Construction on a transport upgrade project between Wellington and Lower Hutt has killed four little blue penguins so far.
Te Ara Tupua is a $300 million project to create a walking and cycling link between the capital and Petone.
"In a project that is that close to a major kororā colony on Matiu/Somes Island, for example, you have to expect that there are some penguins that come ashore elsewhere along the mainland coast,” Penguin scientist Hiltrun Ratz said.
NZTA has confirmed four little blue penguin deaths have occurred on site, caused by construction activity.
“We really take these things to heart when there's a penguin death, and we're doing everything we can to prevent them in the future," NZTA’s Regional Manager for Infrastructure Delivery Jetesh Bhula said.
Last year, NZTA was issued with a formal warning notice from the Department of Conservation for the death of a little blue penguin, because correct procedures weren’t followed.
The latest death happened after a penguin went inside the hole of a concrete block and was crushed by machinery – DOC investigated the incident and deemed it as accidental.
“We hadn't seen them in those places before. The machinery picked one up, and the penguin subsequently died," Jetesh Bhula said.
"If a tragedy like this happens, then very strict measures need to be put in place to ensure this doesn't happen again,” Hiltrun Ratz said.
Since then, a number of new mitigation measures have been implemented, including a requirement to place fitted caps on specific concrete blocks with holes in them.
There’s also been an increase in dog sweeps of the area, more robust fencing, more signage, and a new Kaitiaki job on site to help raise awareness.
“The kaitiaki works with the guys on the site, so reinforcing the importance of the ecology and looking for opportunities where we may be able to do things better,” Jetesh Bhula said.
With the breeding season now underway, the penguins are likely to be around more consistently.
To prepare for that, the project team have begun implementing new penguin habitats in some areas.
"We've put a lot of measures in place to make sure to make sure these things don't happen again," Jetesh Bhula said.
"We need to share the foreshore with the penguins, because we want penguins to be living with us," Hiltrun Ratz said.
Te Ara Tupua is expected to be completed in 2026.
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