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Community News

Red alert lifted but severe westerlies remain as Cyclone Vaianu tracks south

Great Barrier Island appears to have dodged the worst of Cyclone Vaianu, with emergency response officials reporting no major damage as the storm’s centre tracks down the mainland. As of 2:30 pm Sunday, the eye of the system had descended…

Aotea Green

Red Warning Issued for Great Barrier as Cyclone Vaianu Nears

Great Barrier Island has been placed under a Red Wind Warning as Cyclone Vaianu tracks directly toward the community. Cushla Buchanan, Aotea Emergency Response Team (ERT) coordinator, confirmed Friday evening that the ERT is fully activated with all agencies on…

Red Helicopter against a blue sky. Isaac benhesed / Unsplashed

Community News

Planning purgatory: Hauraki Gulf helipad ban grounded in Wellington

The effort to ban new helipads in residential areas across the Hauraki Gulf Islands appears to have been grounded in Wellington, leaving local planning in a state of limbo. While Auckland Council voted last year to make private helipads a…

Tropical Cyclone Vaianu - Zoom Earth - 1100 Thu Apr 9

Aotea Green

Heavy rain and severe gales expected for Sunday storm

Great Barrier Island is firmly in the crosshairs of Tropical Cyclone Vaianu, with local emergency officials and national leaders warning residents to act now before the system arrives this weekend. The Aotea Emergency Response Team (ERT) has officially activated following…

Tech - Aotea Green

The Marsden Point Post-Mortem: Malice, Media, or Merely Morons?

OPINION: In the last few days, every mainstream media outlet in New Zealand has performed a synchronized routine. They have all tackled the same question: Would our fuel security be better if the Labour government had not allowed our only…

Jono Ridler (file photo) Photo / Jono Ridler / Instagram

Ecology - Aotea Green

Anti-bottom trawling long distance swimmer breaks world record, arrives in Wellington

Ultra-marathon open-water swimmer Jono Ridler has completed his record-breaking odyssey down the east coast of the North Island, calling New Zealanders to unite against bottom trawling, and been met by crowds of supporters. Ridler began the almost 1400 kilometre slog…

Culture - Aotea Green

Lace Up Aotea: New Run Club Launches Ahead of Wharf 2 Wharf

The annual Wharf 2 Wharf returns this October, and locals looking to dust off their sneakers have a new reason to hit the ground running. The launch of the Aotea Run Club is a community-focused initiative designed to get the…

Venus and Starlink Satellites. Photo / Mike Lewinski / Creative Commons

Tech - Aotea Green

Spark joins One NZ with satellite partnership that dumps dead spots across Aotea

Spark has launched a satellite-to-mobile service in partnership with Starlink, matching a similar offering from One NZ to eliminate coverage dead spots across the country. The technology allows 4G and 5G smartphones to connect directly to satellites in areas where…

Environment - Aotea Green

Total Fire Ban Lifted for Barrier, Waiheke

The total fire ban across Great Barrier Island and Waiheke is officially lifted as of today. Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) has moved both islands into a restricted fire season until further notice. The move to a restricted season…

Tech - Aotea Green

EV sales hit record highs as petrol prices skyrocket

Registrations for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles reached 1540 for the week ending March 29, a massive jump from the 225 recorded in the same week last year. This rapid acceleration has occurred in the few short weeks since the…