Southshore beach takes on orange hue as tiny marine creatures wash ashore
A Christchurch beach has taken on a striking bright orange tinge after millions of tiny marine creatures washed ashore.
Resident Moreen Sackree was taking a stroll on Southshore beach in South New Brighton about 10am on Tuesday, when she came across what she believed were millions of “little krill or squat lobsters”.
“I came across an orange beach – something I've never seen [before].”
Sackree said many of the marine creatures appeared to be dead and were “quite dense” in some areas.
“I tried to put them back into the water but there was just so many there it didn't seem like it was making a difference, it was definitely a rare sight to see.”
Another beach goer, Eve Driver, said when she came across the swarm about 6pm on Tuesday, none of them were alive and many had been buried under the sand.
“The seagulls were going crazy and there was lots of red bird poo.”
Marine ecologist John Pirker, from the University of Canterbury, said the tiny creatures appeared to be gregarious squat lobster – a small crustacean that feeds on the ocean floor.
Squat lobsters generally move in large swarms along the eastern coast of the South Island.
They swam inshore to breed after completing their “larval cycle”, and settled in shallow waters – usually between October and May each year.
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DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.
Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.
For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.
Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?
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Poll: Canterbury is thriving on paper... but are you seeing evidence of Canterbury's improving economy?
As reported in the Press, Reserve Bank Governor Anna Breman recently gave a shout-out to our region, calling Canterbury a "stand-out" for how we recover from tough times. With tech firms growing and exporters investing, the business side of things is looking bright!
👉 But we know that "business growth" doesn't always mean the weekly shop gets any cheaper. While the city expands, many families feel like they’re just trying to keep their heads above water.
We want to know: With the business buzz of 2026, do you feel like things are finally looking up for your household, or does it still feel like a climb?
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28.6% Yes
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42.9% No
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28.6% In some areas ...
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