Kororā spring into action at Kaipūpū The spring breeding season for kororā, or little blue penguin (Eudyptula minor), is off to a good start with three nest boxes at Kaipūpū Wildlife Sanctuary actively occupied. In 2021, new kororā nesting boxes were built by Port Marlborough Workshop Team, and Waikawa Bay School students with support of the Picton Men’s Shed. These were then installed at natural habitat locations identified by the port’s ecology team Wildlife Management International in Kaipūpū Sanctuary, for the translocation of kororā found in the port’s operational areas, and to provide welcoming and safer environments for any kororā which were deterred from the port’s seawalls. “Things are busier than ever,” says Simon Lamb, Wildlife Management International Ecologist. “Two nest boxes have two healthy young chicks each, both guarded by a parent, and one nest box along the main track has a bird incubating two eggs. Two natural burrows also have adults incubating 1-2 eggs each.” Kororā in nest box. Photo published courtesy of WMIL Kororā are very attached to the site where they are born so, the attachment of future generations to the protection of the sanctuary is significant. Ongoing monitoring by the Kaipūpū team captured a weka on a trail camera harassing an adult kororā and attempting to reach its chick. As wekas can threaten kororā eggs and young, WMIL recommended relocating the Weka out if the sanctuary and away from the nests. The weka has since been safely trapped and relocated out of the sanctuary by Lee Crosswell and the Kaipūpū Sanctuary team, under the careful management of Simon Lamb, WMIL. Kororā are well known to sometimes prefer human-made infrastructure and breakwaters over more natural habitats, which can mean they could be vulnerable in the port area. The port’s team of ecologists is actively discouraging resident Kororā from nesting there by installing mesh barriers and sandbags at potential nesting sites outside the nesting season, and one-way flaps on stormwater pipes. Monitoring and Ecological Protection within the Waitohi Ferry Redevelopment Project area The original resource consent requirements for the redevelopment of the Waitohi Ferry Redevelopment Project required the development of an Avian Management Plan to avoid adverse effects on any threatened or at-risk indigenous bird species from construction related activities within or near to the project footprint. To comply with the project’s consent requirements, and in line with Port Marlborough’s sustainability principles, Wildlife Management International were engaged by the port to work together with oversight and input from local manawhenua iwi Te Ātiawa o te Waka-a-Māui to actively research and monitor avian populations in the port’s coastal area. An initial ecological study was followed by a 12-month monitoring programme involving regular surveys to monitor the populations and movements of the three key avian species – the kororā (little blue penguin), variable oystercatcher and Caspian tern. Each month, WMIL investigates any potential bird populations within 100m of the project site with whānau from Te Ātiawa o te Waka-a-Māui, and data collated over the full annual cycle has captured a broad picture, including roosting and nesting locations of kororā. Results from the 12-month programme provided essential information to the project’s Avian Management Plan. This is now in place to guide the project team and informs decisions around construction management, timing of particular activities, and specific monitoring and vigilance to protect the welfare of these three significant species through the redevelopment project. Avian monitoring around the coastline Our overall objective is to provide opportunities around our harbour for these species, encouraging nesting in natural and non-operational habitats. The goal is to achieve no net loss of these species over the construction period, and we will continue to work with our specialist ecologists and Te Ātiawa o te Waka-a-Māui to ensure the protection of the kororā. The Marlborough Sounds is home to a wide range of seabirds, and surveys around the Port and Marina operational areas identified 31 species of seabird in Picton Harbour and recognised three significant species as requiring ongoing monitoring throughout the project. The team observed Tarā nui (Caspian Tern) and Torea Tai (Variable Oystercatcher) on the periphery of the project area, in relatively low numbers. An early October 2025 survey recorded no kororā around the Port’s operational areas and confirmed a thriving population at Kaipūpū Sanctuary. This is encouraging news and provides reassurance that kororā are safe as we look forward to beginning the Waitohi Ferry Redevelopment Project. Rārangi Manu – Seabirds of Aotearoa – Māori and Common Names Petrels, Shearwaters and Prions Tītī – Sooty shearwater Tītī / Oi – Grey-faced petrel Pūkorokoro / Tākupu-pipiwharauroa – Fairy prion Tākahikare – Black-winged petrel Pūteketeke-moana – Broad-billed prion Gulls, Terns and Skuas Tarāpunga – Red-billed gull Tarapunga-karoro / Karoro – Southern black-backed gull Tara – White-fronted tern Tara iti – Fairy tern Hakoakoa / Skua – Subantarctic skua Kawau (Godwits), Oystercatchers and Stilts Kuaka – Bar-tailed godwit Tōrea pango – Variable oystercatcher Tōrea – South Island pied oystercatcher Poaka – Pied stilt Kakī – Black stilt Kawau (Shags) and Gannets Kawau pāteke – Little shag Kawau tūī / Kawau – Black shag Kawau tikitiki – Pied shag Kawau a toru – King shag Takapu – Australasian gannet Herons Matuku hērengaro – White-faced heron Matuku – Australasian bittern Riroriro-matuku – Reef heron Ducks, Swans and Grebes Pārera – Grey duck Kuruwhengi – Australasian shoveler Pūtangitangi – Paradise shelduck Kōpū – Black swan Pāpango – New Zealand scaup Pūteketeke – Australasian crested grebe Kororā Kororā – Little blue penguin
