Developer must rehouse penguins before work starts
The developer of a controversial Wellington housing development at Shelly Bay has agreed to rehouse the area’s smallest residents before starting work.
The coastline is home to korora¯/little blue penguins, whose burrows and nesting sites are in danger of being disrupted or destroyed by the housing project.
The proposed $500 million development will sit on the western edge of Miramar Peninsula, undertaken as a collaboration by developer The Wellington Company and the Port Nicholson Block Settlement Trust.
The condition is enshrined in the key commercial terms for sale, agreed upon by both parties: ‘‘The developer will be responsible for rehousing the little blue penguins that are located on council land at Shelly Bay.’’
Department of Conservation senior biodiversity ranger Brent Tandy said it was a popular spot for little blues, which were notoriously attached to their nesting spots. ‘‘You don’t rehouse korora¯ unless absolutely necessary.’’
As it was private land, monitoring hadn’t been undertaken by DOC, but there were 10 nesting boxes along the western side of Miramar Peninsula, from the airport end to the tip.
Korora¯ liked to live in natural burrows they dug themselves, hollow rotten logs, piles of rocks with cervices, small caves, dense vegetation such as big flax clumps and, of course, artificial nesting boxes.
But they were picky. ‘‘Korora¯ often reject sites chosen for them and find a new one of their own accord.’’
It had become standard practice for many developments to cater for known nesting sites and accommodate them, Tandy said.
Enhanced habitat with nest boxes should always be created nearby for them to move into. They had ‘‘strong site fidelity’’ and would always return to the area they came from first.
Council spokesperson Victoria BartonChapple said the council would need to be satisfied the developer had delivered on this promise before the sale of the land was finalised. The developer had advised it would work with Te Papa on a research project called ‘‘Embedding nature at the heart of the city: Proposals to create habitat for Little Penguins within Shelly Bay’’.
Developer Ian Cassels said it was in line with their vision for the development to protect the wildlife and natural environment. ‘‘We’ve suffered a lot of criticism on that site,’’ he said. ‘‘We’re going to town to make sure there is nothing about it that cannot be heartily and enthusiastically celebrated by Wellingtonians.’’
That would involve first counting the penguins, and then in some places creating new spots for penguins to live, and ensuring safe passage across the road to the ocean.