In a press release issued on September 5th, Princess Cruises announced it is expanding its environmental stewardship in New Zealand by offering funding from its Princess Local Partnerships program to Dunedin-based Natures Wonders, an organization that is key to helping safeguard the country’s iconic wildlife. The new partnership will support building habitat for an emerging Blue Penguin colony in Otago and the preservation of the last major yellow-eye penguin colony on the mainland of New Zealand.
Princess Cruises Senior Vice President Asia Pacific, UK + Europe, Stuart Allison, said the cruise line is committed to supporting conservation and culture in New Zealand by using tourism as a vehicle for regeneration.
“This expanded partnership will further support community-based conservation efforts in New Zealand playing a pivotal role in the protection of these treasured species for generations to come,” he said.
Perry Reid, owner of Natures Wonders, said, “We are thrilled to be formalising a partnership with Princess Cruises after so many years of introducing Princess guests to the wildlife here at Natures Wonders. With the generous funding from Princess Cruises, we will be building more nesting boxes for the flourishing Blue Penguin colony and extending our predator-free boundary. We expect that this will have a huge impact on Blue Penguin numbers while also preserving the neighbouring Yellow-Eyed Penguin colony as well.”
Launched in 2019, the Princess Local Partnerships program is funded by guest donations and also supports Bay Bush Action in the Bay of Islands, a cause it has backed since inception.
“Thanks to the generous donations of our guests and the hard work of Bay Bush Action trustees and volunteers, in recent years we have seen a 120% increase in Kiwi numbers in the Ōpua State Forest and revival of the Kaka and Kokako native bird species in the region,” Mr Allison added. “And now with our partnership with Natures Wonders, an organization we’ve been bringing our guests to for over 20 years, our guests will be able to directly contribute to conservation efforts in the Otago region as well as see the results of their donations when they visit Dunedin in the months and years to come.”
Craig Salmon, Bay Bush Action Trustee, said, “The support from Princess Cruises has allowed us to make a lot of headway in our work at Bay Bush Action. Not only are we able to work on restoring a forest that has been forgotten about for over 25 years; we are also creating jobs and supporting our local economy. It has been so heartening to see the increase in Kiwi numbers and the regeneration of native plants in Ōpua State Forest, which we couldn’t have done without the generous donations of Princess Cruises guests.”
Princess Cruises will return to New Zealand with four ships for the summer cruise season commencing with Coral Princess in Auckland on September 16th. Royal Princess will make her maiden visit to New Zealand, with her first call in Tauranga on October 18th while Majestic Princess will return visiting Auckland on October 30th. Grand Princess will also make a number of calls to New Zealand as part of her summer season visiting Auckland on October 17th.
“For over 20 years we have been bringing our guests to Natures Wonders, and now those guests will be able to directly contribute to conservation efforts in the Otago region. Funding from the Princess Local Partnerships program will support a thriving Blue Penguin colony by building new habitat and ensuring their home remains predator-free. Furthermore, conservation efforts will be replicated to preserve the Yellow-Eyed Penguin colony nearby which is the last major colony on the mainland of New Zealand. Guests will be able to see the results of their donations when they visit Dunedin in the months to come.”
Perry Reid, owner of Natures Wonders, said, “We are thrilled to be formalizing a partnership with Princess Cruises after so many years of introducing Princess guests to the wildlife here at Natures Wonders. With the generous funding from Princess Cruises, we will be building more nesting boxes for the flourishing Blue Penguin colony and extending our predator-free boundary. We expect that this will have a huge impact on Blue Penguin numbers while also preserving the neighboring Yellow-Eyed Penguin colony as well.”
