Kia ora koutou, greetings all,

Hope you are well in these unprecedented times.

We've had a great response for the Māui & Hector's dolphin petition and now have a growing number of organisations and businesses supporting it!

The petition has been updated to reflect all the supporting organisations, in the text and in a promotional video: https://vimeo.com/675707460

We'd love your help in sharing the petition. Thank you so much if you have done this already, the more shares the merrier. This is important for several reasons:

 - Fisheries NZ is currently reviewing submissions on more protection for Hector's dolphins, and the relevant Ministers will soon be considering recommendations and making decisions. Time to put the pressure on.

 - There's also been an alarming number of dolphin fatalities since submissions closed in November. At least 10 dolphins, mostly calves have been found dead. Four were on the West Coast South Island, others in Marlborough, Christchurch, Oamaru and Invercargill.

- It is very concerning that a Māui dolphin was found on Christmas Day, highly decomposed, and in the last week a Māui was been spotted north of Auckland with a rope around it's tail. For more info see this news article: https://www.1news.co.nz/2022/02/11/bad-weather-halts-search-for-entangled-dolphin-seen-near-piha/?fbclid=IwAR3jF5CGQvTAziKqvWqo6G6rZeS8Ul76zXyUqv9TqEOqFRx-cARNh3rAo70

The latest dolphin incident database update by Department of Conservation can be found here: https://www.doc.govt.nz/our-work/hectors-and-maui-dolphin-incident-database/1-august-2021---31-july-2022/

The petition has been updated accordingly to include Māui dolphins due to urgent conservation concerns. 

Thank you so much for you ongoing support for these beautiful special dolphins, and for promoting and sharing the petition. Your help will make such a difference!

Ngā mihi nui,

Gemma, on behalf of Māui & Hector's Dolphin Defenders