The Lake Wānaka Grebe Project is a community-led initiative working to increase the population of the threatened pūteketeke / native southern crested grebe by providing a safe nesting area in the lake.
Innovative floating platforms, pioneered by retired zoologist John Darby, provide a secure space for the pūteketeke to build their nests amid strong winds and fluctuating lake levels.
Darby was inspired to design a floating wooden platform for the birds after noticing a pair of pūteketeke struggling to build a nest. More than a decade later, up to 22 anchored nest platforms are installed at the lake and pūteketeke return to the lake every year to breed.
At least 600 eggs have now hatched on the platforms since the project started in 2013. During the national grebe census in January 2024, volunteers across the South Island counted a minimum population of 1,047 pūteketeke - a 50% increase in their population since 2014.
However, many factors pose a threat to the survival of pūteketeke, including predation, plastics, wetland destruction and human activity on waterways.
Luckily, the pūteketeke now has its own ambassador, Petrina Duncan, a community coordinator for Southern Lakes Sanctuary.
Duncan says the Project team is advising other keen community groups so that more nesting platforms can be built and installed in the wider region - in Bannockburn, Cromwell and Glenorchy.
“In the past year, we have achieved so much including installing grebe information signs around Lake Wānaka, launching our website, and rolling out an education programme.
“It’s also heartening to see so much interest in the pūteketeke from tourists and New Zealanders alike.”
The Grebe Project is one of 19 initiatives WWF-New Zealand, in partnership with the Tindall Foundation, is supporting this year through its Community Conservation Fund.
The WWF-New Zealand Community Conservation Fund supports local communities to run projects that conserve and restore Aotearoa’s natural environment, while also educating New Zealanders about its importance.