We’re giving the little blue penguin a fighting chance of reversing its population decline around New Zealand, through pest control and habitat restoration.
This community driven programme focuses on coastal restoration, predator control, and nest-box building to establish favourable habitat and safe homes for Little Blue Penguins.
Places for Penguins started on the Miramar peninsula in Wellington during Wellington’s Seaweek in 2007. It was built on other Forest & Bird and community penguin protection projects at Gisborne, New Plymouth, Oamaru and the West Coast.
The nesting program was test-launched in Oamaru and there are now 300 nest boxes in the Oamaru area and 250 nest boxes in the Wellington area. This keeps dogs out of nests and gives penguins ready-built homes.
Penguin protection is a real community effort; at Miramar Peninsula, local residents, Forest & Bird members, the Breaker Bay & Moa Point Progressive Assn, Seatoun School, Wellington High School, Strathmore School, Wellington Zoo, Wellington City Council & Greater Wellington Regional Council are all participating in the project.
New penguin projects are starting and we have developed a guide below so you can protect your own local penguin colony.
Lifecycle and distribution
Little Blue Penguins are one of the few coastal birds that live close to urban areas making cars and dogs a real threat. Despite its fiesty nature, this pint-sized penguin has only has 600 breeding pairs to its name. More
Nest boxes
Nest boxes are placed on the seaward side of the roads to prevent penguins from getting hit by cars. They also provide some protection from dogs and cats and increase the number of potential nesting sites along the coast. Thanks to an Infinity Foundation grant, we have installed a nest camera to gain a good picture of their breeding patterns! More
Pest control
Dogs and pests, such as rats and mustelids, are all dangerous to penguins. Find out more about our pest control program and how you can help.
Planting programmes
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Planting native plants helps establish more favourable penguin habitat and restores coastal biodiversity. Learn about our planting program, native plants, and how you can join in. More
Public awareness and research projects
Find out what Places for Penguins is doing to encourage dog-owners to control their pets around penguin nests and how we’re monitoring penguin colonies. More
Urban issues
Cars present a unique threat to penguins that must sometimes cross the road to access nesting sites and roosting areas. Learn more about traffic control and public awareness campaigns. More
Get Involved
To volunteer for the Places for Penguins project in the Wellington region or if you’re a Forest & Bird member and you would like to start a project in your area contact our Wellington office on placesforpenguins@gmail.com
Sponsors:
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