Bianca Ranson for Waiheke Local Board

Congratulations Argentina! Beautiful celebration in Oneroa this morning. World Cup champions!🥳 🏆 🇦🇷🇦🇷🇦🇷🇦🇷

Forest & Bird strongly endorses the closure of the last two remaining commercial tipa/scallop beds in Aotearoa announced today by the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries. The Government has invoked emergency measures after camera-based monitoring revealed that tipa beds are likely to have collapsed.

“The tipa are the ‘canary in the coal mine’ for Tīkapa Moana,” says Bianca Ranson, Forest & Bird spokesperson. “This collapse is a sign that our moana is in serious trouble. We need urgent action to save our tipa and the wider Hauraki Gulf.

“The Government failed to manage green-lipped mussels (kūtai) in the 1960s. They collapsed and haven't come back. Now we’re seeing the same story repeated with tipa.”

The collapse of this important indicator species highlights the need for significant and urgent action to restore the mauri of the Gulf, says Ranson.

“We must stop dredging and bottom trawling throughout the Gulf. These fishing methods are like taking a bulldozer and dragging it through the Waitākere Ranges to harvest mushrooms.

“We need urgent transformation of fisheries management to encompass whole ecosystems, not individual species, and we need to see much better management of agriculture, forestry and urban development to reduce coastal pollution."

The tipa beds that remained open for dredging this season, located near Te Hauturu-o-Toi Little Barrier Island and in the Colville Channel, are under a customary rāhui placed by Ngāti Manuhiri on Waitangi Day this year. The iwi's proposal for a temporary closure (rāhui) under section 186A of the Fisheries Act is still sitting with the Minister. In April, Forest & Bird urged the Minister to honour this rāhui and close the entire fishery.

“Instead, we saw another season of destructive commercial dredging ripping up the seafloor, which is just ending now. It’s disappointing we did not see action from the Minister back in April,” says Ranson.

This emergency closure, which will be in place for three months from Friday 16 December, signals the end of scallop dredging in Aotearoa.

Tipa beds at the top of the South Island in Golden Bay, Tasman Bay and Port Underwood were closed in 2017 until populations recover. East Coromandel scallop beds were closed in 2021 for two years, and the majority of scallop beds in Northland, Auckland and the Coromandel were closed earlier this year.

The Minister will decide in the April 2023 sustainability rounds whether to close the two scallop beds on a longer-term or indefinite basis, with consultation for this opening on Thursday 15 December.

Forest & Bird supports full close of the scallop fishery.

“In the wake of this shocking collapse, the Minister has no option but to close these tipa beds to fishing indefinitely,” says Ranson.

Inquiry urgently needed to understand shocking collapse

Dredging uses a metal cage that is dragged along the seafloor, decimating benthic ecosystems. But Forest & Bird understands that the impact of this destructive fishing method alone cannot explain the collapse.

Forest & Bird urges the Government to conduct a thorough assessment of all possible contributing factors and decisions that have led to this collapse. This includes fisheries management, the impact of dredging and trawling, climate change including marine heatwaves, and sedimentation. The impact of pollution from agriculture, forestry, and urban development must be examined carefully.

“The State of the Gulf reports have painted an increasingly dire picture of the health of Tīkapa Moana, and this feels like another nail in the coffin for this globally important biodiversity hotspot,” says Ranson.

“The Sea Change process has been going on for way too long. We need real action from the Government now, including establishing marine protection zones, ending destructive bottom trawling and dredging in the Gulf, and getting serious about stopping sedimentation.”

📸 Shaun Lee: This happy tipa/scallop is protected by the rāhui here on Waiheke. Please sign our petition and let's once and for all end the destructive fishing methods of bottom trawling and dredging. Please sign here ⬇️

https://www.forestandbird.org.nz/petitions/ban-bottom-trawling-hauraki-gulf

🌊 Come along to Piritahi Marae this Saturday from 10am-4pm and show some love for our ocean. Dress up competition for the tamariki, lots of amazing speakers, stalls and music 🎶

Check out the full programme here 👇🏽

⛴️ It's not a slight inconvenience. It's people missing hospital appointments, parents arriving home late from work in the city to their children, people missing radiology appointments and whānau commitments. Tourism operators, hospitality and accommodation providers missing a vital opportunity to recover from the financial impacts of the pandemic ahead of a likely recession.

