Aotea Great Barrier Island

FREE Bird Aversion Dog Training
2024-12-18 08:00 - 17:00 (Pacific/Auckland) | Various

Aotea Army Working Bee
2024-12-22 09:00 - 17:00
Meet at the Claris Crossroads at 9am – Contact Leon Foster or just show up.

Glenfern Sanctuary Sunday Summer Series with Rodney Ngawaka
2024-12-29 10:00 - 15:00, 2025-02-23 10:00 - 15:00, 2025-03-30 10:00 - 15:00 | Glenfern Sanctuary, Glenfern Road, Port Fitzroy, Auckland, 0963, New Zealand
Come, be inspired and view the environment through the lens of local mana whenua. Please bring a picnic, coffee and teas will be provided.

Copper landline phone retirement Q & A Session
2025-01-15 17:00 - 19:00 | Claris Conference Centre
Are you wondering what’s happening with copper phone services (ie- landlines)?
If so, come along to a Q and A with Chorus Community Relations Lead Jo Seddon on Wednesday 15 January, 5pm at the Claris Conference Centre.
Jo will run through what the plans are to retire the services and be available to answer any questions. If she doesn’t have all the answers, she’ll find out and let you know.
If you can’t make the Wednesday meeting, Jo will also be at the local board office from 10am to midday the following morning – Thursday 16 January.

Background:
At the end of March 2025, voice services fed from some Chorus radio systems will be retired. Those on these lines will already have had two letters from Chorus.
If you haven’t received a letter, your landline is not affected yet. However Chorus has said that its entire copper network will be retired throughout the country by 2030, so it makes sense to start thinking about alternatives now.

Glenfern Sanctuary Sunday Summer Series with Rodney Ngawaka
2025-01-26 10:00 - 15:00 | Glenfern Sanctuary, Glenfern Road, Port Fitzroy, Auckland, 0963, New Zealand
Glenfern Sanctuary (Kotuku) on Sunday 20th October from 10-3pm. Come, be inspired and view the environment through the lens of local mana whenua. Please bring a picnic, coffee and teas will be provided.

Volunteer Morning at Medlands Community Garden - Every Friday
2025-02-07 10:00 - 12:00 | Medlands Community Garden

Volunteer Morning at the Community Garden in Medlands
2025-02-14 10:00 - 14:00 | Community Garden

Devonshire Teas at St Johns Church
2025-02-22 10:00 - 14:00 | St Johns Oppshop, 558 Medland Road, Great Barrier Island, Auckland, 0991, New Zealand

Manu Comp
2025-02-22 12:00 - 17:00 | Port FitzRoy Wharf

Local Board Ordinary Business Meeting
2025-02-25 13:00 - 15:00 | Claris Conference Centre
Any enquiries to : AoteaGreatBarrierLocalBoard@aucklandcouncil .govt.nz

Gallery Exhibition: Dancing around the Barrier by Monique Endt
2025-03-07 10:00 - 2025-03-28 17:00 | Aotea Arts & History Village, 80 Hector Sanderson Road, Claris, 0991

Toitū Aotea - Community Led Development Project Hui
2025-03-22 14:00 - 17:00 | Port FitzRoy Boat Club
Community-Led Development: A New Opportunity for the North of Aotea

“Nāu te rourou, nāku te rourou, ka ora ai te iwi.” With your food basket and my food basket, the people will thrive.

This Whakataukī is the essence of Community-Led Development – coming together to share our selves, time and resources to bring about change to our community with the focus starting in the North of Aotea. It rings true that whilst we can see the challenges of living remotely, it also makes a strong community who have a can-do attitude, and what has become a catch phrase to describe us as “good at MacGyvering it up” by the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA)- our partner in this project. We originally came up with the term but the DIA just loved it and it stuck

Ngāti Rehua Ngātiwai Ki Aotea Trust board were successful in 2023 in being selected to be one of the 20 communities around NZ that are currently in the DIA’s Community-led Development program. Its initiated by the people, for the people. The community-led development approach focuses on communities as a whole, rather than on specific programmes or activities. It invites us to bring our strengths to the mahi that we do and see where we can bring challenges to the table and turn them into opportunities.
This programme for Aotea is just at the beginning – it continues for five years but from what we have learnt and seen around Aotearoa, this can go for much longer and I am sure the lessons that we learn in the process will far outlast the five years.

Our community-led development initiative is called Toitū Aotea – to be sustainable and have longevity. To look after the whenua and the whanau who live here now and for generations to come. We have an exciting opportunity to create lasting change for the North of Aotea—and in turn, the whole motu (island).

Some of the challenges on the island are easy to identify; power, water, kai, health and connection.. Those are all big and worthy of our mahi and focus. Its the ones that sit behind we are curious about, both big and small what achievements will arise out of our community coming together? Working together, connecting, being reminded sometimes of how things used to be and what could our future look like if we have the tools to help us.

What is Community-Led Development?

