Source: Radio New Zealand
There were no obvious signs of the cause of the whale’s death. Supplied / Maddi Newson
The body of a pygmy sperm whale, found stranded at the shore of Auckland’s Orewa, has been taken to a burial site.
The Department of Conservation said the whale was about 3.5-4 metres in length and there were no obvious signs of the cause of death.
DoC said Wednesday’s stranding was the third recorded of a pygmy sperm whale at Orewa, with another previously stranding at Whangaparāoa.
The iwi of the Mahurangi peninsula area – Ngāti Manuhiri – said each stranding was significant and treated with care, and the whale had been taken to their whale urupā (cemetery).
“From a tikanga and mātauranga perspective, strandings and whale deaths are understood as tohu – indicators of environmental change or events occurring within our wider realm,” said Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust chairperson Mook Hohneck. “We observe these carefully and with respect.”
He said all bones of a whale were taonga (treasure), and each iwi and hapū had its own tikanga (customs) for caring for and managing the remains.
“For us, the care of a whale is never about one bone or one moment. It is about honouring the taonga as a whole and upholding the tikanga handed to us by our tīpuna (ancestors),” said Hohneck.
“We appreciate the support of our community and partners in ensuring these remains were treated with dignity.”
DoC Tāmaki Makaurau operations manager Olivia Kean said between 10-20 pygmy sperm whales are found stranded each year on New Zealand’s shores.
While they often occur in Mahia, between Poverty Bay and Hawke’s Bay, they also strand all around the North Island and as far south as Dunedin, said DoC.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
