Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust

Head along to this link at Undertheradar to purchase tickets to Flipper Fest! Flipper Fest is a fundraising concert for the Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust (us!) that stars 15(!) local bands. Can't wait!! 🎷🐧🥰

Flipper Fest Debut Lineup Announced ft. Ani Saafa, The Dud Uglys + More Fifteen acts playing over two nights at Dunedin The Crown and U-Bar in early August.

Good morning 🐧

Head on over to this post from Avian Empire and like the picture of the Hoiho to support us! The picture with the most likes wins!

We are seeking a General Manager to lead our team in the delivery of our hoiho conservation program!

This is a wide-ranging management role and ideal for someone who enjoys variety. The role’s responsibilities include: operational activities, finance and funding, relationships, health and safety, human resources, Trust Board support and the identification of risks and opportunities.

Want to join us? Head along to our website for more information: https://www.yellow-eyedpenguin.org.nz/news/vacancy-general-manager/

Applications close at 12 noon, Friday 9 August 2024.

Awesome work happening at The OPERA!

Yesterday this juvenile yellow eyed penguin was returned to the wild. His release marks the first time this year that our rehab has been empty. Fortunately our resident hoiho are doing well and we are seeing multiple birds come home on just about every tour. This is the best time of year to visit if you want to see penguins in the wild, on Saturday our rangers reported six birds were sighted during the tour and that doesn't count the one hoiho who returned, left, and returned again.

JOB VACANCY!

We are seeking a talented writer to join our team as a Funding Coordinator. Work alongside us in securing sustainable resources to maintain the Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust’s ongoing hoiho conservation program.

This role is 16 hours per week with flexibility around hours and start/finish times. Applications close at 12 noon, Monday 29 July 2024.

For more information including a role description and how to apply, please see our website: https://www.yellow-eyedpenguin.org.nz/news/are-you-our-new-funding-coordinator/

Looking forward to hearing from you! 🐧

Our thoughts are with Wednesday Davis' family, friends, and colleagues, following her recent passing.

Wednesday was a Blake Ambassador and joined the Trust in February 2021 as a young leader participating in conservation and science-based projects. Pictured here in the Catlins, on the left, Wednesday enthusiastically got involved in hoiho management and other conservation activities for the Trust.

We remember Wednesday fondly and our thoughts are with those who had the pleasure of knowing her. 💛

Join us for the highly anticipated Yellow-eyed Penguin Symposium 2024, an annual event dedicated to the conservation of this remarkable species!

Register here: https://yeptrust.infoodle.com/f/YelloweyedPenguinSymposiumRegistration2024

Or for more Information: https://www.yellow-eyedpenguin.org.nz/events/yellow-eyed-penguin-symposium-2024/

😁🐧🗣

Last week a Hoiho was released on Rakiura / Stewart Island following foot surgery at Dunedin Wildlife Hospitaland rehab at The Otago Peninsula Eco Restoration Alliance - The OPERA and Mamaku Point. All the best wee one!

Last Thursday two teams from the Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust attended the Passport to Knowledge Quiz Night organised by Otago Polytechnic students alongside Dunedin Host at Larnach Castle. The evening ran smoothly and our teams had an awesome time with team Pengwins 2 taking away the first place prize! A total of $885 was raised for the Dunedin Wildlife Hospital and the Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust. We are incredibly grateful for the support and for the fun night 🥸💛

Check out our latest edition of Hoiho newsletter! It can be found here: https://www.yellow-eyedpenguin.org.nz/yellow-eyed-penguin-trust/publications/hoiho-newsletters/ alongside our previous editions.

If reading this compels you to help and support, please look into becoming a member or making a donation to our cause. You can do this through our website or online banking here,

03-1355-0549558-00 🐧💛

Kia ora!

This week is Te Wiki Tūao ā-Motu – National Volunteer Week, a week which honours the collective energies and mana of volunteers in Aotearoa. We wish to take this time to say a huge thank you to all of our volunteers who contribute mahi and aroha to help us get everything done. We couldn’t do this without you!

At the Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust we have a range of volunteers such as,

🐧 Our governing board of trustees
👀 Wednesday Volunteers’ who help in the nursery, raising seedlings and planting trees
💛 ‘Habitat Volunteers’ who help in the habitats with things such as planting, trap checking and w**d control

If this sounds like a bit of you, see our website for opportunities to get involved! Things start getting busy post winter. Groups (e.g. tertiary institutes, social clubs, corporates) are also welcome to contact the Trust about opportunities to volunteer.
https://www.yellow-eyedpenguin.org.nz/support/volunteer-opportunities/

Thank you and kia ora to all of our volunteers!

