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Story: Dolphins

Protecting Opo

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Protecting Opo

In Opononi local people, concerned that harm might come to Opo, formed a committee to protect her and successfully petitioned the government to pass a law to that effect. The committee was known as the Opononi Gay Dolphin Protection Committee; the official custodian who put up this sign enjoyed the alliteration of ‘Gay Golphin’.

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Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

by Eric Lee-Johnson

Permission of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Gerard Hutching, Dolphins – Humans and dolphins, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/4701/protecting-opo (accessed 24 June 2026).

Story by Gerard Hutching, published 2 March 2009, updated 1 September 2015.