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January 2024: Local Board Member Report

  • Sherwood reserve bird poisonings

  • What you can and can't recycle under the new rules

  • Gulf Harbour Ferry timetable update - additional sailings


Sherwood Reserve bird poisonings


A large number of birds became unwell, and some died, at Sherwood Reserve on 22 and 26 January, which was particularly devastating for those who saw the birds unwell at the time and the wider community who cherish that reserve and its wildlife.


Our Community Facilities team worked alongside the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI), the Department of Conservation (DoC) and local bird care groups to establish what happened.


MPI have concluded their investigation and have ruled out any naturally occurring issues. I'm advised that any testing beyond this for toxins is very complex- there are huge range of toxins that would need to be tested for and it is extremely expensive to do so. Relatedly, identifying the toxin would do little at this stage without any associated proof of someone deliberately poisoning the birds. MPI are focused on eliminating naturally occurring issues so anything beyond this becomes a Police matter.


If you see any suspicious activity or matters of serious concern, please immediately report it to Police on 105. Please report any issues affecting animals and birds in our Auckland parks network bycalling Council on 09 301 0101.


I know there has been a lot of speculation from the community regarding a particular person who could be deliberately poisoning the birds. The person in question has mental health issues, and as far as I'm aware hasn't been witnessed doing anything suspicious. I've spoken with the Local Constable and they are aware of this person and the concerns people have for her safety etc. If you see this person in a situation you're concerned about, please contact Police. I'd kindly ask the community to refrain from making assumptions about this person's involvement in the poisoning of birds. If you have any evidence or concerns, then please contact Police - otherwise, it is merely speculation and we are, as a community, better than that.


Large thanks to our Community Facilities team who responded very quickly, re-checked the sites daily to ensure it was safe for park users and monitor for any further issues, and installed new signs to not feed the birds at this site. Our Healthy Waters team also took steps at the start of summer to mitigate avian botulism by placing barley bales in the wetland. There have been no reports to suggest a botulism outbreak here or at any other stormwater ponds/wetlands in Auckland so far this summer.


Here's the latest NZHerald article on the matter.



What you can and can't recycle under the new rules


Everyone across the country is set to have identical guidelines for what items can and cannot be placed in kerbside recycling bins. Previously, it had depended on where you lived as to what items were accepted in local council collections. Below is the new advice from Auckland Council about what can and can't go in your recylcing bins, in line with the Ministry for the Environment’s new national standards.


Items accepted in your kerbside recycling bin from 1 February 2024:

  • Glass bottles and jars

  • Paper and cardboard

  • Plastic bottles, trays, and containers (grades 1, 2 and 5 only)

  • Tin, steel and aluminium cans

New items excluded from 1 February 2024:

  • Items less than 50mm (e.g. caps, small cosmetic and spice containers)

  • Aerosol cans (steel and aluminium)

  • Liquid paperboard (beverage cartons and juice boxes)

  • Plastics 3, 4, 6 and 7

  • Aluminium foil and trays

  • All lids

  • Items over 4 litres


Auckland Council collects approximately 132,000 tonnes every year from kerbside household recycling bins. The material collected is sorted and baled as paper, cardboard, aluminium cans, tin cans, glass, plastics (1, 2 and 5) and sent to facilities onshore and overseas for sale and reprocessing.


Nearly a quarter of the material collected in Auckland’s kerbside recycling is contaminated with non-recyclable items like clothes, nappies, and bagged rubbish. This contamination costs Auckland ratepayers an extra $3 million per year in sorting and disposal.


Materials that were never accepted in kerbside recycling, but which show up in Auckland bins include:

  • Food

  • Textiles, carpets and clothes

  • Nappies, medical waste and garden waste

  • Soft plastic and plastic bags (if you can scrunch it in your hand, it's a soft plastic and can be recycled at deposit centres at some supermarkets)

  • Bagged recycling and rubbish

  • Lithium-ion batteries and appliances.

Some of these items can be recycled through other means like Community Recycling Centres, private companies, or in the case of soft plastics, be returned to participating stores.



Gulf Harbour Ferry timetable update - additional sailings


Gulf Harbour ferry services were temporarily reduced in October 2023 to enable fast-track training of ferry crew. This Accelerated Ferry Training programme is continuing but Fullers are now able to provide another round trip in the morning and another in the afternoon starting Monday 12 February 2024.

These additional sailings will use smaller vessels that are limited to 100 passengers.

Fewer Ferry Replacement bus trips will run as a result of the extra ferry trips.


Gulf Harbour Ferry Timetable from 12 February 2024:



Ferry Replacement buses

• There will be no Ferry Replacement buses in the mornings. The 07:15 and 07:30 trips will no longer run.

• There will be two Ferry Replacement buses in the afternoon. The 16:30 trip will no longer run.

Timetable from 12 February 2024:



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