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The newly elected Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board — five locals chosen to represent the island for the next term.

Community News

Fordham, Daly and Watts top Great Barrier’s local election

Great Barrier Island has again recorded the highest voter turnout in Auckland, with 53.6 percent of eligible voters returning their papers – far ahead of the regional average of 28.8 percent. Preliminary results show incumbent chair Izzy Fordham leading the…

Auckland mayor Wayne Brown speaks about his proposals for the city's budget. Photo / RNZ / Marika Khabazi

Community News

Great Barrier tops Auckland for voter turnout as Wayne Brown storms home

Great Barrier Island has led the Auckland region in civic participation, recording the highest voter turnout as polls closed at noon today, while Wayne Brown has stormed home to win a second term as Auckland’s mayor. According to Auckland Council’s…

A Fullers ferry crosses the Hauraki Gulf from Waiheke Island towards Auckland. The gulf is the focus of new legislation expanding marine protection zones across the region.

New Marine Protections for Hauraki Gulf Clear Parliament

Legislation expanding marine protection across the Hauraki Gulf has passed its third and final reading in Parliament, despite criticism over a last-minute exemption allowing commercial ring-net fishing in some of the new restricted zones. The Hauraki Gulf Tīkapa Moana Marine…

Aotea Energy launches first NZ-made home battery

Aotea Energy, the green-tech startup founded by Tama Toki, has launched its first commercial product, the Mark 1 Smart Battery — a locally developed energy-storage system aimed at lowering household power bills. Toki, a lawyer and former Commonwealth Games athlete,…

Community Spirit: The Aotea Growers & Makers Market at Claris Centre, a showcase of Great Barrier Island's finest local produce, crafts, and culinary delights. Photo / Manaaki Media

Community News

New Shops, New Gigs, and the Road to Wharf to Wharf

Spring on the Barrier: Who’s Opening, What’s On, and What’s Next. Photo / Stallholders and locals at the Growers and Makers Market in Claris, where island-made produce, plants, and crafts draw a steady crowd each spring.

This bright-green invasive caulerpa seaweed is smothering the delicate marine ecosystem on Great Barrier Island. Photo / Glenn Edney

Caulerpa bans lifted in key bays, but whole island now a controlled area

The Ministry for Primary Industries has eased anchoring bans in several Aotea harbours after the invasive seaweed Caulerpa began dying off in places where it was first discovered, but at the same time MPI’s expanded the Controlled Area to cover…

New hardwood benches sit beneath a steel-framed canopy at Tryphena Wharf, giving passengers shelter while they wait for ferries or collect freight.

Community News

Tryphena Wharf reopens after $8.3m rebuild

Great Barrier Islanders are welcoming the reopening of Tryphena Wharf, the island’s busiest port, which came back into service last week after being closed for an 18-month rebuild. The project marks the return of a vital gateway for passengers, freight,…

Crowds once packed Port Fitzroy for the Mussel Fest, with stalls serving half a tonne of kūtai and the old Jet Raider ferry delivering day-trippers direct from Auckland.

Community News

Mussel festival makes a summer comeback to Port Fitzroy

The island’s much-loved mussel festival is back on the calendar, with a refreshed, family-friendly format set for Saturday 10 January 2026, 10am–7pm, in Port Fitzroy. A group of wāhine from the north—led by former island nurse and original organiser Adele…

Genevieve Sage, Candidate for Waitematā Local Board & Waitematā and Gulf Ward Councillor

Community News

Council candidate pledges cheaper ferry access for Great Barrier Island

The spiralling cost of travelling to Great Barrier Island and Waiheke has become an election issue, with Waitematā and Gulf ward candidate Genevieve Sage pledging to lower the cost of ferry access if she is elected to Auckland Council. Sage,…

Community News

Island Updates: Events, Jobs, Fundraisers, and Notices from Across Aotea

A couple of horses were spotted walking down Shoal Bay Road toward Mulberry Grove, prompting amused comments from locals.