Sharing The Noises with decision makers

The Noises remain largely unknown, so a big part of our work is to communicate with people in positions of influence about why The Noises are special and why protection is needed.

At the end of January, the Neureuter family hosted two Greens MPs, the Hon. Eugenie Sage and Chlöe Swarbrick, MP for Auckland Central.

These trips take a bit of preparation.  Because there’s very limited infrastructure on the islands, hosting and catering for 20+ people is like holding a small wedding at a remote camping ground and not having a wet-weather plan.

We do, however, ensure that these engagement trips are super informative. In addition to our VIPs and the Neureuter family, we have a range of scientists and specialists on hand to discuss their research at and around islands. This includes iwi, marine scientists, ornithologists/seabird experts, archaeologists. The knowledge of these experts combined with the family’s observations serves to highlight the connections between the land and the sea and the value of The Noises to the wider Hauraki Gulf Marine Park.

Eugenie Sage as the former Minister of Conservation was a most interested and interesting guest. Eugenie has experienced first-hand the challenges with implementing New Zealand’s marine protected areas legislation.

Chlöe has a diverse constituent group with downtown Auckland and the islands of the Gulf. We applaud her efforts in connecting with the islands of the Gulf early in her term.

The Neureuter family and their science partners are committed to sharing information about The Noises to ensure that their value is known. This was one of our most energising engagement trips as our VIPs were keenly interested in the kaupapa and what they could do to support it. We find that taking the meetings out of the boardrooms and to the beach, over a sandwich, provides for leveling conversation.

We are always grateful when VIPs allocate a day in their diaries to experience The Noises.  Thank you, Eugenie and Chlöe for your interest!

Photo credits: Kate Battersby