Previous posts
Browse our collection of previous posts.
April 24th, 2013
Kim McPherson is delighted to have been invited to join the Trust as a Trustee. She brings experience in ecotourism as well as in community work through her involvement in the Scouting movement.
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April 10th, 2013
The West Coast Wilderness Cycle Trail will bypass a thriving penguin colony at Camerons near Greymouth. Read more
April 3rd, 2013
The West Coast Blue Penguin Trust believes the Government has not gone far enough to protect marine eco-systems on the West Coast. Read more
March 27th, 2013
To all the 130 supporters who voted for the West Coast Blue Penguin Trust in the Toyota car give away campaign on facebook – a very big THANK YOU! Unfortunately we weren’t one of the 25 winners, coming in at a very creditable 66th out of 517 nominated charities. Read more
March 21st, 2013
Trust Chair, Kerry-Jayne Wilson’s long awaited guide to accessible nature on the West Coast will be launched Wednesday 27th March at 6pm in the Carnegie Gallery, Hokitika – and you’re invited! Read more
March 17th, 2013
Trust Ranger, Reuben Lane, at work
Voting on facebook closes on 24th March and we’re a bit behind on 56th place. The top 25 charities win a car for their work for three years, so if you haven’t already voted for us, please do now and ask your facebook friends to vote too!
Jump onto facebook then Click here to vote - thank you!
February 27th, 2013
Please help the Trust win the use of a Toyota Corolla for three years by following this link to vote for us
Votes need to be registered by Sunday 24 March – don’t forget you must be logged into Facebook at the time and please share with your friends so they vote too.
February 16th, 2013
The Trust’s new Annual Supporter option, launched in the recent Summer Newsletter, is off to an impressive start with nearly $500 raised in donations already. On top of that, donations collected at sites and events in recent weeks, as well as takings and donations from Driftwood & Sand and Penguinville in Hokitika, totalled around $900. Read more
February 11th, 2013
Trust Ranger, Reuben Lane, hadn’t expected the small crowd that turned up to learn about trapping at Punakaiki on Friday. Read more
January 20th, 2013
The WC Blue Penguin Trust will be in Punakaiki on 8 February for a supporter meeting (10am), trapping workshop (7pm) and illustrated talk (8pm), all of which are open to interested locals and visitors and free of charge. Read more
January 15th, 2013
and for the Driftwood & Sand festival on Hokitika’s beach, 21-27 January.
January 6th, 2013
Sadly two little blue penguins from the north end of Hokitika’s town beach didn’t make it to the new year.
December 7th, 2012
Popular Penguinville is returning to Hokitika beach as part of Hokitika’s Driftwood & Sand Festival. Over the last three years hundreds of children have enjoyed making elaborate penguin houses at Penguinville. This year the festival will run from 21 to 27 January 2012. Ranger Reuben Lane will also be back running his penguin painting workshop.
A penguin burrow at penguinville
November 25th, 2012
A report came in to the DOC hotline today about a penguin trapped in a hole in a garden in Hokitika. Read more
November 13th, 2012
Reuben Lane, Trust Ranger, introduced thousands of school children to little blue penguins last week when he appeared in a LEARNZ virtual field trip.
October 24th, 2012
Would you like to be welcomed to your computer by a little blue penguin or two? The Trust has made some wonderful images available for you to download as desktop images here.
October 7th, 2012
Welcome to our packed Spring Newsletter! Spring Newsletter 2012 A lot has been happening since the last newsletter … Read more
September 26th, 2012
Yesterday on TVNZ’s Close Up programme, the Trust’s media adviser, Robyn Janes, returned to a previous role as reporter for Close up and brought New Zealanders a glimpse of the Westland Petrel. View the short film here: Private life of the Westland Petrel on Close Up
September 25th, 2012
Kaniere School children enjoyed a field trip to the beach on the northern edge of Hokitika recently, to discover who or what was using it. They found lots of penguin tracks and other bird and animal footprints, as well as plenty of evidence of humans.
September 15th, 2012
The work of the Hokitika Scouts with the West Coast Blue Penguin Trust was acknowledged with a West Coast Conservation Award, presented on Thursday. They have been supporting the work of the Trust since 2010 through participation in the annual census. This led them to see the problems faced by penguins as nest areas were being trampled by cattle and habitat had been cleared for development. Read more
August 13th, 2012
A huge thank you to all those who took part in the annual west coast penguin survey. From Haast to Karamea, the results are coming in. A rough analysis indicates that the number of surveys finding more prints than last year was about the same number as those that found fewer prints. A couple remained the same. Read more
July 26th, 2012
The Ornithological Society of New Zealand presented one of two Robert Falla Memorial Awards to Trust Chair, Kerry-Jayne Wilson, at the Penguin Symposium in Oamaru on 12th July 2012. The award acknowledged the work of Kerry-Jayne Wilson in the field of ornithology and her contributions to the work of the society over many years.
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July 22nd, 2012
Fern Collings Davis points out penguin tracks
The Trust’s annual penguin survey takes place between 1st and 5th August. From north of Karamea to south of Haast, we need you to help us learn where little blue penguins are, and year on year surveys give us an indication not only of presence/absence but also declines in populations. Read more
July 8th, 2012
The Trust has been advised that someone, probably from the Westport area, has been phoning Westport numbers saying they are from the Penguin Trust, and soliciting donations for the penguins. The West Coast Penguin Trust would welcome donations (see our Contacts page for details) but the Trust is not seeking and will never solicit donations by phone or door to door calling. Please do not give money or credit card details to anyone requesting money to help the penguins. If this happens, please advise the police immediately. This is a scam and has no connection to or approval from the West Coast Blue Penguin Trust.
