Energylight

17/09/2026

Only three days to go!

Voting for Bird of the Year closes at 5pm this Sunday, 20 September, so get amongst it and give the Westland Petrel (Tāiko) your vote.

VOTE HERE: https://www.birdoftheyear.org.nz



Bird of The Year 2026 - Westland Petrel/Tāiko
Westland Petrel Conservation Trust
Forest & Bird

𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓'𝐒 𝐈𝐍 𝐀 𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄?
Punakaiki or Punangairi? 👀

This week Aotearoa celebrates Te Wiki o te Reo Māori (Māori Language Week), so we thought we'd share a little story about the home of the Westland Petrel / Tāiko.

𝐒𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐠𝐨𝐞𝐬...

Ngāti Waewae identify the original name as 𝐏𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢 — puna meaning spring or pool, and ngairi (“kairi” in the Ngāi Tahu dialect) referring to stormy waters.

In 1846, explorer Charles Heaphy recorded the name as:

𝐏𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐤𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢.

But when his journal was published in a Nelson newspaper, the story goes that a typesetter misread his handwritten 𝐫 as a 𝐤.

𝐏𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐤𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢 became 𝐏𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐤𝐚𝐢𝐤𝐢.

And the name stuck. For nearly 180 years. 😳

Today, Punangairi has a home here once again.

The new visitor experience centre at Dolomite Point is called Punangairi. It is owned and managed by Ngāti Waewae and also houses the DOC visitor centre.

And Punangairi has another special connection to our Secret Night Flyer. 🌙

It's also a temporary safe haven for some of our grounded Tāiko, until they can get a helping hand and another chance to continue their journey to sea.

𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐝 — 𝐰𝐞'𝐯𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨𝐨... 👀🖤

So while you're learning manu (bird) and tāiko (Westland Petrel) with us this Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, here's one more name worth knowing:

𝐏𝐔𝐍𝐀𝐊𝐀𝐈𝐊𝐈
𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐅𝐥𝐲𝐞𝐫. 🌙🖤

11/09/2026

Bird of the Year voting is open, and we need your support!

VOTE HERE: https://www.birdoftheyear.org.nz

The Westland petrel (Tāiko) breeds in one small stretch of coastal hills between Barrytown and Punakaiki and nowhere else on earth. It is the largest burrowing petrel still breeding on mainland New Zealand, and artificial light is one of the biggest threats it faces.

It is also the icon of our special edition Petrel Head Amber Ale, and $1 from every beer and every ewo pole top system we sell goes to the teams protecting the Tāiko.

You can vote for up to five birds, so there is plenty of room on your ballot!

Give the Tāiko one of those spots before voting closes at 5pm on Sunday 20 September.

Watch our story behind the bird here:
https://youtu.be/nKlSo4_VbNM?si=00yaqCwk9xRLiepl

13/08/2026

Energylight is proudly supporting Shine for a Cure, a free community lantern walk taking place in Hagley Park, Christchurch, and Auckland Domain on Saturday 19 September 2026.

Together, we carry lanterns to remember loved ones, recognise personal blood cancer journeys and show our support for people living with blood cancer.

Every dollar raised supports blood cancer research, helping to create better treatments and outcomes for patients and whānau across New Zealand.