ROCKET LAB HELPS NEW ZEALAND NATIVE BIRD WITH UNIQUE SPACE PATCH

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ROCKET LAB HELPS NEW ZEALAND NATIVE BIRD WITH UNIQUE SPACE PATCH
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ROCKET LAB HELPS NEW ZEALAND NATIVE BIRD WITH UNIQUE SPACE PATCH
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Rocket Lab may have its sights set on outer space but it is doing its bit for those unable to fly quite as high.
The United States-based company, which has a launch pad at Mahia Peninsula, has released a limited edition “mission patch” to raise funds for the Department of Conservation's tuturuatu (shore plover) protection fund.
The Race To Space mission patch features the protected New Zealand native bird wearing an astronaut helmet and riding a rocket to space to help DoC's protection efforts of the critically endangered tuturuatu located on Waikawa (Portland Island) off the tip of Mahia Peninsula.
Rocket Lab established the world's first private orbital launch complex, Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, on the peninsula in 2016, which has been the launch site for 14 Electron missions carrying 55 satellites to space.
The number of tuturuatu on nearby Waikawa has risen to more than 80 birds since DoC introduced them to the island in 1999, making up 33 percent of the total population of tuturuatu in the world.
The Race to Space mission patch design was submitted by conservation scientist Dr Stephanie Galla, a former researcher at the University of Canterbury, who worked with DoC to manage threatened birds from Boise, Idaho, as part of a global competition to design a unique Rocket Lab mission patch.
Complex 1 manager Chuck Dowdell said Rocket Lab launch staff had supported tuturuatu conservation previously by dedicating their time and transport services to the protection programme.
“Mahia Peninsula is a special place for our team as the home of our first launch site and a place of cultural and environmental importance. As the launchers of the world's fourth most frequently launched rocket in the world last year, we're determined to be a leader in not just the sustainable use of space but also kaitiaki (guardians) of the land on which we operate and the environment around us.”
“Tuturuatu are unique and quirky little birds but sadly they're a critically threatened species,” DoC biodiversity ranger Helen Jonas said.
“There are only about 250 in the wild with secure populations on just three islands, the second-largest population being Waikawa. We really appreciate support like this fundraising patch, which will help boost the resources available for protecting tuturuatu and also raise awareness. These little guys need all the help they can get.”
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