SEA SOCIETY

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SEA SOCIETY

An independent voice for the Earth/Papatūānuku since 2019
A guardian of New Zealand sea lions/pakake

SEA SOCIETY has been an independent voice for Earth/Papatūānuku since 2019. We are dedicated to promoting practical tips beneficial to Papatūānuku and are a guardian for New Zealand sea lions/pakake. Founder Sian Mair has a Bachelor of Science (Zoology) from the University of Otago.

01/05/2026

What joy it brings me to see New Zealand sea lions/pakake thriving in Dunedin/Ōtepoti!

Decades of conservation effort, and scientists, tāngata whenua and the community working together has resulted in this endangered megafauna being able to live in harmony alongside humans in Dunedin.

Videos: Sian Mair. Taken responsibly while on assignment.

28/04/2026

I am very saddened to learn about the little penguin/kororā colony at Long Beach being wiped out by a likely dog attack.

Little penguins stand at only about 30 centimetres tall; therefore, their burrows are often indiscernible beneath flora. As is the case with numerous other bird nests on the beach, such as variable oystercatchers/tōrea pango.

At beaches where signage states there is vulnerable wildlife, it is essential to keep dogs on leashes. If we work together, dogs can safely share beaches with penguins, New Zealand sea lions/pakake and other vulnerable wildlife.

Click here for The Herald article: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/suspected-dog-attack-wipes-out-long-beach-penguin-colony-near-dunedin/I3TML5D755CX7BGK45CAGX3GDY/

Video: Sian Mair. Taken responsibly while on assignment.

25/04/2026

Today, the 25th of April, is World Penguin Day! Let’s celebrate the amazing Spheniscidae family!
There are 18 penguin species in the world. From smallest to largest they are:

1. Little penguins / Kororā: Found in Aotearoa (New Zealand) and southern Australia. They stand at about 30 cm tall and weigh about 1 kg.
2. Galápagos penguins (banded group): Found in the Galápagos archipelago. They stand between 49 to 53 cm tall and weigh about 2.5 kg.
3. Northern Rockhopper penguins (crested group): Found on islands in the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans. They stand at about 55 cm tall and weigh between 2 to 3.8 kg.
4. Southern Rockhopper penguins (crested group): Found on islands in the South Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. They stand at about 55 cm tall and weigh between 2 to 3.8 kg.
5. Fiordland penguins / Tawaki (crested group): Found in the southern West Coast of Aotearoa and on Rakiura / Stewart Island. They stand at about 60 cm tall and weigh about 4 kg.
6. Snares penguins / Pokotiwha (crested group): Found on the Tini Heke / Snares Islands (about 100 km south of Stewart Island). They stand at about 60 cm tall and weigh between 2.7 to 4.5 kg.
7. Erect-crested penguins / Tawaki nana hī (crested group): Found on the Moutere Hauriri / Bounty Islands (about 700 kilometres east of the South Island) and on the Moutere Māhue / Antipodes Islands (about 860 kilometres south-east of Stewart Island). They stand between 60 to 68 cm tall and weigh between 3.5 to 5.5 kg.
8. Humboldt penguins (banded group): They are found along the coast in Peru to southern Chile. They stand at 65 cm tall and weigh between 3.6 to 5.8 kg.
9. Yellow-eyed penguins / Hoiho: Found along the coast in the south eastern South Island of Aotearoa and in the Subantarctic Islands. They stand at 65 cm tall and weigh between 2.3 to 2.5 kg. They are the shyest of all penguins, preferring their own company or their partners. Māori named them "hoiho" because of their loud, shrill call.
10. Royal penguins (crested group): Found only on Macquarie Island, an Australian Subantarctic Island. They stand between 65 to 75 cm tall and weigh between 4 to 5.5 kg.
11. African penguin (banded group): Found in southern Africa. They stand about 68 cm tall and weigh between 2 to 4 kg. Their unique call sounds like a braying donkey, so they are also known as the "Jackass penguin".
12. Magellanic penguins (banded group): They are found along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of South America and the Falkland Islands. They stand about 70 cm tall and weigh about 6.5 kg.
13. Macaroni penguins (crested group): Found along the coast of the Subantarctic Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula. They stand about 70 cm tall and weigh between 3.7 to 6.4 kg.
14. Adélie penguins (brush-tailed group): They are found only in the Antarctic region. They stand at 70 cm tall and weigh about 6.5 kg.
15. Chinstrap penguins (brush-tailed group): Found in the Scotia Sea region and on the northern Antarctic Peninsula. They stand between 68 to 76 cm tall and weigh between 3.2 to 5.3 kg.
16. Gentoo penguins (brush-tailed group): Found on the Antarctic Peninsula, South Shetland, South Orkney and South Sandwich Islands, as well as Subantarctic Islands across the Southern Ocean. They stand between 75 to 90 cm tall and weigh between 4.5 to 8.5 kg.
17. King penguins (large group): Found on various Subantarctic Islands, including the Kerguelen Islands, Crozet Island, McDonald Islands, Macquarie Island and South Georgia. They stand between 85 to 95 cm tall and weigh between 9.3 to 18 kg.
18. Emperor penguins (large group): Found around the entire coast of Antarctica. They stand between 110 to 130 cm tall and weigh between 20 to 41 kg.

