Maori Party wants answers after penguin deaths

Tuesday April 26, 2011 Source: ONE News

Photos of the dead penguins posted on the Te Whanau a Apanui Facebook page. Photo by Te Paea Butler - Source: ONE News

The Maori Party wants answers from the government after about a dozen dead penguins washed up on an East Cape beach near where oil giant Petrobras is conducting seismic testing.

The Maori Party has asked the government to declare whether it commissioned an environmental impact report before it granted a permit to Petrobras.

Photos of the penguins, which washed up on Waihau Bay, have been posted on Facebook.
Maori Party MP Te Ururoa Flavell said many iwi attribute special significance to the penguin as taonga species.

"We would be extremely distressed if these birds are being placed at any threat to their life as a result of 'human-induced' risks," said Flavell.

"There's no evidence that the testing is killing the birds but at the very least the government should have made sure that an impact report was done before giving an exploration permit, which includes seismic testing activity, to Petrobras."

Radio New Zealand reported that Massey University will carry out post-mortem on the penguins.

The Maori Party has approached the Ministers of Conservation, Environment and the Acting Minister of Energy and Resources for an urgent investigation.

Flavell said the Maori Party also asked the Crown Minerals Office this morning whether it had or got an impact report done before granting the permit to Petrobras, but no answer was forthcoming.

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Penguin colony gets fillip

ROSA STUDHOLME

27/04/2011

The numbers of visitors to the Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony has dropped dramatically since the Christchurch earthquake in February, but it is hoped a $713,000 refurbishment will boost numbers.

Tourists were refusing to transit through Christchurch after the earthquake that struck on February 22, Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony manager Jason Gaskill said.
"The drop-off was pretty remarkable," he said. "The best estimates are it will take somewhere between 18 months and two years for visitor numbers to return to normal."
The Rugby World Cup in October would give an "artificial boost that we may or may not see", he said.
But a two-year, $713,000 refurbishment project, approved by Waitaki District Council last week, to be overseen by the Waitaki Development Board, would see revenue increase by $390,000 a year, Mr Gaskill said.
The upgrade was needed if the colony was to become a stop-off point for tours, he said.
"Different groups expect different types of experiences and facilities," Mr Gaskill said.
"The proposed development will help the Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony maintain our competitive advantage and produce the type of visitor experience that agents will better be able to sell on our behalf."
Staff had been working on the plans for about 18 months, he said.
More space is needed to cope with the extra visitor arrivals in summer months.
"We are hoping and anticipate visitor numbers to double in the next five years.
"A large component of the development is designed to encourage [local] people to come and see what's close by, but also to bring people back – their family and friends."
The developments include installing world-class technology and allowing more research capacity, he said.
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