Our community and island deserves better. For off island leaders in senior roles, it is time to step in and stand up for us. Waiheke is tired of excuses and delays. This has been on your radar for years. What most people don't see is the chair of the Waiheke Local Board working tirelessly to influence those who can actually affect change. Thank you, Cath Handley.

To the Waiheke community, your concerns have been heard loud and clear. We are also part of the community and we are feeling it too.

For now, know that we are taking this seriously and exploring pathways forward. We cannot and will not be overlooked.

W3 event at Batch Winery last night celebrating and hearing from Jeanine Clarkin, fashion activist extraordinaire ♥️ The feeling of wearing Māori inspired threads with kōrero woven and sewn into the style and meaning is not only a fashion statement but also a celebration of our identity. Jeanine, you are an inspiration in so many ways.

W3 was established in 2015 with the aim of connecting anyone who identifies as wahine, together on Waiheke Island.

They meet approximately every six weeks for some sort of event that connects, inspires and educates, sometimes over a glass of wine.

There is no membership criteria - you can be a wahine at any age and stage of life, there is no membership fee, you just pay for any event you want to attend.

Events are posted on the page or you can email [email protected] to be put on the database.

Big thank you to Niki Schuck for another amazing night empowering and connecting us all 💃🏻

Otata, the Noises has a history of occupation that goes back hundreds of years, cross sections of middens on display that hold the secrets of tangata moana, kai, and kararehe from the time of abundance. In less than 100 years the world renowned biodiversity hotspot of Tīkapa Moana/Hauraki Gulf has been left devastated through human actions, pressures and governance. With the right leadership we will see the abundance return and the protection of whenua, moana, mauri and ecosystems valued and accepted as a normal way of being and interacting with te taiao. Our personal health and well-being is dependent on the interconnectedness and health of the mauri around us.

I watched a diver yesterday, someone who knew exactly where to go, what to share, how to share. I walked across whenua watching their footprints and could see the childhood footprints of this same person in every direction. A knowing and understanding that only lived experience can have. I am grateful for our day together, that I got to hear your stories as the two of us walked the island and spoke of the surrounding islands and all that is and isn't in between. Sue Neureuter⁩ you are a taonga.

It's exciting to know what we can have once again if we act now. A change in the way we see and value our taonga species.

Rāhui, HPA's, marine reserves are some of the customary practices and legislative tools that can be and need to be urgently set in place/created/updated. The time has to be now 🌊

The Waiheke Local Board area includes, Waiheke Island, the islands of Rangitoto, Motutapu, Motokorea, Motuihe, Ponui, Rakino, and a number of smaller islands including Otata/The Noises.


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Honoured to be in the role of Deputy Chair of the Waiheke Local Board. Thank you to everyone who made the event a great one. Congratulations to Cath Handley who has returned as Chair ✔️

Now the mahi begins 🏡 🌊 ♻️ 🪱 🐧 🌳

🎉Massive congratulations to the just elected Waiheke Local Board Chair Cath Handley and Deputy Chair Bianca Ranson.🎊

“In a time of a climate emergency and thinking about our preparedness as a marae and a community it’s one of the most important things we can be doing. For us, kai sovereignty is the ability to grow what we want, when we want, the way we want."

If you haven't been to the Piritahi Māra you should head along and check it out. Volunteer mornings are every Weds 8.30-11am. One of the many amazing places growing kai and community on Waiheke 🥬🌽🥦🍠🥕🌶🥒🍅

The māra kai that's growing for good - and saving people money at the same time With the cost of living soaring many people are looking to ‘grow their own’ when it comes to fruit and vegetables. Those wanting to make the move could take inspiration from community gardens or māra kai (food gardens).

Beautiful day to be helping solve the Waiheke housing crisis for our taonga species. New kororā kāinga thanks to Native Bird Rescue - Waiheke Island and Professor John Cockrem 💙🐧🐧🐧🐧

Please vote Kororā for Bird of the Year! They have so much going against them so they definitely deserve to win! 🗳 https://www.birdoftheyear.org.nz/

Just got this from the Protect Pūtiki fam. I'll take it 😂

Forest & Bird opening of the recently renovated cottage in Onetangi. Beautiful gathering of community and conservationists to celebrate the hard work to make it possible and a celebration of 40 years of the Hauraki Islands Branch 🏡 🌳

✅ Thank you Waiheke ✅
Stoked to have been elected to represent our community and our island home.

