{"id":436558,"date":"2026-05-20T11:03:18","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T11:03:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/436558\/"},"modified":"2026-05-20T11:03:18","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T11:03:18","slug":"whangarei-residents-warned-over-seagull-droppings-as-council-issues-pamphlets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/436558\/","title":{"rendered":"Whang\u0101rei residents warned over seagull droppings as council issues pamphlets"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cIt\u2019s crazy,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

Dixon, whose home overlooks a small lake, said the phenomenon is recent and unlike anything he has seen before. <\/p>\n

The birds were gathering in large numbers on the roofs of two properties on the opposite side of the water. <\/p>\n

Each afternoon about 4pm, the gulls choose another house to converge upon shifting about the neighbourhood, Dixon said. <\/p>\n

He said others living nearby \u2014 up to 300m away \u2014 had also noticed the spectacle, watching flocks circling and clustering overhead. <\/p>\n

Although the birds were not a direct nuisance at his property, Dixon said concerns were growing among neighbours.<\/p>\n

The main issue is the volume of droppings accumulating on roofs and around homes, he said. <\/p>\n

He pointed to houses where white seagull droppings are evident, raising concerns about gutter damage and cleanliness. <\/p>\n

Southall praised council\u2019s response to the issue, saying he and his wife were putting the pamphlets in letterboxes. <\/p>\n

The council<\/a> said the pamphlets were a new initiative developed because of the residents\u2019 offer to distribute them.<\/p>\n

It said it received nine complaints about seagulls in the past 12 months from across the district, with no clear concentration in any one area.<\/p>\n

The council said the issue involved a mix of gull species and appeared ongoing rather than seasonal or temporary. <\/p>\n

A council spokesperson acknowledged the birds could be a nuisance and pose minor public health risks, particularly through droppings. <\/p>\n

\"Whang\u0101reiWhang\u0101rei District Council developed this pamphlet after a complaint about seagulls from a Totara Parklands resident, who agreed to help with a letterbox drop.\"It'sIt’s evident where the gulls have been. Photo \/ supplied<\/p>\n

Local roofing expert Beldon Taylor, managing director of Taylor Roofs, confirmed the birds\u2019 highly acidic waste could \u201cetch away\u201d protective roof coatings, causing corrosion and rust. <\/p>\n

Other roofing materials, such as concrete, were also vulnerable to long-term exposure, he said. <\/p>\n

Not all Totara Parklands<\/a> residents are concerned about the birds and not all are visited by them. <\/p>\n

In online discussions, some residents supported Southall\u2019s concerns and the pamphlet drop, saying it was a good way to address the problem without any household feeling targeted. <\/p>\n

Others said the seagulls were part of the natural environment and should be left alone. <\/p>\n

Another person said he was tempted to order a big serving of fish and chips and deliberately serve it to the birds.<\/p>\n

A Northland Regional Council spokesman said seagulls are the responsibility of the Department of Conservation (DoC). <\/p>\n

\"It'sIt’s evident where the gulls have been. Photo \/ supplied\"TwoTwo of New Zealand\u2019s three native gull species – the red-billed gull or tar\u0101punga (pictured here) and the black-billed gull or tar\u0101puka – are protected under the Wildlife Act 1953.<\/p>\n

DoC Treaty partnership kaiarahi matua for Whang\u0101rei District, Matiu Mataira, said because red-billed gulls and black-backed gulls are protected under the Wildlife Act 1953<\/a>, DoC\u2019s role is focused on conservation and management rather than direct control or removal in response to nuisance issues.<\/p>\n

Under the Wildlife Act, penalties for harming, killing or disturbing protected seagulls or their nests include fines of up to $100,000 and two years in prison.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese species are a quintessential part of Aotearoa New Zealand\u2019s natural environment,\u201d Mataira said. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey are highly adaptable and occupy a wide range of habitats \u2013 from coastal breeding and feeding areas through to urban, suburban and commercial centres. Their presence in towns and cities is not unusual.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said nuisance issues were often linked to human behaviour, particularly the intentional or unintentional feeding of birds. <\/p>\n

Feeding gulls can change their natural behaviour, encouraging them to gather in larger numbers, become more confident around people, and rely on human food sources.<\/p>\n

Mataira said DoC\u2019s advice to the public is to avoid feeding gulls or leaving food scraps accessible, secure rubbish and food waste, and support council messaging about reducing attractants.<\/p>\n

He said DoC was not aware of a high volume of formal complaints in Whang\u0101rei at this stage but noted such issues were usually reported to and managed by councils.<\/p>\n

Sarah Curtis is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on a wide range of issues. She has nearly 20 years\u2019 experience in journalism, most of which she spent court reporting in Gisborne and on the East Coast.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cIt\u2019s crazy,\u201d he said. Dixon, whose home overlooks a small lake, said the phenomenon is recent and unlike…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":436559,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[125659,806,19976,2199,5205,223345,60508,5345,12620,76,1452,223348,111,43,139,69,1523,223346,12064,530,104973,223347,17294,3055,8222,1869],"class_list":["post-436558","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-apparent","tag-as","tag-birds","tag-city","tag-council","tag-droppings","tag-feed","tag-increase","tag-inland","tag-issue","tag-issues","tag-leaflets","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-over","tag-pamphlets","tag-prompted","tag-residents","tag-seagull","tag-seagulls","tag-suburb","tag-urging","tag-warned","tag-whangrei"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/436558","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=436558"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/436558\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/436559"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=436558"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=436558"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=436558"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}