Effect of Piling on Little Blue Penguins

Kororā (little blue penguin; Eudyptula minor) are a small penguin species native to New Zealand and often found nesting in man-made structures nearby ports and marinas. The species has a national conservation status of “At Risk – Declining” and is protected under New Zealand’s Wildlife Act (1953). As such, development projects occurring in areas that kororā inhabit need to consider how this species may respond to construction noise and vibration. This chapter presents the noise assessment approach and on-site mitigation and management for the construction of a new marina on Auckland’s Waiheke Island, which involved piling and other intensive construction activities close to kororā burrows. The project is still under construction, and monitoring of kororā will continue until its completion. The results of the monitoring to date show that kororā continue to inhabit and breed successfully in the breakwater on which the marina is being constructed, including during the noisiest phase of the works.