Ngā mihi nui ki a tātou katoa.

Thank you to everyone who supported my campaign! Just finished taking down my billboards with the help of many friends and whānau.

One of the highlights has to be how much fun we had with this defaced billboard. Thank you (we know who you are) to the person who did this 📸

It's always possible to turn a negative into a positive and in todays world it is super important.

Good luck to all 12 candidates standing for the Waiheke Local Board. 5 of us will be lucky enough to represent our beautiful island and community.

Mauri ora 💚🫶🏽💚

There goes another vote for Waiheke Local Board 🗳 Thank you Helen 🫶🏽

If you haven’t voted yet, didn’t get your voting papers or have changed address, head down to the Waiheke Service Centre, 10 Belgium Street, Ostend and get it all done there. You'll need proof of address and your ID. They’ll be open until vote closing 12pm, Saturday, 8 October.

Wishing everyone who bravely put their names, faces and mahi forward for our community to choose who represents Waiheke for the next 3 years on the Waiheke Local Board. It's been a fun, educational and relationship building campaign.

Please, get out and vote whānau. You can drop your voting papers to Countdown or the Waiheke Library 🗳✅

🦌Springbok womens rugby team with us at Piritahi Marae today. A beautiful exchange of stories and songs with these wahine who have travelled to Aotearoa for the Womens Rugby World Cup. A moving and inspiring visit as we also remember the Springbok tour of 1981 that their coaches acknowledged as establishing the strong bond and connection we have together today. Representing today were the people of Xhosa, Zulu, Venda, Afrikaans and English. We are honoured to have them visit and warm our whare with their presence. All the best to the Springboks for their first game against France this Saturday at Eden Park.

♻️ With the borders now open, small tour operators like myself are now hosting international visitors again. Sustainable tourism and innovative ways to bring people to Waiheke during our quiet times is something I see local board being able to support and assist with. In particular with Waiheke events. It's been heartening to see our local businesses come to life again over the past few months and after making it through an incredibly difficult time.

🥳 3 birthdays in the group today including Pippa Coom who joined us for our volunteer māra morning and instead ended up with an impromptu birthday celebration. Rā whānau ki a koutou!

🪧 Yesterday was the Global Climate Strike and I was honoured to speak and walk alongside friends from Greenpeace and Protect Pūtiki.

The Waiheke Climate Action Plan approved by the local board last year sets out the pathway for us to lower emissions, build food resilience and strengthen our community preparedness. The plan is heading into its next steps with the establishment of an advisory group. This is something Waiheke can be proud of and that we must advocate for swift implementation.

🌊 Climate change will bring more marine heatwaves and more extreme weather events. Currently in the Hauraki Gulf the destructive methods of bottom trawling, dredging and Danish seining are happening. It's time to end these practices and restore our struggling ecosystems and biodiversity. 30% protection of the Hauraki Gulf by 2030 is the aim. Protection currently sits at 6%. Actions like that yesterday keep the pressure on ministers to act with the urgency the climate emergency requires.

✍🏽 One way you can help our precious moana is to sign this petition to end bottom trawling in the Hauraki Gulf ⤵️

https://www.forestandbird.org.nz/petitions/ban-bottom-trawling-hauraki-gulf?fbclid=IwAR3ltZIWnCwsstd0opydKo3OvvUfSsJMPSACA18Bs48vGRoLpb3yfFSS5E0

🌊 🪧 Tomorrow at 1pm is the Global Strike for Climate at Aotea Square. The day will start with speakers followed by a march down Queen St to Britomart. I'll be speaking about our oceans, our biodiversity and Protect Pūtiki.

💭"The Hauraki Gulf Forum has stated that we need to limit ocean sprawl and released the State of the Gulf report detailing the dire state of our moana, yet we see this development getting resource consent,” explains Ranson. Another example of science and logic being ignored for the benefit of developers.

💭Tomorrow’s strike is an opportunity for people involved across different environmental efforts to come together and show they will continue to put pressure on the government to take action that reflects the climate emergency, she says."

⬇️ To learn more about this worldwide movement please check out the article below.

Aotearoa kicks off a worldwide climate change strike tomorrow Climate strikes are back, this time with a greater focus on Māori and Pasifika activist voices.

We have a real opportunity to manage food waste on island and this is one of my key priorities. Diverting food waste from landfill lowers emissions and gives the opportunity for turning it into nutrient rich compost.

Robust community composting hubs alongside community gardens have started. At Piritahi Marae all food waste is composted on site in commercial carbon cycle composting boxes. Once added to the soil the end result is beautiful fresh produce for whanau and community.

In a climate crisis and with the cost of living increasing we can create a better future. Fresh produce prices in supermarkets increased by 17% over the past year. Support for community gardens and composting enables food resilience on Waiheke.

To volunteer at the Piritahi Māra Kai come along every Wednesday 8.30-11am. LeeshGrow 🥬🌽

🌊 Now is your chance to have your say on the protection of Hauraki Gulf ecosystems and biodiversity being increased from 6% to 18%.

The proposals are for 19 new protected zones, created using two new marine protection tools. These tools will be established through new legislation.

The Hauraki Gulf has been in rapid decline due to over fishing, pollution, sedimentation and governance. If you want to be a part of the solution and take us one step closer to 30% protection by 2030 please email your submission to [email protected]

Details of what to include in your submission and about the 'Revitalising the Gulf' strategy can be found in the link below 👇🏽

https://www.doc.govt.nz/get-involved/have-your-say/all-consultations/2022-consultations/help-revitalise-hauraki-gulf/

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Moving 3 times in 3 years in your 70's is never the reality people should be facing. There is major housing instability for our elderly, our workers, homeless and most vulnerable of Waiheke. Adequate housing is a basic human right and everyone should be able to live somewhere with security and dignity.

"At the 2018 Census, there were 3780 occupied private dwellings on the island and 2079 unoccupied dwellings. Carew said there were hundreds of properties reserved for holiday accommodation or holiday homes."

Resources dedicated to people with the expertise and skills to focus solely on housing distribution solutions of Waiheke is needed. The District Plan for Hauraki Gulf Islands does not allow us to respond adequately in regard to multiple dwellings. There is strategic planning and advocacy work to be done by the Local Board to keep the pressure on for planning changes and real solutions. This must be done with urgency.

'Underlying dread' as just two long-term rentals available on Waiheke Island A trio of 70-somethings who have banded together to find a home on Waiheke Island have been dismayed about the lack of places to live.

🗣The Waiheke Radio Local Board Candidates Debate 2022. Link to full debate is in the comments. Thank you to everyone who came long and asked questions important to them and the community.

We truly live in paradise ☀️
A beautiful day on the motu.

Support for sport, recreation, mental health services and outdoor education for our young people due to COVID disruptions to education and social interactions is a priority. I encourage youth participation in decision making to ensure their voices are heard and the support given by the local board aligns with their needs and priorities.

For the past 25 years I have worked with rangatahi through outdoor education. I believe that adventure based and experiential learning provides an opportunity for our young people to connect, understand our natural environment and increase confidence.

My hope is that community led initiatives and programmes can be amplified through the support of the Waiheke Local Board. There are many organisations doing amazing work and it's time to increase opportunities for our local young people.

Ka pū te ruha, ka hao te rangatahi 🌊

The opening of our artwork Tuakana Teina in Devonport is a story of sea level rise, climate change and carbon sinks. This work is part of the current show Blue Radius led by Laura Donkers.

While the extraction, destruction and pollution continues in our big blue backyard of Tikapa Moana we are using all practical and creative means to inspire change and immediate action. The land and the sea are connected and what we do in one space affects the other. We cannot continue to watch on as our biodiversity pays the price of human induced carbon emissions and over fishing. This coming summer is looking to be another record breaker. This summer just gone saw melting sea sponges in the Hauraki Gulf and taonga species unable to survive the marine heatwave.

I support and had input into the Waiheke Local Climate Action Plan approved by the local board in December 2021. The plan roll-out will see a combination of support and advocacy for new and existing projects, grant funding sought and partnerships developed and strengthened with businesses and community organisations. The plan provides a pathway for Waiheke to reduce emissions and manage climate impacts.

Every action we do from now on must be connected to climate justice. What we do on land affects what happens in the moana. Climate Action is one of my key priorities.

