AoteaGBI.news – Page 16 – Great Barrier Island News

Motairehe Road, now newly sealed, offers smoother and safer travel for over 25 families. Photo / Supplied

Community News

Smooth Road Ahead: Motairehe Gets New Seal

Motairehe Road, now newly sealed, offers smoother and safer travel for over 25 families. Photo / Supplied The once bumpy ride down Motairehe Road has been smoothed out with a new seal extension. 1.2 km of previously unsealed road, regularly…

A school of parore fish swim alongside mussels growing at a farm in New Zealand Photo / Lucy Underwood / University of Auckland

Mussel and Seaweed Farming in Hauraki Gulf Boosts Fish Populations, Study Shows

Mussel and seaweed farming in the Hauraki Gulf can increase wild fish populations and boost diversity, according to new research. A project by the University of Auckland, and the University of New England assessed the diversity and abundance of wild…

The cutting-edge VS-9 is currently undergoing testing in the Hauraki Gulf and will be fitted with a cabin top once trials are complete. Photo / Supplied

Cutting-Edge Electric Hydrofoiling Ferry Hits the Hauraki Gulf

Fullers' latest ferry technology could reduce the journey to Great Barrier Island to under two hours.

Te Kura O Okiwi. Photo via Auckland Council

Community News

Barrier Schools Face Learning Support Crisis – NZEI

Rural school principals across New Zealand, including those on Great Barrier Island, are facing a dire shortage of learning support specialists, warns Jane Corcoran from the education union NZEI Te Riu Roa. The issue is particularly acute in isolated areas,…

Golden Rose, Adrift, Ashore. Photo / Supplied

Community News

Ferry Adrift, Trees Down: Storm Unleashes Fury on Aotea

Aotea/Great Barrier Island residents are rallying together and picking up the pieces today after a ferocious storm ripped through the motu over the past 24 hours. The storm, which brought howling winds, torrential thunderstorms, and hail, uprooted trees, tore boats…

Crayfish pots aboard the Crusader. Photo / Toitū Fishing NZ

Environment

MPI Justifies Controversial Crayfishing Permits, Accepts Consultation Failures

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has defended its controversial decision to permit commercial fishing within Controlled Area Notice (CAN) regions on Aotea Great Barrier Island, where locals and recreational fishermen have been banned for years. Despite MPI defending the…

Waves crash against the rocks on Aotea's east coast, foreshadowing the high winds and thunderstorms to come. Photo / Will Trafford

Community News

Gales and Thunderstorms Batter Aotea, Flights, Ferry Cancelled

Waves crash against the rocks on Aotea’s east coast, foreshadowing the high winds and thunderstorms to come. Photo / AoteaGBI.news Brace yourself, Barrier. A powerful storm system is bringing severe gales, heavy rain, and potentially damaging thunderstorms. The MetService has…

Des Casey's "Nature's Future Our Future" encourages readers to reconnect with the natural world and take action to protect it. Photo / DesCasey.com

Environment

Former Aotea DoC ranger Pens Book on Conservation

Former Department of Conservation (DoC) worker Des Casey, who spent five years on Great Barrier Island and participated in numerous community-led environmental initiatives, has penned a book about conservation. Titled ‘Nature’s Future Our Future,’ Casey says the book is a…

Previous seminars highlighted storytelling from authors, artists, and environmentalists with deep connections to the island. Photo / SIBI

Community News

Global Reach for Small Island Big Ideas in 2024

Previous seminars highlighted storytelling from authors, artists, and environmentalists with deep connections to the island. Photo / SIBI Small Island Big Ideas (SIBI) is set to return with an expanded vision for 2024, aiming to look beyond local horizons to…

Local Heroine Aimee Jane-Brown Has Taken Home Queen of the Point Title at Raglan. Photo / @photocpl @surfingnz via Instagram

Community News

Aimee-Jane Brown: Great Barrier Island’s Surfing Queen Reigns Supreme

Local Heroine Aimee Jane-Brown Has Taken Home the Queen of the Point Title at Raglan. Photo / @photocpl @surfingnz via Instagram Aimee Jane-Brown, our very own Great Barrier Island legend, has taken the crown in the Open Women’s Division at…