In late June and early July, our chair, Thomas Mattern, traveled to Switzerland for the inaugural Zoo Zürich Conservation Academy...
RESEARCH
Conduct research and implement conservation strategies for the tawaki of Aotearoa/NZ.
OCEAN SENTINELS
Establish our crested penguins as bellwether of changing oceans, be it a changing climate or commercial activities in the high seas.
KAITIAKITANGA
Encourage, guide and assist restoration and conservation projects around tawaki.
PROTECT
Improve the national and international threat rankings of crested penguins across Aotearoa/NZ.
understanding, conservation, advocacy
Welcome
to the Tawaki Trust!
New Zealand hosts one third of the world’s penguin species, six different species in total, most of which are endemic to the NZ region. Four of these belong to the group of crested penguins, species in possession of remarkable yellow crests. What these four species also have in common, is that they are the least known and studied species on this planet – and the most threatened. The Tawaki Trust aims at gaining better understanding of the crested penguins’ ecology, the threats they face and what we can do to mitigate them, and bring the species closer to the people of New Zealand.