Since the first recorded COVID-19 case in New Zealand in February 2020, the country has fought the virus using numerous methods, including lockdowns. What evolved as a four-tier alert level system has led to extended periods where non-essential travel was…
As has been reported in several posts already, in 2019 Auckland Council included The Noises Islands in the regional seabird monitoring and research programme, pledging to a significant 13-years (and counting) commitment. But there are so many seabird species in…
On Wednesday the 20th of October, an Auckland Council-funded weeding trip to Ōtata Island was undertaken to control Rhamnus (Evergreen Buckthorn) on the north-facing cliffs. Due to the location of these weeds, it was necessary to send out a ropes…
The Moana Project investigates larval dispersal of kūtai (green-lipped mussel). The Moana Project is a five-year Endeavour Fund ocean research initiative funded by The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) and its aim is to improve our understanding of…
Nurturing and protecting the whenua is a responsibility many New Zealanders can relate to, particularly with increasing awareness of New Zealand’s Predator Free 2050 goal. However, the challenge we all share now is how to offer our moana that same…
A familiar feature of The Noises and wider Hauraki Gulf is colonies of pied shags kāruhiruhi nesting in trees, on coastal cliffs or islands. Getting close up to these colonies reveals the mauri (life force) with birds leaving from or…
In Autumn 2021 Dr Tim Haggitt conducted a subtidal biological survey around The Noises Islands. This marked the second formal subtidal ecological survey since the preparation of Sea Change Tai Timu Tai Pari. Working with colleagues from Waipapa Taumata Rau/The…
When Auckland Council agreed to support a significant multi-year monitoring programme of seabirds on The Noises, The Noises Trust was delighted, because ecological surveys of this nature are an essential tool for assessing overall ecosystem health. Leading this ambitious study…
The number of living creatures of all Orders, whose existence intimately depends on the kelp, is wonderful... I can only compare these great aquatic forests of the southern hemisphere with the terrestrial ones in the intertropical regions. Yet if in…
Once upon a time, for many kiwis, being in a boat on the ocean was all about fishing, fishing and more fishing. Many of us have photo albums of old holiday snaps, where Stubbies-clad dads stand beside sunburnt kids, all…