The Department of Conservation is reporting blue penguins that washed up dead on East Coast beaches starved to death.
The deaths were blamed on Petrobras by protestors against the Brazilian oil company, which is undertaking a seismic survey of the Raukumara basin just north of East Cape.

Necropsy results from Massey University found the penguins died after a prolonged period of starvation and exposure.
Eighteen little blue penguins from two different sites, including those found washed up at Waihau Bay, were tested, says DOC ranger Jamie Quirk.
No food was found in the stomachs of any of the 18 penguins, which included eight adult females, five adult males and five young.
They concluded that 12 died of starvation/emaciation, five died of starvation/emaciation/exposure and one died from exposure/hypothermia and an infection.
The health of penguins is measured as a body score with a maximum of nine.

The body score for 12 of the penguins was 2/9 and the remaining six scored 3/9.
'The penguin deaths are linked to the La Nina weather patterns which have reduced the amount of baitfish available.

'The empty stomachs and low fat reserves leading to low body score are the result of this poor food availability,” says Jamie.