To help protect the endangered Westland petrel/tāiko, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency is trialling turning off highway lighting at night on a short section of State Highway 6 through Punakaiki this summer.

“Streetlights from Waikori Road in the south to Bullock Creek Road on the north side of Punakaiki will be turned off on Sunday, 8 November 2020 and turned back on in the New Year,” says Colin Hey, Senior Network Manager for Waka Kotahi.

Motorists are advised to take extra care on the road at night during this time with cautionary signage being installed on either side of the 3.4 km section of highway affected.

Waka Kotahi has been advised by local people that many residents use torches when walking at night currently, which everyone should do this summer at night in Punakaiki. The footpath is getting a full upgrade next year as part of a new cycling shared path installation.

“This is a great initiative to support the breeding season for these endangered seabirds which are an iconic part of our coastline,” says Buller District Mayor Jamie Cleine. “Many residents choose to live in and around Punakaiki because of its significant biodiversity and I am sure they will support any initiatives to help protect this. I also recommend following the advice of Waka Kotahi to carry a torch while out walking at night.”

Over the 3.4 km stretch of highway, 15 street lights will be turned off.

The Westland petrel/tāiko fledglings or chicks nest in burrows and can become disoriented from bright lights under their flight paths causing them to crash land, a phenomena known as fallout.

“The breeding colony is just south of Punakaiki and the breeding season is now underway, with petrel fledglings beginning to fly from early November,” says Mr Hey.

He says not lighting this short stretch of state highway over the peak of summer will be the first trial of this type in New Zealand.

During the breeding season, from April to December, the adults regularly fly in and out but only during the night. Similarly, the fledglings are active on land only at night but take only one flight out to sea and return for the first time after five to seven years.

Bruce Stuart-Menteath who chairs the Westland Petrel Conservation Trust and has worked for many years helping relaunch disoriented birds and protect their habitat, says the lighting switch-off for the petrel flying months is fantastic news.

“There could not be a better outcome for the petrels. Waka Kotahi should be commended for its efforts to protect the Westland petrel. By doing so it joins a trend around the world to protect wildlife from the effects of excessive artificial light.”

He says that streetlights have been the cause of petrel “fallout” around Punakaiki ever since they were installed along the coastline many years ago. Even though some fledglings are rescued and relaunched, many have died from their crash-landing injuries, or by vehicles hitting them. They can also die from starvation if they do not find a suitable launch site.

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