Margaret Suman & The Yellow-Eyed Penguin Trust

Like many people who encounter the yellow-eyed penguin, Margaret was awestruck by its magnificence. But she also knew the harsh reality of this endangered bird. There are less than 500 breeding pairs left in NZ. And numbers are in danger of dwindling. So Margaret turned her admiration of the penguin into action, joining The Yellow-Eyed Penguin Trust. Working closely with fellow volunteer Anita Pillai, the two women realised they faced more than just one challenge: the Trust nursery programme was under a cloud due to shrinking funds and the retirement of the nursery manager, jeopardising the most important part of the program – propagating native plants to regenerate the penguins’ crucial nesting areas.

But with the Vodafone NZ Foundation behind her Margaret can now take on this challenge. Not just keep the nursery going, but increasing the number of plants grown, to re-establish the nesting areas and, hopefully, help the yellow-eyed penguin flourish once more.

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Margaret Suman's monthly diaries