Wow!Vodafone Have Chosen Us ...

Wow!Vodafone Have Chosen Us ...

The Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust is thrilled to be chosen again by Vodafone as a charity of their choice in their latest scheme ‘Donate live!’ a Vodafone Live based donation platform.

Anton Oliver,current All Black and patron of our community group said “In my role as Patron of the Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust I hope to encourage youth to actively support their conservation work to help save the endangered yellow-eyed penguin ”.

What better way to get youth involved than through this exciting new pilot scheme being launched by Vodafone – a scheme revolving around technology that nearly every young New Zealander uses.

Our relationship with Vodafone began in 2003 when the plant nursery won the Vodafone “World of Difference ” programme which paid for salaries and expenses for one year.The following years ’ saw the Vodafone support continue through a grant followed by internal Vodafone programmes,and then this year to be again chosen is tremendously exciting; particularly as it is the Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust 20 th Anniversary year.

Formed in 1987 when it was realized that penguin population was plummeting,it started off solely as a voluntary group.20 years later whilst still governed by a voluntary board of Trustees we have a permanent staff of 8 employees (5.25 FTE)but these people continue to be assisted by a huge team of volunteers.

We established a comprehensive coastal conservation programme to cover all areas where yellow-eyed penguins are found – along the eastern coast of the South Island from Banks Peninsula to Bluff,and on Stewart Island.There is a further population on the sub-Antarctic Islands of Auckland and Campbell but we haven ’t found a way to continue our conservation work down there YET!

The yellow-eyed penguin population reached a dramatic low of 190 breeding pairs in the early 1990 ’s,but with conservation efforts by the Trust and others,the population has increased to a high of 600.But with the natural fluctuations the population is currently close to 500 breeding pairs.

The penguin is also helping save the planet!For 20 years the Trust has been growing and planting trees to shade the penguin.So the yellow-eyed penguin is acting as an ambassador for biodiversity and through the actions of the Trust new habitats and new forests are being created.

...SO COME ALONG &BE THE FIRST TO HEAR ABOUT THIS NEW SCHEME &WHY WE WERE CHOSEN! www.yellow-eyedpenguin.org.nz

Ends

© Scoop Media