WWF New Zealand

As Te Wiki o te Reo Māori comes to a close, we're celebrating the week by sharing some of our native taonga and their names in te reo Māori.

Who's your favourite? Tell us in the comments! 🐧🐋

Happy Te Wiki o te Reo Māori everyone!

Toitū te marae a Tāne, Toitū te marae a Tangaroa, Toitū te tangata.
If the land is well and the sea is well, the people will thrive.

Congratulations to the hoiho / yellow-eyed penguin - Forest & Bird's 2024 Bird of the Year!🏆🏅

The yellow-eyed penguin 🐧 is one of the rarest penguin species in the world and needs our help.

Did you know that you can support efforts to protect the hoiho and other penguins by adopting a penguin with WWF-New Zealand? See below in comments for more information ⬇

📷 Lou Sanson / WWF

We're having a whale of a time checking out the winners of this year's Ocean Photographer of the Year Awards! 😍

Talented photographer Rafael Fernandez Caballero has taken out the overall title with this incredible shot of a Bryde's whale off the coast of Baja California Sur having a bite to eat 🐋

Head to Oceanographic Magazine's website to browse all the amazing winning shots: https://oceanographicmagazine.com/winners-gallery/

Want to have your say on how we better protect our ocean? 🌊

WWF-New Zealand and Save the Children New Zealand are asking Kiwis aged 16-30 to become part of a global conversation on ocean health.

Apply and join us for 4 online workshops and meet other ocean champions. Participants from the Oceania region may be selected to attend the global Ocean Citizen Summit, hosted in France in March 2025 🙌

Link below in comments⬇⬇

Happy Friday! Our is this epic photo of a breaching humpback whale on its migration path along the Australian coastline.

This incredible moment was captured by ocean photographer, Clayton Harris, who's a finalist in this year's Ocean Photographer of the Year awards 👏👏

Head to the Oceanographic Magazine website to see more cool pics like this, and stay tuned for the winners to be announced very soon on 12 September!

Our CEO Dr Kayla Kingdon-Bebb attended the 53rd Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Meeting in Tonga, where ocean health was high on the agenda and NZ talked a big game about a “strong and united Pacific”.

But, when it comes to marine conservation back home, we’re lost at sea 🌊

If we're to have a healthy ocean for future generations, advancing regional cooperation on marine protection in the Pacific is vital. After all, whales and other marine life don’t recognise boundaries on maps drawn by humans! 🐋

Check out Kayla's piece below ⬇️

Pacific forum highlights hypocrisy on marine conservation OPINION: Our Government’s strategy of not walking our talk will come to undermine the respected place we’ve long held within the Pacific community.

Our is this stunning shot of a seagull having a breather atop a sea turtle in the Mediterranean Sea.

This incredible scene was captured by ocean photographer Enric Gener, who is a finalist in this year's Ocean Photographer of the Year awards.

Head to their website to see more breathtaking pics like this, and stay tuned for the winners to be announced on 12 September! https://oceanographicmagazine.com/opy/ #9

Kua hinga te tōtara i Te Waonui-a-Tāne - the tōtara tree has fallen in Tāne’s great forest.

We're deeply saddened at the passing of the Māori King, Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII.

He was a hugely respected advocate for people and nature, and for the tino rangatiratanga of Māori.

Moe mai ra e te Rangatira.

Live updates: Māori King Kiingi Tuheitia dies "No one could bring te ao Māori together like King Tuheitia" - Mourning has begun after the death of Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII at the age of 69.

Today the Government has announced some suggested changes to the Fast-track Approvals Bill - including moving away from initial plans to give just three development-focused ministers the final say on which projects get the green light.

We think this is a step in the right direction and it’s great the Government is listening to the wave of public opposition to its problematic fast-tracking regime. But these changes don’t go far enough to halt the devastation this Bill will unleash on Aotearoa’s environment.

Until there’s a significant overhaul of the Fast-track Bill, these changes are nothing more than a band aid solution.

“The purpose of the Fast-track Bill is still to prioritise development above all else – even if that means destroying our wild landscapes or driving thousands of our beloved native species towards extinction,” says our CEO

“The changes made today are a good start, but we urgently need Ministers to release the full list of fast-track applications and progress some of the other equally sensible changes we have recommended.  The tens of thousands of Kiwis who took to the streets of Auckland and their own hometowns to march for nature won’t sit by quietly until they do.”