You can support penguins on World Penguins Day and everyday by:
- Donating your time and/or money to penguin conservation charities.
- Going on ecotours to view penguins, such as Blue Penguins Pukekura, The Otago Peninsula Eco Restoration Alliance - The OPERA, Ōamaru Penguins and Clearwater Wildlife Tours.
- Giving penguins space and respect when viewing them in the wild.

Photos: Oscar Thomas Photography and Sian Mair. Taken from a safe distance.

09/01/2026

It's time to start respecting the wildlife that makes the Catlins so special...

The Clutha District Council's response to my latest inquiry about establishing Safe Zones on some beaches in the Catlins:
"Council directed staff not to undertake further investigative work on possible safe zones at this time and for staff to bring paper to next Council meeting to resolve that Council staff will not proceed with the investigations".

My response...

29/12/2025

One unique characteristic of little penguins/kororā (Eudyptula minor) is that they are one of only four penguin species in the world that can double clutch (consisting of typically two eggs per clutch).

At Blue Penguins Pukekura and Ōamaru Penguins, most years some penguin pairs will have a second clutch and on the rare occasion three clutches within one year.
The likely catalyst as to why the Otago Peninsula and Ōamaru Penguins colonies are so productive is reliable prey availability (sprat, crustaceans and small arrow squid).

The breeding cycle of little penguins is rapid. Chicks are expected to fledge (leave the natal site and care for themselves) at only eight-weeks of age. They reach sexual maturity at the age of two, are monogamous and typically mate for life.
It takes on average 18 days between the yolk formation and the female laying the eggs. The incubation period is on average 35 days, during which time pairs alternate sitting on the eggs to maintain the eggs optimum temperature and protect them from predators.
Once the chicks hatch, parents take turns guarding them for two to three weeks, until the chicks can thermoregulate (moderate their own body temperature).
Thereafter, both parents go out to sea to forage and return nightly to feed their chicks via regurgitation (vomiting up a fish slurry), until the chicks fledge at about eight-week of age.

Anyone reading this up for the challenge of raising four kids in one year?

Photos: Sian Mair.

25/12/2025

Merry Christmas to you and your family / Meri Kirihimete ki a koutou ko te whānau!
Here's to a day filled with family, love, good food and a bit of cheekiness.

Best wishes for the year ahead / Kia pai katoa te tau e tū mai nei!

Photos: Sian Mair. Taken from a safe distance and zoomed in on at Clearwater Wildlife Tours.

21/12/2025

A unique and endearing characteristic of the little penguin/kororā (Eudyptula minor) colonies in the Otago region is their ability to double and even triple clutch (consisting of typically two chicks per clutch) within one year. Little penguins are one of only four penguins species in the world that can double clutch.

This pair live at Pilots Beach/Takiharuru at Blue Penguins Pukekura. While raising their first clutch of one chick, this pair did something very unusual; they went on to lay their second clutch, when their five-week-old chick was still weeks away from fledging (leaving the natal site). Their first clutch actually produced two chicks; however, one chick did not survive due to having scissor bill (caused by trauma or congenital malformation).

According to Dr Philippa Agnew from Ōamaru Penguins, little penguin pairs having a second clutch before their first chicks have fledged is very rare! This is taking enthusiasm to a new level. Concurrently incubating eggs (lying on them to maintain the eggs optimum temperature and protect them from predators) and raising chicks means pairs must alternate between incubating the second clutch and foraging at sea to feed the first chick(s) via regurgitation (vomiting up a fish slurry).
I'm happy to report the first chick successfully fledged at about eight-weeks-old and the second clutches chicks are thriving, against the eggs viability odds!

Photos: Sian Mair.

29/11/2025

Can your achy breaky heart handle it?

Meet BRC, a little penguin/kororā chick that is being supplementary fed at Blue Penguins Pukekura. (Hence why it is in a bucket - for transport).
Little Billy Blue is from a one parent nest and in cases where one parent is lost, the surviving parent may struggle to feed two chicks.
At Blue Penguins Pukekura, the staff are actively monitoring a subset of their little penguin colony and where they discover malnourished or injured penguins they do their best to help.
I am anticipating Billy Blue will fledge (leave the natal site) in about one week.

Photos: Sian Mair.

27/11/2025

Hoiho (yellow-eyed penguins) need us to shout on their behalf!

Hoiho are a national treasure and are classified as 'Nationally Endangered'. The northern population of hoiho have been declining rapidly for decades and will likely go extinct in the short-term without meaningful governmental intervention. It is estimated there are currently only 1,400 northern hoiho left in existence.

Studies over decades have consistently found that fisheries pose an 'extreme risk' to hoiho - direct impacts like bycatch and indirect impacts like starvation. They are also severely impacted by diseases such as respiratory disease syndrome (RDS) and diphtheritic stomatitis.

Hoiho are central-place benthic hunters and forage in a straight line - putting them at great risk of interacting with bottom trawlers. A 2023 study found that 33.4% and 61.2% of suitable hoiho habitat overlapped with areas of fisheries high netting and trawling, respectively. Concerningly, currently marine protected areas (MPAs) in Aotearoa New Zealand protect only 0.4% of mainland coastal waters.

The northern population of hoiho are teetering on the edge of the extinction vortex and cannot sustain any deaths from fisheries interactions. The government must set fishing-related mortality of hoiho to zero immediately.

Please join me in making a submission to fisheries on
'Further measures to reduce fisheries bycatch of hoiho (yellow-eyed penguin)'. For more information and to submit your submission, click here Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust: https://yellow-eyedpenguin.org.nz/collections/news/emergency-set-net-closure-submission-guide/

Photo: Sian Mair. Taken from a safe distance and zoomed in on at Clearwater Wildlife Tours.

17/11/2025

In 2017, The Guardian published a very relevant article 'All work, no pay: the plight of young conservationists', addressing the difficulties young people are facing in their pursuit of paid work in conservation.

Before securing my current role as the Habitat Manager in a little penguin/kororā (Eudyptula minor) reserve, I applied for over 20 jobs in Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia, from ranger to science communication roles. These applications resulted in only two interviews. The few responses I did receive from employers informed me that I was outcompeted by candidates with more experience or PhD's.

My journey is similar to many of my fellow conservationists...
In 2019 I established environmental platform Sea Society to provide education about wildlife and sustainability; in 2020 I pioneered legislative change in the Catlins in Aotearoa to protect endangered wildlife from vehicles on beaches; since 2020 I have volunteered for several conservation organisations; from 2022 to 2025, I voluntarily hosted an award-winning national radio show Spinning Yarns With Sian; and in 2024 I gained my zoology degree.
Nonetheless, securing paid work in conservation was challenging!

My advice to people seeking paid work in conservation is:

1. Gain a degree in conservation, zoology or the equivalent. While studying try to get to know your lecturers.
2. Volunteer. Volunteering connects you with like-minded people and potential future employers. You will also gain invaluable experiences and skills.
Lack of free time to volunteer is often a prohibitive factor for young people. While either studying or working full-time, I had to make sacrifices to volunteer, primarily in regards to my social life.
3. Ask conservation professionals for their advice and seek mentorship.
4. Apply widely for jobs. Prepare to pivot. Rejections are unfortunately common. Try not to take these to heart or allow them to deflate your ambition. It is not a reflection of you, but of a dwindling conservation job market and systemic inequality.

Keep going. Every voice for conservation is valuable!

Photos: Sian Mair. Taken while on duty and/or from a safe distance and zoomed in on.

05/10/2025

A compilation of my favourite Dr Jane Goodall quotes.

Dr Jane Goodall was a trailblazer, visionary, vivid storyteller and an inspiration.

Rest in Peace Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall.
3rd April 1934 - 1st October 2025.

Photos: Dr. Jane Goodall.

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Dunedin

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https://www.seasocietynz.com/

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