It’s been about 18 months incubating, but Ōamaru’s new-look penguin colony has hatched and is ready to welcome the public.

Formerly, Ōamaru Blue Penguin Colony, Ōamaru Penguins is the new, cleaner name, and there is a new-look Discovery Centre for a more interactive visitor experience.

The new branding reflects the organisation’s broader role as both a leading conservation hub and an internationally recognised wildlife destination, Science and Environmental manager Dr Philippa Agnew says.

“We’re still the same world-class colony, just with a fresh face and a wider lens,” she says.

 “The name ‘Ōamaru Penguins’ better reflects everything we do – from protecting little penguins to sharing their story with the world.”

At the official opening on Monday afternoon (September 15), Te Ha o Maru board chair Trevor McLinchey welcomed invited guests, and spoke about how Te Mahi o Waitaki Trust, a mana whenua-owned community trust, built the first seating area to watch the penguins come ashore in the evenings.

Tourism Waitaki director Mike McIlhinney said the new-look centre was a culmination of a vision to create something extraordinary for the community and for visitors. 

He highlighted Philippa’s “exceptional leadership and dedication”.

“Your vision, expertise, and determination and unwavering commitment to penguin conservation and visitor experience have been the driving force behind this . . . transformation,” he said.

The company behind the new logo and website build is Wellington-based Salted Herring, while the Discovery Centre design and execution has been created by Locales. 

Also a Wellington company, Locales’ expertise lies in exhibition and visitor centre design, and it has worked on several projects, including the Gallipoli and Colossal Squid exhibitions at Wellington's Te Papa Museum.

Members of the public, invited to yesterday's new Discover Centre opening, try out the new exhibits. Photo: Cara Tipping Smith

Locales founder and creative director Chris Hay says the goal was to create an experience that is as fun as it is meaningful.

“Where families can laugh at a penguin selfie one moment and reflect on climate change the next.

"You can go to a lot of contemporary exhibitions and they sometimes feel a bit too digital, so we really try hard to make things tactile and work for everybody - there's drawers, there's pullouts, there's comics, and so it's very multidimensional.”

Operations and commercial general manager Cyndi Christenson says the renovations began about the same time she did, at the start of August.

Cyndi, who has come to the colony from Waitaki District Council, says her new role is “great’.

“This has been really exciting, and I'm so pleased to just come in on the back end of it and see it come to fruition.

“You can just see the amount of work that Pip and the team have all put into it, and the dedication to bring it all together,” she says.

Philippa says having Cyndi join the team allows her to focus on her real passion, which is the science and data side of things.

She is most excited about “bringing the science to life” in the Discovery Centre, through the visualisations and interactives.

“But bringing it in such a way that it's really, really engaging. Because, as a scientist, it's really hard to tell the story without people just immediately, you know, eyes glazed and getting bored,” she says.

“[Locales] have just made such an amazing job of making it so engaging, with the beautiful illustrations.” 

The new-look colony is part of Waitaki Destination Management Development Plan, and was signed off by the council about 18 months ago, Philippa says.

The plan serves as a roadmap to enhance tourism in the Waitaki District, ensuring sustainable growth, fostering community involvement, and promoting environmental preservation. 

The penguin colony was one of the top 10 priority projects highlighted, and the upgrade costs were entirely covered by ticket sales.

“We’ve had two really good years,” she says.

The interactive centre invites visitors into the fascinating world of the kororā (little penguin), blending science, storytelling, and playful design.

Some of those present at the new Ōamaru Penguins Discovery Centre opening on Monday. Photo: Cara Tipping Smith

From a 180-degree animated film that plunges viewers deep into the history of penguin evolution, to a hands-on research lab where guests become honorary penguin scientists, the new experience bridges conservation with wonder.

Discovery Centre highlights include: 

A Build-a-Penguin interactive – where people design their own penguin and snap a selfie, a mural and data-driven display showing how Ōamaru’s penguin population has flourished through decades of protection; live science insights featuring tracking tech, nest box innovations, and predator control.

There is also a Mandarin language app to make the colony more welcoming for Chinese visitors.

To strengthen its scientific impact, Ōamaru Penguins has partnered with Dragonfly DataScience to develop modern data entry and reporting systems. 

These digital tools support the colony’s research programme – one of the most comprehensive long-term studies of any seabird species globally.

“Every burrow check, every GPS track, every rescued penguin adds to our understanding,” Philippa says. 

“The new systems streamline how we collect, analyse, and report data – enabling smarter conservation decisions and better sharing with the global science community.”

The colony has been operating for more than 30 years, and Philippa hopes this latest upgrade will help people to not only see the penguins but also understand and care about them.

“Ōamaru’s penguins are thriving. By sharing what works here, we hope to inspire wider action to protect seabirds everywhere.”

If you live locally, this week it is free for those in the Waitaki to experience the new Discovery Centre, in its first week open.

Bookings should be made by emailing [email protected] is required when collecting tickets.

A day booking includes a self-guided tour of the nesting boxes, and a night booking includes viewing the penguins coming to shore.

There will be specials running during the school holidays as well, to get families to spend time and check out the Discovery Centre.

An interactive Build Your Own Penguin that you can take a selfie with, as it swims past. Photo: Cara Tipping Smith

• Additional reporting Cara Tipping Smith