Head to the link in our bio to read our full response ⬆️

📸 taken by at the March for Nature in June.

For the latest episode of the Now That's What I Call Green podcast, our CEO Kayla Kingdon-Bebb sat down with the fantastic Brianne West to chat conservation, marine protection, and much more 🌊🌏

Tune in to to hear all about the state of conservation in Aotearoa, why meeting our target of 30% Marine Protected Areas by 2030 is challenging but possible; and how finding common ground between all of us is the key to solving the environmental challenges we face.

🎧 Listen to this inspiring and uplifting kōrero here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5D7OxlW8TsKgFSEThtPCgy?si=o9z91CqnSYSGqwq3axRTeg

🚨 Apply for grant funding for your conservation mahi!🚨

Are you a local community group or school doing awesome work to protect nature? 🌿

WWF-New Zealand's Community Conservation Fund - run in partnership with The Tindall Foundation - is now open for applications until 15 September 2024.

This fund supports local community groups and educational facilities to run projects that protect Aotearoa New Zealand's natural environment, help our native wildlife thrive, and educate Kiwis on why nature is so important.

Head to our website to find out more about the fund, whether your project would be a good fit, and how you can apply ➡️ https://wwf.org.nz/community-conservation-and-education-fund

Cuteness overload...! 😍

Our is this sleepy little New Zealand fur seal/kekeno. This little cutie was photographed in the Bay of Islands, but kekeno can be found in coastal waters and on rocky shorelines all over Aotearoa.

After being hunted to the brink of extinction in the 1800s, NZ fur seals have made a remarkable recovery and their population is now growing 🙌

📷 Gareth Cooke/Project Kahurangi

Kia ora Pōneke! 👋 Have you got plans next Monday? Head on down to The Green Man Pub in Wellington on Monday 19 August and $2 from any item you purchase will support our vital conservation work. There'll also be a quiz night starting at 6.30pm for $5 entry at the door.

Enjoy a bevvie and some trivia with your mates while also supporting Aotearoa New Zealand's endangered wildlife - it's a win win!

When that Friday feeling hits...

Our is the lively Verreaux's sifaka - a type of lemur found in Madagascar. They are just one of the 107 lemurs that call Madagascar home, and WWF is working with the local communities there to protect these little guys and their habitats.

These primates have got some seriously sweet moves, and are often referred to as "dancing lemurs" 🤩

📸 Edwin Giesbers, WWF

The draft Emissions Reduction Plan published today is simply more hot air from this Government.

The Government has binned some of our most effective emissions reduction policies and replaced them with vague commitments, and is relying on technology that doesn’t yet exist to tackle the climate emergency.

It’s good to see the Government recognises the role nature can play in our climate response, but we need to more detail to turn this ambition into action.

“There’s still time to create a low emissions future for Aotearoa – but we need to see meaningful, urgent action. Cheap talk and magical thinking won’t get us there,” says our CEO Kayla Kingdon-Bebb.

Read our full response: https://wwf.org.nz/news/climate-change/emissions-reduction-plan-just-more-hot-air

Here's an adorable to brighten up your Tuesday!

Check out this cute (and fluffy) close-up of a baby Mountain Gorilla being cradled by her mum in Rwanda 🫶

📷 Andy Rouse, WWF

Get your weekly dose of nature news! 🌿

Here are some of the environment stories making headlines this week. Swipe right for the headlines and head to our Story for links to the full articles 👆

Our is this mesmerising shot of a pod of common dolphins feeding on sardines off the southeastern coast of South Africa.

Why not adopt a dolphin with WWF and join us in protecting these amazing creatures both here in Aotearoa and around the world 💙

https://wwf.org.nz/adopt/adopt-a-dolphin

📷 Chris & Monique Fallows / WWF

Our is this epic shot of a grey seal swimming over a kelp forest in Shetland, Scotland.

What a stunning capture 💙



(Photo credit: Nature Picture Library/Scotland: The Big Picture)

This week's features the charismatic Galápagos penguin - one of the smallest and rarest penguins in the world. This stunning shot was captured by one of the team at WWF-US while on a trip to the Galápagos Islands. 📸🐧

Here in Aotearoa New Zealand, penguins face numerous threats, from habitat loss to climate change and fishing activities. You can help safeguard their future by adopting a penguin through WWF. Your support directly contributes to conservation efforts to ensure these iconic birds thrive in their natural habitats.

