Help us track the elusive Australasian Bittern on Aotea—report sightings and learn more about these critically endangered birds!
Oruawharo Medlands Ecovision
Our Vision is an Oruawharo Bay where all the ecosystems flourish
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Monthly News
Many of you have likely noticed the Agapanthus in flower at the moment. These plants can cause massive biodiversity loss and are particularly invasive in coastal areas, outcompeting native coastal plants. This is disruptive for native ecosystems and reduces habitat for our native wildlife. As we work to protect and restore our unique coastal environment, it’s crucial to keep an eye out for Agapanthus and prevent it from spreading further. To learn more about managing Agapanthus, visit https://www.weedbusters.org.nz.
Events
About Us
Mission: To work with the community to improve the habitats of native species by managing invasive pest species, restoring and nurturing the local dune, wetland and bush ecosystems.
Oruawharo Medlands Ecovision (OME) is a local community group with an environmental focus, based in Oruawharo Bay on Aotea / Great Barrier Island. We are a group of enthusiastic and passionate locals who think we have a lot to protect here in our neighbourhood, from pāteke/brown teal, matuku hūrepo/australasian bittern and mātātā/fern bird in the wetland and New Zealand dotterels on the beach and dunes to niho taniwha/chevron skinks along the creeks further inland. This is indeed a special piece of Aotea, you just have to stop and take notice!
We nurture and protect the taonga on our doorstep, and are in the planning stages of an expansion of our pest managed area, hoping to include many private properties as well as public land.
Every Wednesday from 9am, weather permitting, OME hosts weekly working bees, restoring a Department of Conservation wetland. We would love you to join us, contact us to find out where we are working from week to week.
Make A Donation
How you can help us make a difference
We would love for you to be able to enjoy your local wetland up close. A path with a small section of boardwalk will transform the way we travel through this area and will make for a beautiful addition to our neighbourhood.
With your help we can make this happen.
Buy a plank or a whole section of this boardwalk, every dollar counts!
Thank you for your support!
With your help we can make this happen.
Buy a plank or a whole section of this boardwalk, every dollar counts!
Thank you for your support!
Friends of OME
Become a Friend of OME with a regular donation.
Every dollar counts and we are grateful for your support.
Receive quarterly newsletters and be amongst the first in the know about project progress, updates and events.
Thank you for your support!
Monthly donation
Every dollar counts and we are grateful for your support.
Receive quarterly newsletters and be amongst the first in the know about project progress, updates and events.
Thank you for your support!
Monthly donation
Growing media
Seed raising and potting mix is a continued cost for raising our own plants in the grow tunnel and we go through a fair bit.
Thank you for your support!
Thank you for your support!
Plant Protection
Planting the plants is only part of the work involved. Protecting them from pukeko, pigs, wind and sun is an added cost, but very worth it and necessary for plant survival.
Thank you for your support!
Thank you for your support!
Plants
We aim to support the community nursery by buying plants from them that we are not able to grow. For this we need money to purchase plants they have grown.
Thank you for your support!
Thank you for your support!
Access bridges
Some of our planting sites are hard and a bit treacherous to access. With your help we can upgrade them for better access.
Thank you for your support!
Thank you for your support!
Pots, tools and other plant equipment
We buy what we can from Anamata, but sometimes there are pot sizes we need that they don’t have or their supply is low. Scoops, irrigation and much more is on the list of must haves to keep growing healthy, strong plants.
Thank you for your support!
Thank you for your support!
Seabird monitoring
We have discovered a small colony of tākoketai/black petrels at the top of the Medlands basin. With the help of Auckland Council we would like to be able to monitor these burrows on a regular basis for breeding success, environmental challenges and general colony health. We can provide details for your chosen burrow and you can even name your own chick!
Thank you for your support!
Thank you for your support!
Pest Control
OME's biggest body of work is the continuous rodent control programme. The traps in the dunes and wetlands are checked weekly by a paid person and we are now able to include private properties. If you would like your traps or bait stations checked on a regular basis get in touch to get your property set up to be included.
You can donate here to keep this program going, whether your property is included or not.
Thanks for your support!
You can donate here to keep this program going, whether your property is included or not.
Thanks for your support!
Team
Raoul Stuart
Chair person
Peter Jemmett
Deputy Chair
Prue Smith
Secretary
Lotte McIntyre
Coordinator
Isobel Edwards
Field manager
Maxine Barrowman
Fieldworker
John Ogden
Data analyst
Hemo Davis
Iwi representative
Annamarie Clough
Council liaison
Frances McClure
Grow tunnel queen
Jennifer Neads
Chair support
Kim Bannister
Tech advisor
Peggy Garlick
Shorebird patrol
Michelle Benson
H&S officer
Tony Lyon
Track magician
John Garlick
Proof reader
Margaret Jemmett
E-bike promoter
Andy Thomson
Handy man (muscle man)
Contact
- Medlands Beach, Great Barrier Island / Aotea, New Zealand
Sign up here to receive our quarterly newsletters or get in touch to volunteer or for any other enquiries.
Articles
Aotea Bittern Survey 2023
Here you can read the full report on the Aotea Great Barrier Island Bittern Survey 2023, compiled by John Ogden.
Ahu Moana Survey Report
The inaugural Ahu Moana survey was carried out around Boasted Rock by a team of volunteers in October 2024. To find out what they saw and experienced you can read the report here. This will be a regular event with four surveys per year. If you would like to take part please reach out to the OME team.
OME Property Owners Survey Analysis
A short survey has been distributed to the Oruawharo Bay property owners asking peoples opinions on extending our pest control in the area. You can read the full report of the analysis here.
OME Newsletters
You can find all of OME's online newsletters here
OME birds data
We keep all sort of bird related data. John Ogden is our resident data expert and he has kept data for longer than OME has existed. He has kindly shared a lot of this content and we have merged it here for everyone to be able to follow.
Tākoketai (black petrel) survey
Joanna Sim and her trusty canines Rua and Miro did a search of the upper Medlands area looking for tākoketai (black petrel burrows) in January 2023. We are stoked to report there is a population of breeding birds on the DoC blocks at the top of the OME Phase Two project area.
Phase Two Predator Control for Oruawharo Bay
OME has plans to extend our pest controlled area. To learn more about what we are proposing read this article published in the Aotea Great Barrier Environmental News issue 47.
OME Progress Report
A thorough report has been prepared by John Ogden, covering the period 2019-2022, including analysis of our trapping and monitoring data and progress over the first three years of the project.
Forest and Bird feature
An article on OME’s wetland restoration work was published in Forest and Birds 2022 summer issue.
Kororā Survey
In June 2022 Jo Sim of Dabchick NZ undertook a survey with her canine team and found Kororā /Little Blue Penguin burrows across the Aotea with a bonus discovery of Oī/Grey Faced Petrel burrows in Medlands.
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