Marlborough Express - Weekend Express
IReX Interislander redevelopment update
This month sees the completion of a temporary loading jetty at Westshore meanwhile, jetty C near the Edwin
Fox will be the new ‘pick up, drop off’ facility for recreational craft and water taxis.
Changes are coming with pedestrian kerb ramps and safe points for pedestrians crossing Auckland Street to Broadway.
While construction continues, so does work to protect the environment. Last month the Downer HEB Joint Venture team of 11 newly trained penguin surveyors took over the daily watch for Kororā/little blue penguins in the construction area. This happens each morning before work starts.
Kororā sometimes prefer human-made infrastructure and breakwaters over natural habitat, so the team at Wildlife Management International Ltd (WMIL) support the iReX project to monitor for their presence.
WMIL has now handed these daily checks over to the Downer HEB Kororā watch team, who have all undertaken the rigorous training delivered by WMIL.
“We will be covering a wide area from the foreshore car park to the far end of the Westshore site. Because we’ll be checking every crevice as we go, the job can take up to three hours, so we split into two teams to enable us to do thorough checks and give the site team the all-clear to start work for the day,” Environmental Advisor Abby Chillingworth said.
If a penguin is found, WMIL are called in to assess its status i.e. nesting, moulting, sitting on eggs etc. If the bird can be moved, it will be relocated to Kaipupu Sanctuary where the pest proof fence acts as a line of defence to protect them from predators. WMIL monitor any relocated penguins each week. If it’s a new bird, they will tag it to monitor the population.