Archives – Great Barrier Island News

Locals guide stranded whale back to sea off Aotea’s south coast in a powerful moment of community and care.

Community News

Locals Usher Stranded Whale Back to Sea

Locals Rally to Guide Whale Back to Sea A dramatic rescue unfolded off the island’s southern coast earlier this May when a whale became stranded in shallow waters. Locals including Barney Scott formed a human chain to guide the whale…

Community News

Trial Brings Urgent Care Boost to Great Barrier Island

Great Barrier Island will be one of six rural communities to pilot a major new Government initiative aimed at transforming after-hours and urgent healthcare, with a $164 million investment unveiled in the lead-up to Budget 2025. Currently, after-hours urgent care…

Barrier Bach Wins Top Honours at 2025 Architecture Awards

The Hauraki Gulf took centre stage at the 2025 Auckland Architecture Awards, with homes on Great Barrier, Waiheke, and Kawau all honoured for designs that embrace fragility, remoteness, and raw coastal beauty. From off-grid elegance to urban ferry terminals, the…

Property

Bed Tax or Burden? Auckland Plan Raises Eyebrows

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown is doubling down on his push for a regional bed tax, saying a majority of residents support the idea of making visitors contribute to the cost of running the city. But the plan is drawing fire…

Indy Yelich — poet, songwriter, and younger sister of Lorde — is carving out her own sound with quietly powerful tracks like Sail Away. Photo / Supplied

Bush Tracks: Indy Yelich – Sail Away

We’re addicted. Lorde’s sister Indy Yelich has released a track we can’t get out of our heads — Sail Away is subdued, haunting, and unforgettable.

The Auckland Council service centre and local board office in Claris—hub of local decision-making on Great Barrier Island. Photo / Auckland Council

Community News

Thinking of Running? Local Board Candidate Info Sessions Announced for Great Barrier Island

The Auckland Council service centre and local board office in Claris—hub of local decision-making on Great Barrier Island. Photo / Auckland Council

A takahē and a tuatara have been filmed engaging in a bush-floor stoush in a new video captured by a quick-thinking DOC Ranger. Photo / DoC

Environment & Ecology

Bush Battle on Tiritiri: Tuatara and Takahē Caught in Wild Scrap

They’re both rare, prehistoric-looking icons of the New Zealand bush. But it turns out even the nation’s most protected species aren’t above a good old-fashioned scrap. In bizarre footage snapped by Department of Conservation (DoC) ranger Nick Fisentzidis on Tiritiri…

Environment & Ecology

Editorial: Kawau Island’s Poison Plan — Conservation or Chemical Catastrophe?

A proposal quietly moving through the system could make Kawau Island the most chemically saturated inhabited island in New Zealand history. From June 2025 to April 2027, Auckland Council, with backing from DOC, Predator Free 2050 Ltd, and the Manuhiri…

This bright-green invasive caulerpa seaweed is smothering the delicate marine ecosystem on Great Barrier Island. Photo / Glenn Edney

Environment & Ecology

Invasive Caulerpa Seaweed Detected Off Little Barrier Island

Patches of the invasive seaweed Exotic Caulerpa have been discovered at three locations off the northeast coast of Little Barrier Island, prompting a rapid response from local biosecurity and iwi groups. The seaweed, which includes the species Caulerpa brachypus and…

Environment & Ecology

DOC denies 1080 plans for Aotea despite growing concern in community

The Department of Conservation has denied that any 1080 drop is currently planned or scheduled for Aotea / Great Barrier Island, following weeks of widespread speculation among residents and conservation stakeholders. In a written response to AoteaGBI.news, DOC Aotea Operations…