Community-led development is about empowering people to shape their own future. Instead of waiting for change to come from the outside, we take the lead in identifying what’s important, what needs to happen, and how we can make it work—together. The Government is supporting community-led development, through the Department of Internal Affairs, by providing support, advice and funding, but the work is led by the community.

This approach is guided by key values:
Kotahitanga – Working together as one community
Manaakitanga – Caring for each other and our environment
Whanaungatanga – Strengthening connections between people
Kaitiakitanga – Protecting and sustaining our whenua and moana

Through Toitū Aotea , our community has the chance to develop projects that will enhance daily life, support whānau, and build a strong future for the next generation. Some of the ideas that have been suggested so far include:

Activities for Tamariki, Rangatahi & Whānau

Sustainable Power & Water Solutions

Sharing Kai

Cultural Development & Community Spaces

Community enterprise to boost a localised economy.

These are just a few of the ideas that have been put forward. What do you think? What would make life better for our community? We want to hear from you! Toitū Aotea – Community-Led Development Hui is happening on March 22nd at the Port Fitzroy Boat Club, 2-5pm. This is a chance for everyone to share ideas, support projects, and help shape the future.

After the hui, Orama will provide kai, and we’ll enjoy some amazing local musicians sharing their mahi (work). It’s a time to kōrero (talk), hono (connect), and whakanui (celebrate what’s possible when we come together.

If you want to tautoko /support a project—or even better, be part of making it happen—let us know. You can email us atAoteaCLD@ngatirehua.iwi.nz or come along to the hui.

Kia ora ai koe i tō haerenga, nau mai, haere mai ki te mahi tahi, kia tipu, kia rea tātou katoa.

May you have wellbeing on your journey, Welcome, come and work alongside us, so that we may all grow and thrive together.

Nga mihi
Sacha Eddington (Community engagement officer)
On behalf of the Toitū Aotea steering group

Gentle Yoga
2025-03-24 10:00 - 11:30 | Tryphena Hall, 1 Medland Road, Great Barrier Island, 0991, New Zealand

Island Screens - La Chimera
2025-03-24 19:15 - 21:00 | Barrier Social Club
ISLAND SCREENS
Come & enjoy a night out at Barrier Social Club
Monday is movie night – starts 7.15pm
Entry is $10 / $15 cash on the door.
ALL WELCOME – SUPPORT LOCAL
Come early for yummy meals from 5.30pm
Posters on local noticeboards have the film details
Or follow us on FB: gbiislandscreens

Local Board Ordinary Business Meeting
2025-03-25 13:00 - 15:00 | Claris Conference Centre

Tāima Kōrero/Time to Talk: Keeping our young people safe online with Brett Harvey
2025-03-26 17:30 - 19:00 | Okiwi School

Volunteer Morning
2025-03-28 10:00 - 12:00 | Medlands Community Garden

Aotea Ecology Festival - Te Taiao Connect: Caring for our Natural World
2025-03-29 09:00 - 14:00 | Claris Conference Centre

Volunteer Morning at Medland Community Garden
2025-04-04 10:00 - 12:00 | Medlands Community Garden

Volunteer Morning at Medlands Community Garden
2025-04-11 10:00 - 12:00

Volunteer Morning at Community Garden
2025-04-18 10:00 - 12:00 | Community Garden

Mulberry Grove School Art Auction
2025-04-20 16:00 - 17:00 | Barrier Social Club

Local Board Ordinary Business Meeting
2025-04-22 13:00 - 15:00 | Claris Conference Centre
Any enquiries to : AoteaGreatBarrierLocalBoard@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

International Dark Sky Week Free Community Stargazing
2025-04-22 18:30 - 20:30
RESCHEDULED TO TUESDAY 22ND APRIL.

Free community Stargazing at Medlands Beach. Please message Deb on 027 407 8037 for your 30 min slot.

Aotea Great Barrier Environmental Trust AGM
2025-04-23 16:30 - 18:00 | Claris Conference Centre
contact.gbiet@gmail.com

Everybody's Market
2025-04-26 10:00 - 13:00 | Aotea Arts & History Village, 80 Hector Sanderson Road, Claris, 0991

Bird Aversion Training - Free
2025-11-02 09:00 - 15:00
Bird Avoidance Training is taking place on Aotea this Weekend on Sunday 2nd November in Okiwi, Okupu, Medlands and Tryphena. Bird Avoidance Training can minimise the threat of dogs injuring or killing native birds. Like people, some dogs learn faster than others…
You can teach an old dog new tricks – but it may take a little longer, so even if your
dog has had training before, we encourage you to put them through again this session.
Details: Sunday 2nd November
9 – 10 AM at Okiwi Airstrip
10.30-11.30 PM at Okupu Beach
12-1.30 PM at Medlands Campground
2 – 3 PM at Sunken Rock Sailing Club, Puriri Bay

Weighted Weaves Exhibition
2025-11-21 16:00 - 2025-12-17 17:00 | Aotea Arts & History Village, 80 Hector Sanderson Road, Claris, 0991
Weighted Weaves Exhibition @ the Aotea Arts and History Village. Opening 21st November 4pm – 6.00pm on until 17th December
