Archives – Great Barrier Island News

Ecology - Aotea Green

New Zealand fisheries among world’s most sustainable, but critics say more could be done

A United Nations report has ranked New Zealand’s fisheries among the most sustainable on the planet, crediting decades of management and the pioneering quota system introduced in 1986. “The report compared fisheries around the world and found the region including…

Ecology - Aotea Green

Duck That: The Predator-Free Grift Gears Up for Aotea

Photo / Frank Starmer. OPINION:

Great Barrier's Medlands white sand beach with New Zealand native toi toi fauna and mountain view. Photo / Mark Russell

Community News

It’s Time to Confront the Island’s Drug Culture—and the Nihilism Behind It

EDITORIAL

Barrier Homeowners Face Brutal Rates Hike as Values Soar

While mainland Auckland property values plummeted, homeowners on picturesque Great Barrier Island are about to be slammed from a staggering 38% average increase in their Capital Values (CVs) – the highest jump across the entire Auckland region. The eye-watering surge…

Community News

Dolphins Join Surfers at Sunset in Magical Medlands Moment

Video footage of five dolphins riding the waves with a group of surfers at Medlands Beach has captured hearts online—offering a moment of magic as the sun set behind the island’s hills, Monday. The scene unfolded with the brilliant yellow…

More Families on Outlying Islands Opt for Off-Island Schooling

More families from New Zealand’s outlying islands and remote rural communities are turning to mainland boarding schools, as increased government subsidies make off-island education more accessible—though costs still far outstrip support. New Ministry of Education data shows $3.24 million was…

Tech - Aotea Green

Celebrity Weight-Loss Drugs Are Reshaping NZ Agriculture

Photo / Robert Crow

Culture - Aotea Green

Bush Tracks: Victoria – The Exponents (1982)

By the time Victoria hit radios in 1982, New Zealand had changed. The Springbok Tour protests had torn through the streets. The land marches had shaken Parliament. Muldoon’s grip was tightening, the economy was buckling, and the old British affectations…

Comvita founder credits Barrier’s Les Blackwell for putting him on path to honey empire

The founder of $250 million New Zealand honey giant Comvita has credited Great Barrier Island’s Les Blackwell as the starting point of his journey into beekeeping and natural health – a path that would eventually lead to one of the…

Community News

Search Widens for Missing Barrier Sailor

Barrier Yacht/ Skipper Disappearance Enters Third Month.