There were only 163 breeding pairs of hoiho this (2023/24) season - compared to 196 pairs last year.

Unfortunately, despite intensive intervention and conservation management, numbers are still rapidly declining.

There are now only 19 breeding pairs at sites monitored by the Trust in coastal Otago and the Catlins compared to 27 last season.

Organisations such as The Otago Peninsula Eco Restoration Alliance - The OPERA, Dunedin Wildlife Hospital, Penguin Rescue and Department of Conservation are committed to saving this taonga species on Te Waipounamu and Rakiura – but we can’t do it without support.

Speak to your local MPs about this dire situation, make a donation online, or follow and share our work on your social media.

‘No signs of recovery’ for the yellow-eyed penguin The Southland Conservation Board has expressed concern for the yellow-eyed penguin population which could disappear by 2050 from Stewart Island.

A huge thank you to everyone who attended Saturday night's Masquerade Ball at Larnach Castle.

Almost $50,000 was raised on the night from ticket sales and prize auctions. This money will directly support efforts to rehabilitate and protect hoiho. We are thrilled! 🐧

To everyone who donated prizes for the silent auction, we truly couldn't have done this without you. You are all superstars! 🌟✨

If you have photos from the evening, tag us on Facebook and Instagram - we would love to see them!

Dunedin Wildlife Hospital
New Zealand Festival of Nature
The Otago Peninsula Eco Restoration Alliance - The OPERA
Larnach Castle
Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust

Today is the day!

Wild Night Silent Auction

As part of the Wild Night at Larnach Castle, there is an incredible array of items available for bidding in our silent auction - from anywhere! Bid on more than $35,000 worth of exclusive tour experiences, original pieces of art from Simon Kaan, Frank Gordon and Ewan McDougall, sports memorabilia, and more with all proceeds benefiting work to save the hoiho.

www.32auctions.com/wildnight

You don't have to be attending the ball to participate in the auction - all are welcome to bid.

Help us weave a kete of support: SAVING THE HOIHO

The OPERA – Otago Peninsula Eco Restoration Alliance (through the Otago Shore & Land Trust), The Wildlife Hospital Dunedin, and the Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust, form a circle of intervention to help save the fewer than 500 hoiho remaining on the mainland. In coordination with DOC and others, the partners monitor, uplift, treat, and rehabilitate sick, injured, and starving hoiho, ultimately releasing them back into the wild.

Our organisations care for more than half of this population each year in a valiant effort to preserve this taonga species from extinction.

As partners with a purpose, each organisation will receive a third of the charitable funds raised by this gathering.

The New Zealand Festival of Nature Masquerade Ball at Larnach Castle is happening this Saturday!

Whether or not you can attend the ball, you can still support our online auction for hoiho conservation efforts!

We want to thank artists Hannah Shand and Michel Tuffery for donating these stunning works for the auction.

None of this would be possible without all our generous donors!

🐧💛

Check out the auction here - https://www.32auctions.com/WildNight

Grab your tickets to the event before they're all gone - https://www.wilddunedin.nz/events-2024/wild-night-masquerade-at-larnach-castle

It was great having James join us from BLAKE during our busy March moult.
Check out this important read about his time working with hoiho in southern Aotearoa!

On the trail of the rare yellow-eyed penguin A Massey University student got up close and personal with moulting yellow-eyed penguins.

It's only two and a half weeks until Dunedin’s event of the year - New Zealand Festival of Nature's Wild Night at Larnach Castle

Get your tickets now, to be in to win a two night Otago Peninsula wildlife experience for up to four people – valued at over $910 thanks to Tessa and Vic Mills at Fantail Lodge.

This up-scale event is a fundraiser, contributing to conservation of the world’s rarest and most endangered penguin – our beloved hoiho. 🐧💛

If you are still reading, we know that this bird is as close to your hearts as it is to ours!

