19 April 2016
Mauao Area Wildlife Trust, which was established in 2013, is relaunching on 1 May 2016 as the Western Bay Wildlife
Trust.
Chairperson Julia Graham says that due to overwhelming support from local communities, and the need for conservation
strategies in other areas beyond Mauao along the coast, the trust has expanded its service and reach, and is rebranding
as the Western Bay Wildlife Trust.
The Mauao Area Wildlife Trust was established in 2013 after a range of issues were discovered impacting native flora and
fauna species prior to, and during monitoring of little blue penguin and grey-faced petrel colonies affected by the Rena
oil spill in 2011.
The newly formed Western Bay Wildlife trust will continue with the purpose of the original trust, which is to safeguard
a place for preserving and protecting species that otherwise would become endangered. Local bird and wildlife include
godwits, pied shags, red-billed gulls, little blue penguins, orca, stingrays, dolphins, New Zealand fur seals, the
endangered New Zealand dotterel on Matakana Island, oyster catchers, diving petrels, shearwaters and grey-faced petrels.
The key objectives of the trust will be the protection of existing populations of native fauna and flora, improving and
enhancing native ecosystems, the monitoring and research of existing native colonies, educating and promoting of the
Western Bay area and its native species, the increase in pest control, revegetation and the cleaning up of rubbish.
Julia says “Mauao will always be at the core of everything we do and to reflect that, it takes pride of place in our new
logo, alongside our precious little blue penguins and petrels.”
To celebrate the rebrand and launch of the new Western Bay Wildlife Trust and the new website www.westernbaywildlife.nz,
there will be a public tree planting day on Sunday 1 May, 2016 on Moturiki Island (commonly known as Leisure Island)
opposite Mount Drury in Mount Maunganui from 1.00pm – 4.00pm. The public are invited to come with their families and a
spade to create their own legacy moment, planting a pohutakawa, karo or kawakawa tree, or native ice plant and coastal
ferns.
This event will also include a sausage sizzle, a sand sculpture competition at 1.00pm, followed by the tree planting and
working bee (weeding and rubbish collection) on Moturiki Island from 2.00pm – 4.00pm.
The public are also invited to support the trust’s work by sponsoring a little blue penguin, making a donation, and
becoming a member of the trust. This enables the trust to continue protecting the population of little blue penguins, as
well as other special native species such as petrels, geckos, skinks and native plants by protecting and enhancing the
habitats of these species in the area.
ends