shows moment drug-driver caused tractor to crash into homes

The Country

Te Puke incident: Person airlifted after serious injury


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from The Country

Premium
Premium
'They just keep coming': Illegal hunting causes frustration and fear on East Coast
The Country

'They just keep coming': Illegal hunting causes frustration and fear on East Coast

East Coast MP Dana Kirkpatrick highlights rising poaching concerns.

17 Jul 06:00 AM
Watch: CCTV shows moment drug-driver caused tractor to crash into homes
The Country

Watch: CCTV shows moment drug-driver caused tractor to crash into homes

17 Jul 03:49 AM
Te Puke incident: Person airlifted after serious injury
The Country

Te Puke incident: Person airlifted after serious injury

17 Jul 02:26 AM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP