Moana Mark

04/10/2026

This World Animal Day, we’re thinking about the animals that share our moana and wild places with us. 🐋 🌊

Protecting wildlife starts with understanding it, and small actions can make a difference. What’s one animal you’d love to see better protected?

World Animal Day HQ

18/09/2026

Today marks the beginning of Clean Up Week, where people across Aotearoa and around the world come together to clean up the places we call home 🌊

New Zealand Clean Up Week runs from 18-25 September, with World Cleanup Day on 19 & 20 September, bringing communities together to tackle litter and protect the places we love.

Last year, Clean Up Week volunteers across New Zealand collected around 30 tonnes of waste. That’s roughly the weight of a s***m whale!

With events taking place in communities around the country, including coastal clean-ups in Nelson and Mount Maunganui, grab some gloves, bring a friend, and do your bit this week.

Every piece of rubbish removed is one less piece that can make its way into our waterways and the moana.

15/09/2026

With a leopard seal recently making headlines here in Aotearoa, after coming ashore at a Wellington beach, we thought it was a good time to revisit what to do if you’re lucky enough to encounter one up close. 🦭

Leopard seals are protected, wild animals, so give them plenty of space and keep at least 20m away. If you have a dog with you, keep them on a lead too. Leopard seals are apex predators, and you don’t want your pup to become a tasty snack!

Sightings around New Zealand are rare, although they’re becoming more frequent. If one chooses to rest on the beach, let it rest and enjoy the experience from a respectful distance. It’ll head back to the water when it’s ready.

Sadly this individual in Wellington passed away over the weekend. A necropsy will provide a valuable insight into her life and add to information about her species.

01/09/2026

🌟 Kaikōura wildlife spotlight: Orca.

Did you know that despite their common name, “killer whale”, orca are actually the largest members of the dolphin family? 🐬

Incredibly adaptable hunters, their diet can include fish, squid, octopus, rays, seals and small sharks, and they’re the only known fully aquatic mammals that regularly prey on other marine mammals (which is where the name killer whale comes from).

But there’s still plenty we don’t know about these remarkable animals.

Aotearoa is home to an estimated 150-200 individuals, found all around our coastlines. New Zealand’s orca are classified as Threatened - Nationally Critical, and long-term research and monitoring helps us understand where they travel, how they use our coastal waters, and the pressures they face.

Every sighting is a reminder of just how much life our moana supports and why understanding it is so important.

If you’re lucky enough to encounter orca, give them space and let them move freely. From a vessel, keep at least 50m away and avoid approaching, circling, or obstructing their path.

28/08/2026

We’re delighted to welcome Ananda Tours as a new Moana Mark Manaaki Partner.

Sharing the best of Waiheke Island with visitors for more than 27 years, the family-owned business offers private and group tours showcasing the island’s vineyards, artists, landscapes, history, and local knowledge.

For Ananda, sustainability is about protecting the place they call home, including the ocean surrounding it.

“We have been looking for an ocean-based initiative to support for a while,” says the Ananda team. “We love the thought of funding a particular project in our own backyard. It’s tangible and something our guides can really get behind and share with our guests.”

🐬 As a Manaaki Partner, Ananda Tours will be contributing directly to the Dolphin Protection Project.

They also plan to share the research with their guides, guests, and wider community through their website and social channels, helping more people understand why marine science matters.

Find out more at https://www.moanamark.com/partners

Ananda Tours

Meet the businesses who are proudly supporting Moana Mark research projects

13/08/2026

Did you know? A whale-watching trip isn’t just about getting up close to some of nature’s wonders. A day out on the water can actually contribute to research and conservation.

A landmark New Zealand study looked back over 30 years of whale and dolphin tourism – including in Kaikōura, where Moana Mark is headquartered. The conclusion of the study was that the science that protects these animals, and the smart rules that keep them safe, have been built on the back of the tourism that brings people out to see them.

That's exactly the idea behind Moana Mark. Every tour helps fund real marine research – the kind that tells us how our whales, dolphins and seals are really doing, and what they need from us.

The researchers' key lesson? Protecting these taonga depends on genuine partnerships between iwi, local communities, operators and scientists. Science and tourism, working together, for the ocean. 🌏 📄

To read the full report, visit the Linktree in our bio or visit https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science/articles/10.3389/fmars.2021.624448/full.

Fumagalli et al. (2021), Looking Back to Move Forward, Frontiers in Marine Science (open access).

06/08/2026

Introducing our newest Moana Mark research project 🐬

Sentinels of the Sea is helping researchers better understand how pollution is affecting the health of New Zealand's dolphins and the wider marine environment.

Led by Massey University's Cetacean Pathology Unit, this important long-term research is building the knowledge needed to better protect our marine mammals and our moana.

We're proud to help raise awareness of this vital work and connect more people with the science happening behind the scenes.

Watch this space for news on a funding partner!

Learn more: https://www.moanamark.com/dolphin-research

Cetacean Ecology Research Group - CERG

05/08/2026

Helping tourists and tourism businesses make their mark on the moana, one project at a time. Thank you to Tourism Industry Aotearoa - TIA for spreading the word about the outstanding conservation and protection work being done by Pōhatu Penguins/plunge with vital support from EcoZip Flying Fox Adventures!

31/07/2026

Today we’re celebrating international Marine Protected Areas Day 🌊

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) play an important role in protecting some of our most valuable marine habitats and species. They provide safe places for wildlife to feed, breed and recover, while helping build healthier, more resilient ocean ecosystems.

What role does marine research play? It helps us understand whether these protected areas are working, how ecosystems are changing, and what more needs to be done to safeguard our moana for future generations.

At Moana Mark, we're proud to support the science that turns knowledge into conservation action.

Here's to the researchers, conservationists, and communities working to protect our marine environment 💙
Master Painters Association

23/07/2026

Today is World Whale and Dolphin Day 🐋

New Zealand is home to nearly half of all the world’s cetacean species (whales, dolphins, and porpoises), with 38 to 40 different cetacean species reported in our waters.

By supporting marine research, we can better understand and protect these remarkable species for future generations.

If you'd like to help make a difference, consider donating to support our S***m Whale Project.

Find out more: https://www.moanamark.com/s***m-whale-project

***mWhaleProject