Protect our Ocean - Save our Penguins

Little blue penguins are starving.

They’re finding less food in an ocean that is under increasing pressure from habitat destruction, overfishing, pollution, and climate change. And now, the arrival of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu in Aotearoa adds another potential threat to seabirds that are already struggling. 

Up and down the country bird rescue and rehabilitation organisations are caring for growing numbers of kororā that are weak, underweight and struggling to survive. Every day, they do everything they can to save starving little blue penguins. 

But they can’t rebuild fish populations. They can’t establish marine protected areas, and they can’t address destructive fishing.

Only the government can.

To give kororā a future, we must urge political leaders to restore the health of the ocean they depend on. 

© Native Bird Rescue Trust

If we don't protect the ocean they call home, more and more birds will need our help.

Saving our beloved little penguins means protecting the ocean they depend on. To save our kororā, New Zealand needs to urgently restore the health of our ocean.

WWF-New Zealand has identified 10 critical actions needed for a healthy ocean. 

From increasing marine protection to phasing out destructive fishing methods, ALL are required to ensure kororā survive.

This election, let’s make ocean health a priority. 

Add your voice

Sign our open letter calling on all politicians to commit to 10 actions for the ocean this election.

Open Letter to all politicians

A healthy ocean is essential to the future of Aotearoa New Zealand.

It feeds us, regulates our climate, supports our economy, and is home to extraordinary marine life found nowhere else on earth.

In New Zealand, our marine environment is 15 times larger than our landmass and home to up to 80 percent of our native species. But only a tiny fraction of our ocean is protected. 

Our ocean is under growing pressure. Marine habitats are being degraded, wildlife is struggling, and iconic species such as the kororā/little blue penguin are showing us the consequences of an ocean in decline. 

And now, the arrival of the H5N1 strain of bird flu in Aotearoa is another potential threat for seabirds already struggling to survive. 

This election, we call on every political party to commit to WWF-New Zealand’s 10 Actions for a healthy ocean – the practical steps needed to rebuild marine ecosystems, strengthen ocean protection, and help future generations inherit thriving seas. 

© Native Bird Rescue Trust

10 Actions Need for a Healthy Ocean

1.    Increase marine protection 
2.    Reform outdated marine protection laws
3.    Support marine protection across the Pacific and in the High Seas
4.    Phase out damaging fishing methods
5.    Review New Zealand’s fisheries management system
6.    Increase transparency in commercial fishing 
7.    Support iwi and hāpu-led marine management
8.    Strengthen protections for marine mammals
9.    Safeguard Aotearoa’s threatened seabirds
10.  Prevent extractive industries damaging the ocean