Dunedin city councillors have agreed to amend a new management plan for Okia Reserve, on Otago Peninsula, after doubts were raised about prioritising yellow-eyed penguins over other wildlife.
The changes were the result of a public hearing for 10 submissions on the draft management plan, and were agreed by councillors at a recent community development committee meeting.
The reserve is jointly-owned by the Dunedin City Council and the Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust and managed by a committee including representatives from both, along with the Department of Conservation and Te Runanga o Otakou.
The group has been working on a new management plan for the reserve, which would update the original 10-year-old plan to better reflect growing visitor numbers and other challenges.
The new plan placed greater emphasis on the management of visitors using the reserve to better protect wildlife, including yellow-eyed penguins.
However, among the changes approved at the committee meeting on November 17 was one removing a clause prioritising the continued conservation of yellow-eyed penguins, if threatened by other competing native wildlife at the reserve.
The change also removed wording prioritising the protection of yellow-eyed penguins' nesting habitat for successful breeding.
The changes followed a submission by Department of Conservation (Doc) marine mammal scientist Dr Louise Chilvers, who opposed prioritising one protected species over another.
Other minor changes to the wording were agreed, to emphasis the plan aimed to protect all wildlife at the reserve - rather than yellow-eyed penguins and "other" wildlife.
Her argument was supported by Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society Dunedin branch spokesman Mark Hanger.
A report by council reserves policy and planning officer Paula Gunn said the reserve and surrounding area was home to a "significant" breeding population of yellow-eyed penguins.
It was also home to some little blue penguins, native birds, sea lions and fur seals, and visiting southern elephant seals and leopard seals, she said.
Among other changes, film companies wanting to use the reserve - as happened with a German production of Out of Ashes in March this year - would have to abide by more specific regulations aimed at protecting the reserve.
The new plan also stressed dogs were prohibited in the reserve.
