Case Study: The Noises—Marine Restoration and Protection

The Noises Islands - photo credit Joseph Neureuter

Who

Neureuter Family

Aug 2017 - Feb 2020

Awarded

$124,000

Project aims

Advance the aspirations of Sea Change Tai Timu Tai Pari, by supporting the Neureuter Family to:

commission a mapping survey of the Noises Islands marine environment
engage with Iwi around co-management options
explore innovative and collaborative approaches for holistic marine protection, to benefit the Noises and the wider Hauraki Gulf.

Background

The Noises are a chain of islands and rock stacks surrounded by a diverse range of marine habitats. The islands have been privately owned by the Neureuter family for three generations. The Noises have outstanding conservation values* containing some of the best indigenous vegetation of the inner Hauraki Gulf islands. They are also home to a range of invertebrates and reptiles, including gecko and wētāpunga.

The Noises provide safe breeding grounds for the highest number of seabird species in the inner Hauraki Gulf. Ruapuke/Maria Island is one of only six confirmed breeding sites of the takahikare/white-faced storm petrel in the region.

Thanks to the dedicated efforts of multiple generations of the Neureuter family, conservationists and government agencies, all of the islands in the group are predator-free. In any given year, there are multiple research projects underway on The Noises.

The Neureuter Family were invited to participate in the development of Sea Change Tai Timu Tai Pari (the Hauraki Gulf Marine Spatial Plan), and in this Plan, The Noises were identified as a site for marine protection and specifically, for a Type 1 Marine Protected Area, surrounded by an Ahu Moana.

Actinthoe and Yawldyns Triplefin – photo credit Tim Haggitt

When Sea Change Tai Timu Tai Pari was being prepared, there was insufficient scientific evidence available for The Noises marine environment to place informed boundaries for effective marine protection.

In 2017, GIFT provided financial support to the Neureuter Family to:

commission a mapping survey of the Noises Islands marine environment
engage with Iwi around co-management options
explore innovative and collaborative approaches for holistic marine protection, to benefit the Noises and the wider Hauraki Gulf.

A group of rangatahi visit the Noises – photo credit Richelle Kahui Connell

Accomplishments to date

In late 2017, marine surveys** were undertaken and confirm what the family has been promoting – that The Noises has high biological diversity occurring over a small geographical area, making this area precious in the context of the wider Hauraki Gulf.
The Neureuter family has and continues to build a wide network of support. Many relationships have been built with members from Hauraki and Tāmaki Iwi. Visits to the Noises by Iwi have included 18 rangatahi (young leaders) in September 2018, most of whom had never been on a boat, an island, or the Hauraki Gulf before.
Ideas have been shared and relationships built with many Hauraki Gulf stakeholders, including researchers, Foundation North Trustees and staff, local and central government politicians, Hauraki Gulf Forum members, the fishing industry, community groups, scientists and other researchers.
Enabled by GIFT, the family has hosted over 20 visits to the islands in this time, including three separate trips by the Outboard Boating Club (Auckland).
Bringing people to The Noises is considered a very effective way to build relationships and raise awareness of the pressures on the marine environment. Visits to The Noises have played a role in connecting people with common ground and being able to gather many different perspectives, from which to formulate ideas and a common voice: “I have realised that the Noises can be used to bring people together” (Sue Neureuter).
The marine surveys have further enabled the mapping of what an effective marine protected area around The Noises would need to be.
The Neureuter family has continued to share its stories, experience, knowledge and science with others, through targeted events, including the Stories of the Noises event hosted by the family and GIFT in October 2018, and information evenings at the Outboard Boating Club.
Stories and information about The Noises are now being shared via a new website www.thenoises.nz.

Archaeological excavation on Ōtata – photo credit Katina Conomos

What’s next?

In the summer of 2020, Auckland War Memorial Museum, in collaboration with Mana Whenua, Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki, and the Neureuter family, undertook an excavation of the midden on Ōtata. An important finding was that this archaeological site is only the second site in the Auckland region with evidence of Māori occupation prior to the Rangitoto eruption. The archaeological analysis should serve to provide scientific information for Māori history and stories held by Mana Whenua, and in turn support further relationship development and understanding with Iwi. Blog: Excavating Ōtata Island: A Midden Revealed by Auckland Museum Assistant Curator, Archaeology Emma Ash. Published 30 April 2020.

As part of a collaborative project with Mana Whenua, University of Auckland researchers are mapping the extent of kina barrens in the Hauraki Gulf, including around The Noises, and developing methods to restore kelp forests in areas that are currently kina barrens.

The Neureuter family has been sharing information with Mana Whenua, and working with Mana Whenua in relation to specific projects at The Noises (i.e. archaeology, kina barrens and rangatahi visits). Through these projects, relationships continue to be advanced, and a deeper understanding and appreciation gained about the aspirations and concerns of Iwi.

It is now better understood that in order for conversations to meaningfully take place with Mana Whenua in relation to the marine environment, the Crown’s obligations to the restoration of Mana over Tīkapa Moana/Te Moana-nuiā-Toi, that is occurring through instruments such as Treaty Settlements, Harbour Treaty Settlement negotiations and progressing applications under the Marine and Coastal Areas Act, will be a strong focal point.

Partnerships have been established with the Auckland War Memorial Museum and the University of Auckland, and an independent project manager has been engaged to purposefully advance marine protection around The Noises.

* Cameron. E.K. 1998. Bot. Soc. trips to the Noises (Hauraki Gulf) and updated species list. Auckland Botanical Society Journal 53: 25-35.

** eCoast, Noises Islands Rocky Reef Survey Summary 2017, page 21