NZ Bird Rescue has decided to sell the Panmure property formerly owned by Pam Howlett. Pam was co-founder of Bird Rescue and was well known for her wonderful work with sick and injured birds and her tireless care of the Pied Shag colony on the Panmure Basin outside her Watene Rd property.
When Pam passed away in 2010 she left the property to NZ Bird Rescue ‘to assist with the creation of a bird hospital at 74 Avonleigh Rd, Green Bay.’ The Board at the time rented the property as an interim measure until such time as plans were in place to upgrade the Green Bay facility.
With costly maintenance needed at Watene Rd, and some significant improvements planned at the Green Bay Centre this year, the current Board believes the time is right to sell the property. With the closure of other Auckland Bird Rescue centres, including Sylvia Durrant’s North Shore facility, the number and variety of birds being brought to the Green Bay Centre is growing. Planned improvements will help ensure the Centre is able to provide a high quality level of care to all birds.
Pam was a great advocate of the Panmure Shag colony. As well as feeding the birds, she was instrumental is getting set net fishing banned in Panmure Basin. Following her death the Board at the time had planned to wean the Shag colony from supplementary feeding. However this was never actioned and the birds have continued to be handfed by the tenant, who has also continued to care for injured seabirds at the property.
DOC and Auckland Council bird experts have recommended the Shags should be weaned, as feeding wild birds disrupts their natural feeding habits and creates an unnecessary dependency. We have offered to assist with the weaning program to help ensure the Shags are given the best possible future, however our assistance has been declined.
Any injured or sick birds found in the Basin can be brought to Bird Rescue in Green Bay or to Sylvia Park Vets after hours.
The property sold at auction in April 2019.