Project
Hoiho Recovery
Our call to action
Our mission is to see hoiho thrive in their natural environment. But currently, hoiho face serious challenges both on the coast and at sea, which has resulted in a rapid population loss.
Your support helps us:
- Provide the best care for the mainland hoiho population.
- Track hoiho health, progress and fledge numbers.
- Rehabilitate underweight hoiho on Rakiura Stewart Island.
- Relay the importance of this taonga species and keep their legacy alive.
What’s happening
Hoiho face a variety of threats both on land and at sea. Threats in the marine environment include commercial and recreational fishing, food scarcity and rises in sea surface temperature. Emerging diseases have a significant impact on hoiho survival. We work to understand these threats and how to best mitigate them by monitoring and intervening during the most vulnerable seasons.
Together with other dedicated conservation groups, together we provide a system of front-line support for hoiho. This involves monitoring the birds for starvation, disease and injury and, when required, intervening to provide veterinary care and rehabilitation. The work is carried out by skilled and passionate teams who, in collaboration, make a big impact.
The hoiho recovery project is endorsed by the Hoiho Governance Group (Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, Department of Conservation, Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust and Fisheries New Zealand) and its hoiho recovery strategy, Te Kaweka Takohaka mō te Hoiho.
Our top priorities
Monitoring hoiho
Throughout the breeding and moulting season, our field team checks on hoiho at our reserves to ensure parents and chicks are healthy and safe through to fledge. This requires close monitoring of their growth and development and signs of disease or starvation.
Rescue and intervention
In the event of injury, disease or starvation, our field team will intervene and transport hoiho for veterinary treatment or rehabilitation with one of our conservation partners. Once they are back in shape, we then release them back to where we found them.
Rakiura Rehabilitation Centre
Nestled in the Mamaku Point Reserve, our staff run a dedicated rehabilitation centre to support underweight hoiho on Rakiura Stewart Island and Whenua Hou Codfish Island.
How to help
This project is made possible by generous donations that enable us and our community partners to deliver and improve our system of care for vulnerable hoiho.
Help us deliver front-line support for hoiho. Support for hoiho recovery goes towards monitoring, rescue and rehabilitation of hoiho in need.