Adopt a penguin today and join us in protecting our precious wildlife: https://wwf.org.nz/adopt/adopt-a-penguin

This week's features the majestic Antipodean Albatross, timed for ! We're celebrating a step forward as the government has just introduced new rules to prevent threatened seabirds like the Antipodean Albatross from being caught in commercial fishing nets. 🌊🦅

The Antipodean Albatross is one of the most endangered seabirds, with experts estimating they could be extinct in less than two decades if we don’t act.

That’s why we’re so pleased that from 1 October this year, commercial fishers using surface longline fishing methods will be required to use special hook shielding devices or implement all three key seabird bycatch mitigation measures at the same time - the approach WWF has long been campaigning for.

Recent data from the Government's cameras on boats programme revealed that albatross interactions were 3.5 times higher than we'd previously thought. It's now vital we continue rolling out cameras on boats so we have a clear picture of the impacts of commercial fishing on our wildlife and can use the data to inform future decisions like this one.

You can continue supporting our advocacy efforts to protect these magnificent creatures by adopting an albatross: https://wwf.org.nz/adopt/adopt-an-albatross.

Yesterday was World Sea Turtle Day 🐢

Sea turtles are found all over the world, and although they mostly breed in the tropics and subtropics, five of the seven species of sea turtles can be seen in New Zealand waters.

Sea turtles face numerous threats, including being caught in fishing nets as accidental bycatch, habitat destruction, and the impact of climate change on nesting sites. They are also often caught in fishing gear and victims of plastic pollution.

We need to urgently tackle the scourge of plastic threatening sea turtles and other marine life.

Support a global treaty to end plastic pollution at https://wwf.org.nz/end-plastic-pollution.

It's fantastic news that the Government will be bringing in stronger protections for Aotearoa's threatened seabirds 👏

New Zealand has more seabirds than anywhere else in the world and a staggering 90% are on the brink of extinction. One of the main threats these birds face is being caught as accidental bycatch in fishing nets, and recent data from the rollout of the cameras on boats programme revealed that albatross interactions were 3.5 times higher than we had previously thought.

The Government has confirmed today that from 1 October all commercial fishers using surface longline fishing methods will be required to either use special hook shielding devices or implement all three of the key seabird bycatch mitigation measures at the same time.

WWF has long campaigned for these stronger rules to tackle seabird bycatch and protect critically endangered seabirds like the Antipodean Albatross. It's great news for these taonga species that the Government has listened to the international scientific evidence and the data from the cameras on boats programme and finally seen reason on this important issue.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/519453/new-rules-for-fishers-aims-to-protect-seabirds

📷 Kath Walker, DOC

This week's is a stunning close-up of a curious sea turtle, captured in the beautiful Cook Islands. This little fellow seems intrigued by the camera, giving us the perfect inquisitive shot 📸🐢

Shout-out to !

Big shout-out to everyone in Auckland who joined the movement at the March for Nature today! 🌊🐟

Missed the march? No worries! You can still make waves from wherever you are. Head to https://giveshanejonesthefinger.co.nz to join the campaign and by email and on social media. Let's keep the momentum going for our ocean! 🌍🐠

We’re so proud to have joined the thousands of other Kiwis who turned out in force today to demand an end to this Government’s war on nature ✊

Over 20,000 New Zealanders have marched down Queen Street and sent this Government a clear message: we won’t stand for its reckless pursuit of economic growth above the places and wildlife that make us who we are.

It’s time the Government now listens to the very real concerns of these New Zealanders; withdraws its environmentally-disastrous Fast-track Approvals Bill; and stops putting profits before our planet.



📸 School Strike 4 Climate NZ and Greenpeace Aotearoa

Today’s the day we !

If you can’t make it in person, Greenpeace Aotearoa has a livestream available ⤵️

MARCH FOR NATURE LIVE STREAM On Saturday 8th of June, we'll march for the forests, the ocean, climate and the unique wildlife of Aotearoa. And we march for democracy and Ti Tiriti.The fa...