Hidden nest sites give little blue penguins a quieter shore
Around Kaikōura, a wildlife trust and volunteers built predator-controlled nesting reserves and are keeping the locations private so people do not disturb the birds.
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Little blue penguins, or kororā, have new hidden nesting reserves around Kaikōura. RNZ reported on October 19, 2026, that the locations are being withheld so visitors do not disturb the birds. The Kaikōura Wildlife Centre Trust built the sites with volunteers, the Kaikōura District Council, Environment Canterbury, and the Department of Conservation. Volunteer manager Sabrina Luecht said the project was years in planning and four months to build. Grants from the regional council and WWF, plus fundraising, paid for it. Volunteers did the labor except for a contract fencer. The last stage is planting hundreds of native plants grown for the sites.
The goal is urban safe zones and wildlife corridors where predators are controlled, not a place for people to watch penguins. Volunteers patrol daily. Dogs must be on leads where signs say so, and council animal control will enforce an updated bylaw. The report does not give a count of how many penguins use the new sites.
For the classroom
People near Kaikōura built secret nesting places for little blue penguins, also called kororā. The spots are hidden so visitors do not scare the birds. Volunteers planted native plants and will check the sites. Dogs must stay on a leash where signs ask for it.
- Why are the new penguin nests kept secret?
- What did volunteers do besides building the sites?
- How can dog owners help penguins near a beach?
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