The yellow-eyed penguin, or hoiho, are among our threatened aquatic birds. Photo/NZME
New Zealand may be the ''penguin capital of the world'' but an environmental group is warning our flippered friends are in crisis.
Forest & Bird wants the government to set up a Penguin Recovery Group, and protect the aquatic birds in the same way we look after kiwi.
The advocacy
group is joining a global campaign to help save penguins and says New Zealand needs to do its part
"The world has 18 species, of which a third breed here in New Zealand. We are the penguin capital of the world," Forest & Bird advocacy manager Kevin Hackwell says.
"Ten of those 18 species are threatened, at risk of extinction, and unfortunately five of those are here in New Zealand. Five of our six species are threatened."
Among them are world's second rarest penguin, the yellow-eyed penguin or hoiho, of which only 1700 breeding pairs are thought to remain.
Forest & Bird says there have been significant declines in hoiho the past three years, as they are being killed in trawl and set nets, and by disease and introduced predators.
It also points to the Fiordland crested penguin tawaki, a shy forest-dwelling penguin of which an estimated 3000 breeding pairs remain.
Hackwell says last summer stoats wiped out an entire colony of 150 breeding pairs at Jackson Head, on the West Coast.
"And we know that because we happened to have someone studying it at the time," he says.
"This is probably going on elsewhere that we're not aware of."
Hackwell says we need a national approach to protecting the struggling species.
He wants the Department of Conservation to establish a New Zealand-wide penguin recovery group, which would work in the same manner as the Kiwi Recovery Group.
"That would be a good start," Hackwell says.
