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Community News

Protesters to Challenge Loopholes in Government’s New Marine Protection Act This Weekend

This Saturday the first One Ocean Protest will take place against the new Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Act, which came into force last weekend. The Act restricts recreational fishing in twelve high-protection areas across the Gulf but…

Community News

Mulberry Grove School Opens New Innovation and Creativity Space

Mulberry Grove School has officially opened its new technology, art and science space, Rangiarua – Te Whare Auaha (The House of Innovation and Creativity). The building sits along the shoreline beside the recently refurbished basketball court, giving the school a…

The newly sworn-in Great Barrier Local Board, from left: Nikki Watts, Christopher Ollivier, Neil Sanderson, Izzy Fordham and Ryan Daly, following Thursday’s pōhiri at the Claris Conference Centre.

Community News

Roading, Rubbish? Residents Invited to Shape Island Priorities for Next Three Years

Great Barrier Island’s newly sworn-in local board has begun early work on its three-year plan, and residents are being asked to give feedback on what the island should prioritise. The consultation is the first major task for the incoming board,…

Community News

Aotea Iwi Open Major Exhibition on Outer Hauraki Gulf

Members of Ngāti Rehua Ngātiwai ki Aotea travelled to Tāmaki Makaurau this week to proudly mark the opening of the immersive exhibition, ‘Ngā Huhua: Abundance’, at the New Zealand Maritime Museum. The special opening event took place on Thursday evening,…

Composite image of Charlie and Winnie Blackwell above the Kaitoke flats on Great Barrier Island, showing the mānuka scrub and swamp area at the centre of the Council’s investigation.

Community News

‘We Feel Like Murderers’: Council Raid Terrifies 90-Year-Old Barrier Farmers

For 170 years, the Blackwell family has not just farmed the land on Great Barrier Island/Aotea; they have embodied the island’s enduring spirit of self-reliance. But for patriarch Charlie (89) and matriarch Winnie Blackwell (90), the latest confrontation with Auckland…

Healthy tomato seedlings ready for local gardens — now on sale at Kaitoke School’s Harvest Hub for $5 each.

Community News

What’s On Around Aotea: Notices, Events & Jobs

NOTICES Tomato Seedlings for Sale – Harvest HubSpring’s in full swing, and Kaitoke School’s Harvest Hub is overflowing with healthy tomato seedlings ready for local gardens. Varieties range from cherry to big slicers at $5 each. Payments can be made…

Community News

Fordham, Ollivier re-elected to lead Great Barrier Board

Aotea’s new local board was officially sworn in at the Claris Conference Centre on Thursday, marking the start of the 2025–2028 term. Izzy Fordham was re-elected chair and Christopher Ollivier deputy chair at the meeting, which followed a formal pōwhiri…

25 Years of Windy Hill. Photo / AoteaGBI.news

Windy Hill cuts poison use — and still outperforms unmanaged bush

The long-running Windy Hill Sanctuary on the island’s south-east has reduced its use of poison by two-thirds while continuing to record some of the lowest pest levels in the Hauraki Gulf. The wildlife sanctuary, established more than 25 years ago…

Sunset Waterfront Lodge sits opposite the beach at Mulberry Grove, a familiar landmark for visitors arriving in Tryphena.

Tryphena’s Sunset Lodge hits the market

One of Tryphena’s few full-service accommodation providers, Sunset Waterfront Lodge, has been listed for sale — offering what the agents describe as a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to secure an established island business and residence. Located across two titles at 5 and…

The Great Barrier Island Ambulance Station in Tryphena. Photo / Supplied

Community News

Ambulance fundraiser passes $85,000 as new integrated model takes shape

Great Barrier Island’s ambulance service still needs to raise around $64,000 to stay fully operational through the summer and into next year, even as the government moves to make the island’s emergency care permanently funded. The island has been selected…