Reuben Lane – new Penguin Trust Chair
August 12, 2019
Former Penguin Ranger, Reuben Lane, is new Penguin Trust Chair, taking over from Kerry_Jayne Wilson, who stepped down after 13 years in the role.
Reuben, West Coast Penguin Trust Ranger for several years until 2016, was elected as Chair last week at the Trust’s AGM.
Reuben Lane – new Penguin Trust Chair
Former Penguin Ranger, Reuben Lane, is new Penguin Trust Chair, taking over from Kerry_Jayne Wilson, who stepped down after 13 years in the role.
Reuben, West Coast Penguin Trust Ranger for several years until 2016, was elected as Chair last week at the Trust’s AGM.


Five year tawaki study report released
May 9, 2019
Trust Tawaki Coalition partner, Dr Thomas Mattern/The Tawaki Project, has just released his report following five years of field work studying the Fiordland crested penguin or tawaki.
Five year tawaki study report released
Trust Tawaki Coalition partner, Dr Thomas Mattern/The Tawaki Project, has just released his report following five years of field work studying the Fiordland crested penguin or tawaki.
Trust Tawaki Coalition partner, Dr Thomas Mattern/The Tawaki Project, has just released his report following five years of field work studying the Fiordland crested penguin or tawaki across their range, from Jackson Head in South Westland, via Harrison Cove in Milford Sound to Codfish Island/Whenua Hou. Since 2014, Dr Mattern and his team have been studying the foraging behaviour, reproductive success and population developments of tawaki, adding significantly to the minimal knowledge of this species. For example, the deployment of GPS dive loggers to record the penguins’ at-sea movements painted a clear picture of a species with versatile foraging strategy allowing it to successfully breed in open ocean environments, as well as enclosed fjord systems and shallow coastal habitat to the South of New Zealand’s South Island. Penguins breeding deep within fjords appear to benefit from an ecosystem that seems to be unaffected by large-scale environmental perturbations such as El Niño. The short foraging ranges of tawaki from Whenua Hou suggest similar mechanisms. However, penguins from the West Coast seem to suffer from such occurrences where increased foraging effort goes along with reduced reproductive success (see the 2015 report when breeding failed almost entirely at a monitored South Westland colony). This is surprising given that current population estimates put the exposed West Coast as core breeding area of the species. However, nest surveys conducted during the Tawaki Project and by WCPT Tawaki Ranger, Robin Long, indicate that penguin numbers especially in Fiordland may represent underestimations. Read the full report here.Penguin Trust Chair receives honour
May 7, 2019
At an investiture ceremony at Government House, Trust Chair, Kerry-Jayne Wilson MNZM, received her medal from the Governor General.
Penguin Trust Chair receives honour
At an investiture ceremony at Government House, Trust Chair, Kerry-Jayne Wilson MNZM, received her medal from the Governor General.
Kerry-Jayne Wilson MNZM, officially!
At an investiture ceremony in Wellington last week, Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy presented Trust Chair, Kerry-Jayne Wilson MNZM, with her medal, officially making her a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to seabird conservation. Congratulations Kerry-Jayne! Richly deserved! Read more here.The state of NZ penguins
April 10, 2019
Kerry-Jayne Wilson MNZM and Dr Thomas Mattern completed a comprehensive review of the state of NZ penguins during 2018 and it has been released today, (10th April 2019).
The state of NZ penguins
Kerry-Jayne Wilson MNZM and Dr Thomas Mattern completed a comprehensive review of the state of NZ penguins during 2018 and it has been released today, (10th April 2019).
Kerry-Jayne Wilson MNZM and Dr Thomas Mattern have completed a comprehensive review of the state of NZ penguins and it has been released today. "This is a review of all that we know, and don't know about all six NZ penguins, with a list of research and conservation management priorities for each species" said Kerry-Jayne. Based on this review, Dr Mattern is leading a group of experts to work towards research and conservation goals outlined in the report under the banner "NZ Penguin Research & Conservation". For a start, they will be focusing efforts on Little or Blue penguins/kororā and Fiordland penguins/tawaki. Their goal is to work with community groups to establish a unified monitoring approach throughout NZ. Dr Mattern explained: "We plan to develop a centralised database that is scalable to the level of monitoring the various community groups want to commit to. Apart from developing this database, we also plan to engage with community groups to train and assist them with their activities. We envisage that each group ultimately will be able to work autonomously towards a common monitoring strategy." "In the medium-term we are also thinking about establishing community-based monitoring of Little penguin foraging behaviour. However, at this stage we only plan to trial the viability of this idea on the West Coast, working with the West Coast Penguin Trust." The State of NZ Penguins has been presented in website form: https://sop.penguinarchive.org/ Click here for a pdf of the "The State of NZ Penguins".Kerry-Jayne Wilson MNZM
January 30, 2019
The West Coast Penguin Trust is delighted and hugely proud to share the news that our Chair and Scientist, Kerry-Jayne Wilson, has been awarded MNZM – Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit – in the New Year’s Honours for services to seabird conservation.
Kerry-Jayne Wilson MNZM
The West Coast Penguin Trust is delighted and hugely proud to share the news that our Chair and Scientist, Kerry-Jayne Wilson, has been awarded MNZM – Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit – in the New Year’s Honours for services to seabird conservation.
The West Coast Penguin Trust is delighted and hugely proud to share the news that our Chair and Scientist, Kerry-Jayne Wilson, has been awarded MNZM – Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit – in the New Year’s Honours for services to seabird conservation. “No one achieves anything alone – seabird work is a very collegial environment. I work with the West Coast Penguin Trust, the Australasian Seabird Group and many other colleagues” she said. Kerry-Jayne says it’s important to focus on the seabirds rather than the honour. “Seabirds are in trouble: plastic and climate change are making things worse for them every day; they need all the help they can get.” Seabird work is also a world without borders. “On a given day, I might work locally, just down the road, then on national seabird issues, and also working with colleagues around the world as our seabirds travel outside NZ jurisdiction, even to the other side of the world.” The collegiality of this work is essential. “People working in this field are interesting, likeable, friendly and helpful and they all work at the local, national and international level. I am privileged and very fortunate to work with such a great group of people and I love the variation that comes with it. Our shared work is critical and will continue.” Read the citation here. The Minister for Climate Change congratulated recipients in the 2019 New Year’s Honours whose work is helping Aotearoa New Zealand understand and address climate change. James Shaw said: “I also offer my congratulations to internationally recognised conservationist, Kerry-Jayne Wilson, for her honour as a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to seabird conservation. “Kerry-Jayne’s more than 40 years of study, teaching and voluntary work, which has included working with seabird scientists in Antarctica, Europe and Australia, has helped advance research and understanding of threats such as climate change. [Top image shows Kerry-Jayne Wilson, Falkland islands Dec 2018, with king penguins and chick.]
Conservation Symposium a huge success
October 15, 2018
Numbers were much greater than expected and the whole event was a huge success.
Conservation Symposium a huge success
Numbers were much greater than expected and the whole event was a huge success.
The West Coast Penguin Trust presented the "Community Conservation Symposium - How, what and why for conservation on the West Coast" on 14-15 June 2018. With 119 participants for the conference day and 65 joining field trips on day two, numbers were much greater than expected and the whole event was a huge success. Our aim was to support community conservation groups and projects in the region by bringing expert speakers to them and facilitating networking with each other and with potential advisors and partners. This was achieved through a very professional and well received event, enabled by a $10k grant from the Lottery Environment & Heritage Fund, plus generous grants, donations and support from DOC and the Sargood Bequest.










