The cancellation of the annual Cook Strait humpback whale survey has disappointed some, but the Department of Conservation (DOC) says it's got enough data to work with -- for now.
Oil and gas exploration company OMV New Zealand, which partly funded the survey, is no longer continuing its contribution to the long-term project.
Green Party conservation spokesman Kevin Hague says the decision shows National's reliance on corporate sponsorship is failing New Zealand's endangered species.
"Relying on corporate goodwill to protect our endangered and threatened species means they're at risk when that funding is pulled," he says.
While he says such funding is helpful, it should be "the icing on the conservation cake", rather than core funding.
Endangered humpback whale numbers have generally been on the increase since the survey began in 2004.
Last year's survey sighted a record 137 humpback whales, a blue and sperm whale and a southern right whale.
It also threw up a very rare sighting of a white whale known as Migaloo normally seen migrating past Australia.
Migaloo is normally seen in Australian waters (DOC Cook Strait Whale Survey)
A DOC spokesman says OMV's support of marine-based surveys helped immensely in gathering movements through the Cook Strait.
"We now have over 12 years of data from this programme and DOC's current focus is on detailed analysis of the genetic information which has been built up," the spokesman says.
It says the time will now be used to collate and evaluate the results of the survey to see where future research could be needed.
It says it will still support land-based whale surveys and that there's "no immediate impact" in putting the survey on hold.
But Mr Hague says funding needs to be consistent every year to help keep a clear picture of the numbers of humpback whales.
He says the funding loss is the latest in a string of high-profile cases including BNZ pulling sponsorship for kiwi conservation and Rio Tinto ending its association with DOC's kakapo recovery programme.
He claims DOC's funding has been $52 million less each year than under Labour in 2008-2009 in real terms.
Forest and Bird marine expert Anton van Helden is disappointed with the decision which will leave a gap in the long-term data and have a ripple effect for other Pacific nations.
"We're only just learning more about the movements of these animals...understanding the relationships between [different populations of humpbacks] and their movements and are poorly known."
Aside from the data, the cost of the survey has also been helpful in bringing the community together, Mr van Helden says, with some former whalers now acting as whale spotters.
He says DOC has an obligation to manage the animals as they pass through New Zealand and the survey was one of those methods.
"It contributes to a much broader conversation of the movements of these animals through the Pacific and that has been a contribution from the New Zealand government to the broader South Pacific Whale Research Consortium."
Mr van Helden says it's "disappointing" when there are holes in data in long-term studies which can give a better picture than "ad-hoc" studies.
Newshub.