Congratulations to whaea Dr Ramari Oliphant Stewart who received her honorary Doctorate of Science yesterday from the University of Auckland. A group of us from Waiheke were there to celebrate her on this very important day. This is incredibly well deserved!

Thank you to all that made this day possible, especially the friends and staff at the University.

Also a big thank you to the Waiheke Māori Womens Welfare for the beautiful hākari back at Piritahi Marae on Waiheke.

Waiheke Hip Hop-eration legend Liz Cleaver with the "hip hop peace signs" today ✌🏽 Awesome catch up at Doubleshot Oneroa and thank you for your support! ☀️ ☕️

Hip Hop-eration is the world's oldest dance crew with an average age of 80 years old. Their journey took them from their roots in Waiheke, to the World Hip Hop Championships in Las Vegas.

To learn more about this epic dance crew check out the link in comments ⤵️

The scallop season traditionally kicks off on 1 September. There is a closure of scallop fisheries from Northland to Coromandel including the Hauraki Gulf as announced by the minister on 29 March 2022.

This announcement however missed the important opportunity to show the leadership we need to see a complete closure. Two areas remain open for destructive scallop dredging. Dredging destroys the seabed and all life in its path and in a Gulf that's in ecological collapse that's not ok.

As a community we can help by raising awareness of the need to stop dredging and bottom trawling. There is a tikanga rāhui in place for Hauturu/Little Barrier and the Colville Channel prohibiting the harvesting of tipa (scallops).

Please and together let's continue to show our support and action for the protection of vital ecosystems for the recovery of devastated scallop populations. Rāhui has shown the action urgently needed for protection and the hope is the minister follows this up by approving the s186a application that's sitting with him.

📣 Charges Dropped!

So happy for you Julanne that this weight has been lifted from you. Now for the rest of the Pūtiki kaitiaki to have their charges dropped. It will forever be 🌊 🐧

Hei! Someone tried to take my tiki on a tour 😆She is a beauty but to find her in person you'll find her on me, which means she's been to every corner of the motu already 💚

Seems we have a ways to go with racism and a diverse Waiheke Local Board is a good start. Thanks to the whānau, dad, Rangi, Te Hau Mihi and Glor for being onto it this morning ✌🏽✅

A great day with the Sustainable Business Network looking at the Piritahi Māra and talking food waste, predator control and conservation on Waiheke 🌳 🐀 🪤 Community compost hubs and keeping our food waste on island enables nurtrient rich compost for community gardens and island residents.

Diverting our food waste from landfill reduces methane which produces potent greenhouse gases. An important step toward meeting climate action targets. Food resilience in our community is important and composting is a big part of that ♻️

Also congratulations to Waiheke High School who now have the same compost system as the Piritahi Māra. It's great to see them popping up around the motu.

Waiheke is a magical place and for many of us we live here because of our love for te taiao, for nature.

The sunset colours this week have been epic!This one is taken from home. Do you have a sunset photo? Share it in the comments 🧡💜

Waiheke Waka Ama celebrating our pou Noema Cash as she heads off to the world championships in London tomorrow. Noema is one of the founders of waka ama on Waiheke that first started out of Piritahi Marae in the 90's. Connection to the moana, to each other and for our mental and physical wellbeing. Waka ama is much more than paddling and Noema has held this for many wahine on Waiheke for decades.

Karakia this evening led by Tania Anderson to see Noema on her journey. Ko te whaea te takere o te waka. Kia pai te haere e hoa. You've worked hard to prepare for this! 🌊 🤙🏽

Waiheke Resources Trust free seedling workshop. Another opportunity for the community to learn from locals with amazing knowledge. Big thank you to Eddie, Chardy and Livne. Now is the time for our community nurseries to be gearing up for the upcoming seasons. The Piritahi Māra is well underway with seedlings and that process will be much easier with the seedling hacks we learnt.

Kai resilience on Waiheke is growing. Community gardens provide space for growing kai and an opportunity for connection and friendship. The majority of all kai consumed on Waiheke comes from Auckland, but for our fresh produce it doesn't need to. Growing locally strengthens community and helps alleviate the increasing cost of living.

Waiheke Resources Trust Sustainability Centre is located at Mako St, Oneroa. Workshops, rescue kai, composting systems and much more. If you haven't been yet be sure to check it out 🌱🌱♻️