A conservation group says the development of a private golf course at a remote Auckland beach is threatening one of the country's most endangered birds.
The Te Arai Beach Preservation Society says only about 30 New Zealand fairy terns are left.
The society's spokesperson, Chris Wild, says diggers at the Te Arai Beach course are disturbing nesting grounds, and controlled explosions have been used to keep birds off the greens.
The golf course is owned by an American businessman, Ric Kayne, who says he will spend more than a million dollars to protecting the Te Arai Beach environment.
But Ms Wild says the wildlife does not need more money.
She says the environmental threat is from disturbance, and increased human development always bring disturbance.
