AoteaGBI.news – Page 2 – Great Barrier Island News

Comvita founder credits Barrier’s Les Blackwell for putting him on path to honey empire

The founder of $250 million New Zealand honey giant Comvita has credited Great Barrier Island’s Les Blackwell as the starting point of his journey into beekeeping and natural health – a path that would eventually lead to one of the…

Community News

Search Widens for Missing Barrier Sailor

Barrier Yacht/ Skipper Disappearance Enters Third Month.

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 month when a whale became stranded in shallow waters. Locals including Barney Scott formed a human chain to guide the whale…

Nurdles scattered along a shoreline. These plastic pellets are often found embedded in seaweed or sand. Photo / hockadilly / Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

Plastic Pellets Wash Into Hauraki Gulf

Hundreds of thousands of plastic pellets — known as nurdles — have washed up on beaches across the Hauraki Gulf, including Oneroa Beach on Waiheke Island and the northern shore of Motuihe. The pellets are used in the manufacture of…

Tech - Aotea Green

New Battery Tech Could Store Power and Remove Carbon

Photo / Sweetie Khatun By Daniel Commandeur, University of Surrey; Mahsa Masoudi, University of Surrey, and Siddharth Gadkari, University of Surrey

Culture - Aotea Green

Streaming Is Killing Local Music in New Zealand

By Oli Wilson, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University; Catherine Hoad, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University; Dave Carter, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University, and Jesse Austin-Stewart, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University

Environment - Aotea Green

Beneath the Ice, a Collapse Begins: How Antarctic Change Hits the Food Web

Jacqui Stuart, VUW, CC BY-NC-ND

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…