Sue Neureuter’s mum kept diaries when she was a kid. Pages that hold memories of her and her siblings’ summers on the Noises Islands. In these are stories of abundance – like hundreds of nesting seabirds and big schools of kahawai –things not seen today in this corner of the Hauraki Gulf.
Sue Neureuter at Sandy Bay on the Noises Islands. Photo: Claire Concannon / RNZ
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The Neureuters – Sue, her brother Rod, and sister Zoe – have been observing this steady decline in the marine environment around the Noises through the stories that their parents told and the changes they’ve witnessed themselves.
And they're not the only ones.
The Noises Islands. Photo: Ellen Rykers
With successive Hauaki Gulf Forum reports noting worrying declines in seabird, fish and shellfish populations, a gathering of stakeholders released the Sea Change Marine Spatial Plan in 2017 – a call to action to help the Gulf.
The government responded in 2021 with the Revitalising the Gulf strategy, which Sue hopes will lead to legislation to ensure protection for the marine environment around the Noises Islands.
Listen to the episode to hear Sue’s stories of abundance and loss, as well as her hopes for the future.
To learn more:
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Listen to the full Our Changing World episode to learn more about the history of Ōtata Island in the Noises group, and the current survey work being done there.
