Upgrade hoiho (yellow-eyed penguin) threat status and enforce no-fishing zones

That the House of Representatives urge the Government to immediately upgrade the official threat classification of mainland hoiho (yellow-eyed penguins) from Nationally Endangered to Nationally Critical, and pass legislation extending permanent no-trawling and no-net fishing zones across all known hoiho habitats.

Nest counts across Otago, Southland, and Rakiura have collapsed by 80 percent since 2008, with nest counts plummeting to just 143 pairs. I believe current protections are falling short, and that upgrading hoiho threat status and passing strict no-net and no-trawling boundaries around their marine habitats is the only way to pull them back from the brink.