Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust hoardings are going up around Dunedin today, asking residents to vote for the Hoiho Yellow-eyed Penguin.
It comes less than a week after the Dunedin City Council, the Dunedin Wildlife Hospital, The Monarch, Otago Shore and Land Trust, Port to Port Ferry and Wildlife Tours, the Royal Albatross Centre and Opera Wildlife Conservation Tours backed a push to have the red-billed gull named as Bird of the Year.
Both birds are on the voting form as part of a New Zealand Forest and Bird campaign aimed at raising awareness of the nation’s native birds.
Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust spokeswoman Claudia Palmer said "Welcome to Penguin Town" hoardings would be erected around the city in the morning by Emerson’s Brewery staff — particularly at the northern and southern entrances to Dunedin.
It was being done in a bid to see the hoiho crowned the first bird in history to win Bird of the Year three times, she said.
"The yellow-eyed penguin has this beautiful band of yellow feathers — these striking yellow eyes — and in my opinion, it is only fitting that this should be the first bird to win three times in a row, because it naturally wears a crown.
"Only two birds have ever won Bird of the Year twice: the hoiho in 2019 and 2024, and the kākāpō in 2008 and 2020.
"This year, we are also campaigning for hoiho to be the first bird to be crowned back to back."
Emerson’s Brewery was supporting the hoiho campaign again, with a special NZ Pale Ale "Penguin Town", and 50c from every purchase of the beer would go to the Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust, she said.
"Emerson’s are longtime supporters of the cause, and Penguin Town will be their fourth hoiho-themed brew."
Tūhura Otago Museum 2025 Photographer of the Year award winner Sam McGee was also campaigning for the hoiho, Ms Palmer said.
Asked how she felt about Dunedin residents also being asked to support the red-billed gull, she had a very diplomatic response.
"Well, I will say we are very happy to sign a confidence and supply agreement with the red-billed gull team. These are all very valuable birds.
"We can make a seabird coalition — whatever is necessary.
"These are beloved seabirds and they all share the same ocean, the same coast, and they’re actually very key indicator species that tell us about the health of our marine ecosystem.
"So they face many of the same threats, and their plights are all signs of the issues we need to address in the ocean.
"It’s only friendly competition amongst the seabirds this year."
