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Western Bay Wildlife Trust
Western Bay Wildlife Trust (WBWT) is a community-led conservation group that primarily focuses on protecting native seabird and shorebird species and their habitats in the Western Bay of Plenty Region.
Our diverse work includes threatened species monitoring, habitat monitoring, predator control efforts, and little blue penguin (kororā) rescue and rehabilitation. We work closely with our local community, raising awareness for our local sea and shorebird populations, and nurturing the next generation of conservationists to continue protecting New Zealand’s incredible biodiversity. Each year we run education days, working bees, and organise volunteers for pest control and planting.
Our monitoring work is mostly focused around Mauao (Mount Maunganui), Moturiki (Leisure Island), and Mount Maunganui Beach where we gather information about kororā (little blue penguin), ōi (grey-faced petrel), tūturiwhatu (northern New Zealand Dotterel), and torea pango (variable oystercatcher).
2023 - A GREAT YEAR FOR OUR KORORĀ COLONIES
The change to the “El Nino” weather pattern has been a game changer for our blue feathered friends. More food close to shore enabled them to feed closer to their breeding colonies. That means that our breeding birds are finally back to, or above average weight range, (900 grams to 1 kg), which ensures that their chicks are well-fed and given the best chances possible.
Apart from our conservation mahi, our founding trustees Julia and Paul contributed and starred in Taking Back our Beach, which is a documentary paying tribute to our community that came together after the MV Rena oil spill and helping save the beach and its wildlife. This has been a humble reminder to our roots as a trust, as well as a motivator to continue to remind people about the amazing biodiversity in our backyard, and the need for us to protect it.
We also held a presentation at the Oamaru Penguin Symposium, called Kororā conservation in the Bay of Plenty. During the year the Weather and Climate Journal publish some of our research as part of the Marine Ecosystem impacts of summer heatwaves” paper.
GET INVOLVED!
Donate! We are a registered charity and rely heavily on donations to fund our vital conservation work. Any contribution is hugely appreciated and directly supports our activities.
Volunteer: If you are local and like to go the extra mile, volunteer with us! Head to the Get Involved tab on our website to find out more.
To minimize stress for the penguin or any sick/injured wildlife, make sure to keep domestic pets and/or children away from them and be as quiet as possible.
