The Estuary Art and Ecology Awards run from 5 July to 31 August at UXBRIDGE Arts and Culture Centre in Howick. The awards are the only contemporary art prize in Aotearoa New Zealand that focuses specifically on ecology, encouraging artists to explore environmental issues, highlighting the link between art and...
The Albert-Eden Local Board is playing a key environmental role with a $458,000 investment across a range of projects for the 2025/2026 financial year. The board has approved its Environmental Programme, which enables the community to have more climate friendly programmes and to protect vulnerable ecosystems. The programme funds a...
Last week, the Minister for Resource Management Reform, Chris Bishop, announced that the government would be intervening, yet again, to prevent councils from progressing environmental protections under the Resource Management Act (RMA). Legislation will prohibit the notification of any new changes to regional policy statements and regional and district plans....
The aim of this programme is to encourage best practice in caring for regional heritage sites and places through community involvement. The grant value is up to $50,000, to support projects that aim to achieve at least one of the following outcomes: regulations and policies in the Auckland Unitary Plan...
The Kākāpō Recovery team have reported that breeding for this critically endangered bird will return in 2026. Kākāpō are the world’s only flightless nocturnal parrot. There are just 242 alive today. The breeding populations are found only on three very remote, rugged predator-free islands in the deep south: Whenua Hou/Codfish...
Work has started today on the temporary roof repairs to the Leys Institute Library. These repairs will keep the building watertight until the full restoration takes place. It’s great to see some positive action and care now being taken of these precious heritage buildings. Updates to follow!
An Ultimately Positive Outcome The High Court ruled the Environment Court’s decision to allow the demolition of 22 Crescent Road, Epsom should not be taken as precedent. Justice Muir, whose retirement was announced with “thanks [for his] outstanding contribution to the judiciary and to the administration of justice” by the...
On 17 June, Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga issued the following statement on the Gordon Wilson and McLean Flats: Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga is deeply disappointed by the impending decision to demolish Wellington’s Gordon Wilson and McLean Flats, two buildings of significant heritage value that have long been part...
A record 277 hihi (stitchbirds) fledged on Tiritiri Matangi Island this breeding season. Earlier this month, 40 hihi were relocated to the Auckland Council managed Shakespear Open Sanctuary. They join Shakespear’s small but thriving population translocated in 2024. There is a total population of only around 2000 hihi nationwide. Te...
Auckland Council received the Independent Hearings Panel recommendations on PC78 (Intensification) for the city centre on 8 May 2025. Council’s decision on the recommendations was made on 22 May. They accepted all the panel’s recommendations on submissions on PC78 as they relate to the city centre. All these provisions became operative...