Pop-up penguins - art trail & auction

Wildlife Hospital Vet Nurse Emily Brewer offers up a tasty salmon to a statue found at the Dunedin Railway Station!

Behind-the-scenes in artist studios across our Wildlife Capital (and beyond), the final touches were made to fantastic penguin statue designs!

The Otago Shore and Land Trust is leading Hīkoi o te Taoka - March of the Treasures, an art-in-action initiative with a purpose, designed to raise awareness for the preservation and protection of Aotearoa’s endangered wildlife.  

During the campaign, the Otago Daily Times interviewed our wonderful vet nurse Emily Brewer at the iconic Dunedin Railway Station - Saving penguins, one tasty fish at a time

UPDATED: The statues have waddled their way across various locations around the South and arrived en masse back in Dunedin in time for the NatureDome 2026 event at Forsyth Barr Stadium. They are currently on display in the Beautiful Science Gallery (Level 1) at Tūhura Otago Museum and will be auctioned by Proctor Auctions at 5pm on Sunday 17 May. Pre-bidding is now open - download the Proctor Auctions app or join us at the Museum for the live auction from 4pm.

You can still vote for your favourite and the People’s Choice winner will remain on permanent display at the museum.

Funds raised throughout the campaign help support the vital work of The Otago Shore and Land Trust, and ourselves, Dunedin Wildlife Hospital. There’s so many fantastic designs, you may just have to vote for them all!