A Richmond man has been sentenced to 150 hours of community work for killing a kea.
Stephen Frost, 46, was sentenced in the Nelson District Court on Wednesday after he pleaded guilty to charges of unlawfully hunting or killing protected wildlife and disposing of it without authority.
Kea are commonly found around the Motueka Valley construction site where Frost worked.
The court was told that despite the protection status of the kea, Frost was seen throwing objects at kea on a number of occasions.
Frost argued it was to scare them away.
On July 18, kea were being noisy on the roof a shipping container, The Department of Conservation (DoC) says.
Frost threw a 30cm builder's peg at the kea - knocking it off the container. He stood on the injured kea's head which he said was to put it out of its misery.
He then wrapped the dead kea in a sheet of black plastic and put it in a skip.
DoC Motueka Operations Manager Mark Townsend says the harmful acts will not be tolerated.
"Kea has a conservation status of nationally endangered with their numbers estimated to be less than 5000," Mr Townsend says.
"If people are concerned about kea behaviour around their property or work site they should contact the Department of Conservation or the Kea Conservation Trust."
The Trust runs a programme that helps people to 'kea proof' their properties.
Newshub.
