Before then, they were called the North Island Hector’s dolphin.
In 2002, a New Zealand marine scientist, Dr Alan Baker, used genetic and skeletal differences to show that Maui’s dolphins are not identical to the Hector’s dolphins that live around the South Island.
The dolphins’ common name is Maui’s, after the Māori name for the North Island – te Ika a Maui. The Māori name for Maui’s dolphins is popoto.
Most rare
Today, with a total population estimated at 111 individuals, Maui’s dolphins are recognised as the world’s smallest and most rare marine dolphin.
The World Conservation Union (IUCN) classifies them on its Red List as ‘critically endangered’. There are only two worse classifications – ‘extinct’ and ‘extinct in the wild’ – it can’t get much worse for Maui’s.
Learn more about the Maui’s dolphins’ ecology, distribution, and the threats they face by reading our factsheets.
Help the dolphins’ survive
Maui’s dolphins are balanced on a knife-edge of survival and need immediate protection. WWF-New Zealand has campaigned to save Hector’s dolphins for many years. In 2004, WWF’s Conservation Challenge called on the Government to protect the dolphins throughout their current and historic range. Find out more about our campaign for Maui's.
In November 2007, we presented Parliament with a petition signed by more than 32,500 people, calling on the Government to stop the extinction of Maui’s and Hector’s dolphins.
See Take Action for Maui's pages to find out how you can help ensure the dolphins’ survival.
• visit WWF-New Zealand’s Stop their Extinction campaign web site. Send an e-card to Government Ministers asking them to give total protection to Maui’s dolphins today
• adopt a Hector’s dolphin to support our work
• report any dolphin sightings
Report all sightings
Maui’s dolphins range closer to shore during warmer months, which means you are more likely to spot them along the North Island’s west coast during late spring, summer and early autumn.
Please report every sighting you make – either online, or by calling our Maui’s hotline: 0800 4 MAUIS (0800 468 247).
This information is used to track Maui’s distribution and helps WWF and other conservationists learn more about dolphins, where they live and how far they range. It means the Government can protect the dolphins by putting in boundaries to keep set netting and trawling out of the places they live.
More information
Read WWF-New Zealand’s campaign fact sheets for more information about Maui’s and Hector’s dolphins.
