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Tryphena Wharf stands silent, awaiting urgent repairs amidst collapse concerns.

Community News

Local Board Member Moves to Broker Rival Freight Service

A newly sworn-in member of the Great Barrier Local Board is quietly exploring a new freight service to the island, potentially challenging SeaLink’s long-standing monopoly. Sources say the member has identified a vessel and is meeting with investors, aiming to…

A mound of dumped tyres in native bush — the same material researchers say is now the country’s largest source of microplastics. Photo / RNZ

Tyre Particles Branded Biggest Microplastic Source in Hauraki Gulf

Marine researchers in Auckland have discovered what is making up the biggest single source of microplastics. They found tiny pieces of vehicle tyres were polluting coastal waters and almost half of the rubber that shed on our roads ended up…

Fanny Osborne lived on Great Barrier Island until arthritis forced her to leave at 81. Photo / Auckland Museum

Community News

How a Great Barrier Mother of 13 Became a Master Painter

The mother of 13 lived on Great Barrier Island and did exquisite watercolour paintings of native plants in the early 1900s.

An early-blooming pōhutukawa at Mulberry Grove, as humid, storm-laden conditions push the island into a fast-forwarded summer.

Community News

Thunder, fogged-out peaks and tropical heat: what’s behind Barrier’s wild start to summer

Great Barrier Island has been hit this week by an unusual sequence of weather: thick fog clinging to the peaks, sudden cloudbursts, and hot, humid days that feel closer to the tropics than early December. According to Professor James Renwick,…

An Aotea Contractors truck lies at the bottom of a steep, bush-covered bank below Medland Road.

Community News

Concrete Truck Plunges Down Bank on Medland Road

An Aotea Contractors concrete truck went down a steep, bush-covered bank on Medlands Road between Tryphena and Medlands on Friday morning. Police said they received reports of the single-vehicle crash at around 9.50am. One person was initially reported as seriously…

8 ways to drink less during the silly season

Some simple, evidence-based strategies will help you navigate the Christmas party season without relying on will power alone.

Pōhutukawa in bloom. Photo / Robyn Jaquiery

Environment - Aotea Green

Are pōhutukawa trees flowering early this year? A botanist explains

Flowering pōhutukawa trees are the sign summer is here – and many we have seen are already in full bloom. But are they flowering earlier this year? Ecologist and botanist Associate Professor Bruce Burns, from the University of Auckland, says…

Kauri trees in Trounson Park. Photo / Sylvain Machefert

Community News

Ground Crews to Map Kauri Health on Great Barrier This Summer

Auckland Council will begin a new island-wide survey of kauri dieback on Great Barrier this summer, aiming to map how far the disease has spread and establish a baseline for future management. Council’s Senior Plant Pathogens Advisor, Shannon Hunter, told…

Community News

Jones signals openness to stricter crayfish rules

Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has told the Barrier Times he is open to supporting new crayfish restrictions around Great Barrier — and his officials are now drafting advice on how proposals could be implemented once Parliament returns after the summer…

An adult black petrel cruises over the waters of the Hauraki Gulf. Photo / Dan Burgin / WMIL

Black Petrels get a lifeline with new conservation push

Great Barrier’s endangered Black Petrels are getting a major boost, with a new three-year programme aimed at improving chick survival and strengthening the local population. With just 5,000 breeding pairs remaining, scientists hope unprecedented tracking and monitoring will give these…