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Story: Gannets and boobies

New Zealand's main gannet colonies

New Zealand's main gannet colonies

Breeding colonies of Australasian gannets are spread around New Zealand. The largest colonies, with over 10,000 breeding pairs each, are offshore – on Three Kings Island at the northern tip of New Zealand, Gannet Island off the west coast of the North Island, and White Island in the Bay of Plenty.

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Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

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How to cite this page

Maggy Wassilieff, Gannets and boobies – Gannets: description and habitat, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/map/5819/new-zealands-main-gannet-colonies (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Maggy Wassilieff, published 2 March 2009.

Comments

Kirsten Gamby
16 November 2021
I just saw three gannets flying over new plymouth pier (flying South). Is there a colony near here or would they be in their way to one South of here?