June 27th, 2012
DOC Ranger, Nicky Armstrong, with five of the dead penguins (Photo: DOC)
The West Coast Blue Penguin Trust is devastated after dogs have annihilated a Westport blue penguin colony killing 15 penguins in a matter of days.
The dead penguins were found by members of the public and the Trust’s ranger at the lighthouse end of the Cape Foulwind track. The deaths are being investigated by the Department of Conservation and local dog control officers. Read more
June 21st, 2012
A wonderful turnout on a cold Sunday morning ensured planting of flax, cabbage trees and broad leaf plants by Hokitika scouts (including Jacob Macpherson and Cade McInnes, left), their parents and leaders, members of Forest & Bird and supporters of the Trust as part of this habitat restoration project.
June 9th, 2012
It’s a winning year for the West Coast Blue Penguin Trust , which was named winner of the ‘protecting our coasts and oceans’ category of the prestigious Green Ribbon Awards 2012. The Ministry for the Environment awards were presented at Parliament on Tuesday and Inger Perkins attended the event on behalf of the Trust, receiving the award from the Minister, Hon Amy Adams and MP Jonathan Young.
May 19th, 2012
The West Coast Blue Penguin Trust was named as the winner of the Solid Energy – West Coast Leading Light Community / Charity Organisation Award at a glittering awards event last night at Shantytown.
Watch the great little Trust video made by West Coast Film for the Awards night here http://vimeo.com/42539377
Read more
May 17th, 2012
Environment Minister Amy Adams has today announced that the West Coast Blue Penguin Trust is among 35 finalists for the 2012 Green Ribbon Awards, which honour outstanding contributions to protecting New Zealand’s environment.
“The awards reflect the broad range of environmental challenges that New Zealand faces and the actions being taken to address them,” Ms Adams says.
April 22nd, 2012
The West Coast Blue Penguin Trust has been named as a finalist for the second time in the West Coast Leading Light Business Excellence Awards. Run by Development West Coast and in its second year, the awards have received a larger number of entries than last year. CEO John Chang said “It is a wonderful achievement to be named a finalist, given the high calibre of entries.”
The Trust was nominated for the Solid Energy Leading Light Community-Charity Organisation award and the winner will be announced on 18 May.
March 25th, 2012
The Trust recently travelled up to Karamea to offer meetings, talks and workshops for interested local people. Trust Chair, Kerry-Jayne Wilson, and Trust Ranger, Reuben Lane presented illustrated talks about west coast seabirds and the work of the Trust. A Supporters’ Meeting was held to discuss the work of the Trust and relevant local issues and then Reuben presented a trapping workshop, sharing his extensive skills in predator control.
While in Karamea, Reuben also made presentations to primary school children, fascinating them with his predator skins and skulls, film of blue penguins and his vast knowledge of the birds and their habits.
March 14th, 2012
Volunteers begin building the fence
The West Coast Blue Penguin Trust and New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) are to build a penguin proof fence south of Punakaiki in an effort to stop blue penguins being killed on SH6.
Blue Penguins are a protected species and detailed monitoring by the West Coast Blue Penguin Trust has found road kill is the single biggest cause of death in the local blue penguin population.
March 9th, 2012
Craig Potton loves the West Coast
Acclaimed photographer and conservationist Craig Potton is the new patron of the West Coast Blue Penguin Trust.
Mr Potton is New Zealand’s pre-eminent landscape photographer, a passionate conservationist and presenter of television series Wild Coasts and Rivers.
February 29th, 2012
Inger Perkins
Inger Perkins has taken over from Robyn as co-ordinator. You can contact her on info@bluepenguin.org.nz
Robyn will continue to do the communications work for the Trust, you can contact her on robyn@mediafix.co.nz.
February 16th, 2012
Penguinville on Hokitika’s beach was a popular part of the Driftwood and Sand Festival. It featured in this short video by Dave Kwant at West Coast Film.
February 10th, 2012
Valda and Jess at the Fox River Market
The Penguin Trust’s stall at February’s Fox River Market was popular with locals and tourists. The new penguin t-shirts were running hot with lots sold. We still have most sizes if you would like a t-shirt – they are $25 and can be purchased through info@bluepenguin.org.nz. Thanks to Valda, Jess and Kerry-Jayne who looked after the stall and passed on lots of information about penguins to visitors.
February 10th, 2012
In January the West Coast Blue Penguin Trust’s work was featured in a Radio New Zealand documentary. It focused on the Trust’s research which has found on the West Coast the greatest threat to penguin mortality is cars and dogs rather than stoats. To listen to the documentary click here.
January 25th, 2012
James & Emily Chisnall show off their penguin house
Sections are running hot at Penguinville with over 25 groups of children building a penguin “house” in the first three days.
Penguinville is part of the Driftwood and Sand Sculpture Festival. Children build a penguin house on their own beach section with prizes being awarded on Sunday for Most Natural, Best Construction, and Most Creative.
Read more
January 25th, 2012
Mens t-shirt
The Trust has t-shirts in all sizes (including childrens) for sale. Contact info@bluepenguin.org.nz if you wish to purchase. $25
January 22nd, 2012
Geoff and Jock setting up Penguinville on Sunday
As part of Driftwood and Sand Sculpture Festival and Trust is running Penguinville at Hokitika Beach from Monday 23 to Sunday 29 January. Penguinville is a chance for the kids to build a penguin house and learn about blue penguins habitat. $2 for your own section at Penguinville, prizes for the best construction, most natural and most creative penguin houses will be awarded on Sunday at 2pm.
