We are very excited to share this opportunity with you.
A very generous donor has offered to match donations up to $5000! With your help, we can reach $10,000 in donations between December and April.
To counterbalance Black Friday, Giving Tuesday was born for the following week. It’s a day to remember and support causes you believe in and we’re going to continue it through this season of giving and the summer!
Your donation will help us better understand the threats to penguins here on the West Coast and take actions to protect them in 2024.
We have a fabulous opportunity to maintain and extend our penguin conservation projects, focussing on our research and extending to practical solutions, education and advocacy.
And we need you to make it happen!
Your donation will firstly ensure we monitor penguins, both little blue penguins – kororā, and Fiordland crested penguins – tawaki. The data we collect is critical in informing what actions we can take, so your donation will also help ensure we take the next steps, whether building penguin protection fences, working with school children or liaising with councils and developers for example.
We know that you will feel good about supporting a cause you believe in and value – the work that we do and the penguins we all love. But did you know that science confirms that?
I like to call it the ‘joy of giving‘ and it turns out others call it that too. Some of the benefits – and joy – of making a donation, small or large, include a greater sense of community and a sense of purpose and fulfilment, a greater happiness and satisfaction, feelings of gratitude, an improved outlook on life and boost your mood! I have even read that giving lowers levels of inflation!
How to make a donation
There are a few ways you can donate and feel the warmth and joy of giving for penguin conservation.
Easiest is via our donation page using a credit card – bish, bash, bosh – thank you!
You can also go there to make a donation in memory of someone special.
Also easy is a direct bank payment donation. We just ask that you also email us so we can thank you and send you a receipt.
Whether credit card or bank payment, you can of course make it a regular donation if you’d like to keep that joy going!
There are donation boxes at New World and J’s cafe in Westport and in Hokitika at Moment’s in Time/NZ Post, Hokitika Craft Gallery, and the Kiwi Centre. (Any suggestions for a location in Greymouth gratefully received!)
And you could use any of these to make a donation on behalf of someone as a gift, Christmas or otherwise. We have a couple of cards you can print out to let them know.
Download – Christmas Penguin – donation in lieu of gift card
Download – Penguin love donation in lieu of gift card
While materials were chosen that would stand up to the harsh coastal conditions, those same coastal conditions are conducive to plant growth! Occasional checks of the fences have been carried out by volunteers and rangers so that any maintenance needs can be identified and remedied. The never-ending need for maintenance is managing the vegetation that can grow through the fence, for example gorse, blackberry and hydrangea, pushing it to breaking point in places, or flop over causing damage from the weight of rank grass, rushes and weeds such as montbretia.
Volunteers recently spent a few hours tidying up the main fence along Woodpecker Bay north of Punakaiki so a big shout out to them - thank you Fiona, Jony, Reef, Katrina, Mandy, Marty, Teresa and Deb! Flax had been pressing down on the fence, but now the fence has been freed up by these wonderful volunteers - and they picked up a fair bit of rubbish too.
Volunteer Natassja Savidge has offered to check and help maintain the Hokitika penguin protection fence and joined Ranger Lucy Waller and Manager Inger Perkins in May to inspect the length of the fence. Some minor issues were found but the main finding was the extent of the vegetation growth that was damaging the fence in places. Big thanks to Natassja!
