New Zealand Sea Lion Trust

08/06/2026

Our AGM is tonight at 4:30pm, followed by a public talk by Dr Annie Page!

After our AGM, we have the incredible Dr Annie Pagé presenting at Tūhura Otago Museum about avian influenza! Free to all, come along 🦭🩵

05/06/2026

The Trust is devastated at the news of yet another pakake pup death. This 5 month old female pup was found was found lifeless in a ditch beside the Hoopers Inlet road, and displayed signs of blunt force trauma injuries from collision with a vehicle. Only a week before this pup was found, a male pup was found dead in the Catlins.

This female pup had been seen healthy just two days before the incident, alongside her mother named Zoe, one of the oldest breeding females in the growing population. Zoe is 21 and has been having pups since she was 4, and still only has one breeding daughter, and a 2 year old daughter. This female pup was likely the last chance for her to have a third breeding daughter in her lifetime.

Hoopers Inlet is a well-known pakake hotspot, especially at this time of year when animals use the location as a creche. To keep both pakake and motorists safer, the road is already heavily managed with temporary fencing, reduced speeds and signage indicating sea lions may be present.

We urge all drivers to please take care and slow down for sea lions on the coastal roads around Dunedin. If you accidentally, or incidentally, harm a sea lion or other marine mammal, you are legally required to report it to NZ Police or the Department of Conservation. Not reporting an accident, is an offence under the Marine Mammal Protection Act 1978.

If you hit, or think you hit a sea lion, please report it as soon as possible by calling 0800 DOC HOT

Photos: DOC, J Fyfe

More information available here: https://www.doc.govt.nz/news/media-releases/2026-media-releases/second-pakake-pup-hit-by-vehicle/

30/05/2026

Happy world sea lion day!

We are so extraordinarily lucky to have such charismatic creatures on our back doorstep in the Otago and Southland region. Pakake are an endangered species, numbering around 10,000 and are found only in Aotearoa. They are one of six sea lion species worldwide. Always give them 20m+ space and enjoy their company from a safe distance. Thank you to everyone who has supported the Trust and our mahi as we raise awareness for a taonga species! 🦭🩵

Photos by Giverny Forbes

26/05/2026

After our AGM, we have the incredible Dr Annie Pagé presenting at Tūhura Otago Museum about avian influenza! Free to all, come along 🦭🩵

14/05/2026

Tonight! Head along to the last community hui, to share your own experiences.
The university will gather advice on what management currently works, and how local government can better support coexistence along our coast.

To sign up, please use the QR code/link below:

https://forms.office.com/r/JkpW8uU7pO

12/05/2026

The NZSLT is looking to hire someone for a volunteer position as the administrator. This role is important and would suit someone who is organised, passionate about conservation and is able to problem solve.

The ideal candidate will:
- Have experience in organisation of meetings, busy email inboxes and AGMs
- Have great time management and feel comfortable following up with people
- Able to check and respond to emails at least 3+ times a week
- Be passionate about community engagement
- Understand and be comfortable with Google Drive

Ideal but not essential: Pakake knowledge

If this sounds like you please send a CV and Cover Letter (with a quick couple of sentences about what got you into conservation) to [email protected] by the 26th of May 2026.

08/05/2026

We’re absolutely stoked at the recent pakake news - the Otago population officially had 38 (!!!!) pups this past 2025/2026 season, putting it officially on track to breeding colony status. To reach this incredible milestone is fantastic news!

To be considered a breeding colony, at least 35 sea lion pups must be born each season for five consecutive seasons.

If this happens, it would give Otago the first breeding colony on mainland New Zealand, excluding Stewart Island/Rakiura, for 150 years.

Shaun McConkey, chair of the NZ Sea Lion Trust, did an interview with RNZ - check it out at the link in our bio! https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/2019032918/sealion-colony-hits-major-population-milestone

Photo by Giverny Forbes

23/04/2026

NZSLT does not support the Fisheries Amendment Bill 2026 in its current form, and strongly opposes several key amendments being proposed to the Fisheries Act 1996 which are set out in the Bill.

NZSLT believes that the proposed amendments prioritise commercial fishing interests over New Zealand’s marine environment and its inhabitants.

Further the proposed amendments will, amongst other things, significantly reduce the transparency of commercial fishing operations and endanger marine ecosystems by reducing scientific thresholds for catch limits.

We’re calling on you to use the Forest and Bird and/or Legasea submission links below (or your own submission) to submit AGAINST the Fisheries Amendment Bill before NEXT Wednesday 29th April when it closes.

LegaSea NZ Forest & Bird

https://legasea.co.nz/fisheries-amendment-bill-submission-form/

https://www.forestandbird.org.nz/resources/forest-bird-guidance-fisheries-amendment-bill-2026

14/04/2026

Head along to this community hui next week all about sharing the water with pakake / NZ sea lions. All experiences and opinions are welcome! This is contributing to important sea lion research 🦭💙

One of our Postgraduate researchers is hosting a community hui with Dive Otago to capture how sea lions interact with humans in the water, which is very relevant after this weekends reported incident.

All who utilise our waters are welcome! 🌊🏄🚣‍♀️⛵️🤿🏊‍♀️

Just remember to sign up on the online form using the QR code above 🦭

05/04/2026

We have recently heard of someone being bitten by a sea lion in the water at Brighton beach (03/04/26). We would like to wish that person a speedy recovery and reassure everyone that sea lions are not aggressive animals and this incident is an isolated event.