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Nathan Boulter appearing at the Auckland District Court. Photo / NZME

Community News

Kidnapping survivor returns to Barrier to film documentary

A woman who survived one of Great Barrier Island’s most harrowing incidents is returning this month to film a documentary about her kidnapping in 2011. Nortessa Hammond (formerly known as Nortessa Montgomerie) will be on the island on 17–18 September…

Blood moon as dark skies reveal the total lunar eclipse.

Blood Moon Set to Rise Over Aotea on Monday Morning

Stargazers on Aotea will be treated to a total lunar eclipse early on Monday 8 September, with the “blood moon” set to create a spectacular dawn display. The eclipse begins in the early hours, with the first stages starting at…

A Barrier Air Cessna Grand Caravan — the airline says government loans will help, but rising costs and a weak Kiwi dollar remain major challenges.

Barrier Air welcomes Government support but warns costs still biting

Barrier Air chief executive Grant Bacon says the Government’s $30m package for regional airlines is welcome news for a sector under pressure. The loan scheme, announced this week by Regional Development Minister Shane Jones and Associate Transport Minister James Meager,…

The Auckland-Coromandel ferry service would begin in late October. (Source: Explore Group)

Tech - Aotea Green

Fast ferry returns to Coromandel – no plans for Barrier (yet)

After three years tied up, the Auckland to Coromandel ferry will sail again from late October — but there are no plans for a Great Barrier revival, just yet. Explore Group will operate the two-hour run across the Hauraki Gulf,…

Southern Lights could put on a show over Great Barrier skies this week — locals are urged to look south with cameras ready. Photo / Tristan Pokornyi

Community News

Aurora Alert: Southern Lights Could Dance Over Barrier Skies

Great Barrier Island stargazers might be in for a rare treat this week, with the Aurora Australis expected to make an appearance — though experts caution it’s difficult to predict exactly when and where. Dr James Brundell, from the University…

Community News

Government steps in with $30m loan scheme for regional airlines

The Government has unveiled a $30 million loan fund to prop up struggling regional airlines — and signalled it expects Air New Zealand to integrate smaller carriers into its systems so regional passengers can travel seamlessly onto mainline and even…

Aerial view of Tuvalu’s capital, Funafuti, 2011. Tuvalu is a remote country of low lying atolls, making it vulnerable to climate change. Photo: Lily-Anne Homasi / DFAT / CC

Environment - Aotea Green

What will happen to the legal status of ‘sinking’ island nations when their land is gone?

By Avidan Kent, University of East Anglia and Zana Syla, University of East Anglia Small island nations such as Tuvalu, Kiribati, the Maldives and Marshall Islands are particularly vulnerable to climate change. Rising seas, stronger storms, freshwater shortages and damaged…

"Pine-ing" for answers: Landowners left in the dark after council fells trees on disputed boundary, despite prior arborist inspection. Photo / CC

Environment - Aotea Green

The Great Tree Planting Myth: Why Reforestation Won’t Deliver Net Zero

By Pep Canadell, CSIRO The climate benefits of planting trees may have been greatly overestimated, but swift action could ensure reforestation meets its potential to curb dangerous emissions, new research has found. Reforestation – or replanting trees in areas that…

Culture - Aotea Green

Tourist trap: why charging entry fees at iconic NZ natural attractions could have hidden costs

By Stephen Espiner, Lincoln University, New Zealand Recent calls from sections of the tourism industry to cut the international visitor levy (IVL) risk undermining one of the few bright spots in current government policies shaping the sector. The IVL –…

Local Board Candidate

Fenella Christian

I have lived on the island in Schooner Bay for 46 years with my husband, Peter Edmonds. We brought up three daughters there and we started off with no road access and lived like pioneers for many years. Now we…