The Great Annual Blue Penguin Count is coming!
September 7, 2018
The Great Annual Blue Penguin Count, 10-15 October this year, is fun, hugely useful and a great way to get involved!
The Great Annual Blue Penguin Count is coming!
The Great Annual Blue Penguin Count, 10-15 October this year, is fun, hugely useful and a great way to get involved!
The Great Annual Blue Penguin Count, 10-15 October this year, is fun, hugely useful and a great way to get involved! What could be better than an early morning walk on the beach on a glorious West Coast day! Combine that with discovering whether penguins are using your beach and adding valuable information for the Trust and you're onto a winner! We are encouraging the use of the iNaturalist app, as it's easy, fun and it makes life a whole lot easier for us! Once you've created a logon and got the hang of it, it really is easy. I have to admit it took me a little while, and we learned how to make it easier after the Annual Count last year, so we've ironed out some challenges and we'd love you to take part! All the information you need to get involved is on our webpage here: http://www.bluepenguin.org.nz/blue-penguin-count/ We plan to be out on the beach close to Hokitika and you'd be welcome to join us - more details to follow soon.

Tawaki – marathon penguins
August 30, 2018
We are celebrating with The Tawaki Project the release of a research paper reporting the marathon swims made by Fiordland crested penguins (tawaki) after raising chicks and before returning to moult.
Tawaki – marathon penguins
We are celebrating with The Tawaki Project the release of a research paper reporting the marathon swims made by Fiordland crested penguins (tawaki) after raising chicks and before returning to moult.

Dr Mattern said: “One would think that the birds try to conserve as much energy on this trip as possible. But what we found is, simply put, crazy.”
Study co-author Dr Klemens Pütz, of the Antarctic Research Trust, said it was an incredible achievement for a flightless seabird. “The question is why the penguins leave on such an epic journey, at a time when the ocean productivity along their coastal breeding sites reaches its peak. There should be more than enough food for them just on their doorstep,” Dr Pütz said. The authors believe tawaki make their trek because of instinct rather than necessity.
Penguins are advocates for conservation
June 7, 2018
West Coast Penguin Trust Ranger, Lucy Waller, makes the case for penguins, loving them, conserving them and presenting them to children as a gateway to more conservation conversations.
Penguins are advocates for conservation
West Coast Penguin Trust Ranger, Lucy Waller, makes the case for penguins, loving them, conserving them and presenting them to children as a gateway to more conservation conversations.



A busy year for the Trust
May 31, 2018
Here's our Annual Report to update supporters and sponsors about all the work we do, from penguins to petrels and trapping to tamariki.
A busy year for the Trust
Here's our Annual Report to update supporters and sponsors about all the work we do, from penguins to petrels and trapping to tamariki.
The Trust produces an Annual Report to update supporters and sponsors about all the work we do. From penguins to petrels and trapping to tamariki, in the year to 31st March 2018 we have been busy! Our projects include studies to better understand the ecology of and threats to blue penguins, Fiordland crested penguins and Westland petrels, and we undertake predator control for seabirds. We also have a wide ranging awareness and outreach project, including some excellent education work with an increasing number of schools. Read our annual report here: West Coast Penguin Trust - Annual Report 2018