An enchanted evening of live music, locally sourced wild canapés and drinks to delight your taste buds. Hosted at New Zealand’s only castle on Saturday 27 April 2024. 🏰

We’d like to say a massive thank you to the many sponsors who are helping make this event possible.

https://events.humanitix.com/wild-night-at-larnach-castle
Larnach Castle
Dunedin Wildlife Hospital
The Otago Peninsula Eco Restoration Alliance - The OPERA
https://www.fantail-lodge.co.nz/

Just a little Easter update! 🐰🥚

Seventeen underweight moulters have been uplifted to Mamaku Point rehabilitation facility on Rakiura, so far this season. Emma, our new rehab coordinator, has been busy ensuring they gain plenty of weight before releasing them back into the wild.

Our office will be closed until Tuesday 2 April. If you spot a hoiho looking underweight or injured, please give it space, and call the Department of Conservation hotline on 0800 DOCHOT (0800 362 468). 📞

A huge thank you to all of those working hard in the field, on the hotline, in the hospital, and rehab facilities over the Easter holidays.

🐧💛

The crew is busy organising the event of the year - New Zealand Festival of Nature's Wild Night at Larnach Castle.

An enchanted evening of live music, locally sourced wild canapés and drinks to delight your taste buds. Hosted at New Zealand’s only castle.

This up-scale event is a fundraiser, contributing to conservation of the world’s rarest and most endangered penguin – the hoiho.

If you are still reading, we know that this bird is as close to your hearts as it is to ours!🐧💛

The Wild Night Masquerade will be held on Saturday 27 April 2024, and up until then, we need to say a huge thank you to the many sponsors who are helping make this event possible.

Get your tickets now, to be in to win a Rakiura experience for two – valued at over $2,300 thanks to Stewart Island Flights, Observation Rock Lodge and Beaks & Feathers Guided Walks.

🐧💃🕺🍸🎶

https://events.humanitix.com/wild-night-at-larnach-castle
Larnach Castle
Dunedin Wildlife Hospital
The Otago Peninsula Eco Restoration Alliance - The OPERA

Happy Women's Day to the incredible wāhine who make up our Trust staff!

Today, and every day, we want celebrate your strength, passion, and achievements. Your contributions drive our success and inspire us all. Thank you for being the amazing women you are!

🩷🐧

Hoiho are entering their Moult Era.

During the moult, hoiho come ashore to grow new feathers. They must remain on land for 3-4 weeks as they aren't waterproof at this time.

Hoiho will typically lose 3-4kg during the moult as they can't go to sea to feed.

They are less mobile and have less energy, so this is a very dangerous time for hoiho.

Organisations like Department of Conservation, The Otago Peninsula Eco Restoration Alliance - The OPERA, Penguin Rescue and Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust monitor moulting hoiho and bring them in for rehabilitation if their weights get too low, if they are injured or at risk of not making it through the moult.

If you are lucky enough to see hoiho ashore this season, the best thing you can do to help protect them, is avoid them. Keep your dogs away too.

Please call the DOC hotline on 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468) if you see any hoiho looking injured or distressed!

We love being able to share an epic hoiho story like this!

Achievements like this one inspire us everyday! 🐧💛

Keep up the awesome mahi - Dunedin Wildlife Hospital

Looking for the perfect Valentine's Day gift for a penguin lover in your life?
Follow the link for more information.
www.yellow-eyedpenguin.org.nz/news/valentines-poem/

🐧💌

As of today, our office work will start winding down. Rangers are still busy as ever out across our reserves checking on chicks and their parents!

If you are trying to get in touch with us for a chat, we will be checking our socials and enquiries email sporadically and will get back to you in the New Year!

For urgent hoiho matters PLEASE reach out to the DOC Hotline on 0800 DOCHOT (0800 362 468).

We hope you have a safe and fun Christmas and New Years with you friends and whanau.

Behave yourselves, and don't get too messy, like this dirty bird!

🐧💛🎄

A few snaps caught by a trail camera down at Long Point/Irahuka.

Nests are very closely monitored at this time of year, and most chicks on the mainland will be uplifted at about 3 days old for a stay at Dunedin Wildlife Hospital to be treated for disease before being placed back on a wild nest.

On days that rangers can't make it to the nest, trail cameras pick up shots like these, which help us monitor feeding routines and parent swap over times.

🐧💛

Today in Wednesday Volunteer news -

Centered in this photo is Mathilde, who showed up for the volly day after she saw an ad for volunteers around Otago Peninsula on a notice board in Portobello.

She hails from the Côte d'Azur in France and is currently on her OE in NZ, staying with friends in Broad Bay. She is an agronomy engineer by trade and arrived at the nursery in Company Bay by bike.

Today she helped the volunteers prick out 1200 Long Point baby harakeke.

A new record!