The Abbey Caves reserve is closed.
We are supporting the rāhui (restriction of access) that Ngāti Kahu o Torongare and Whangārei Hapū have placed. Please be considerate and stay out of the caves and the reserve.
RĀHUI
He Aituā: Ki te hunga katoa ki Te Whenua Tāpui o Kiore Taretare i te 10 o May, 2023
Nō te aituā i pā ki tētahi taiohi o Whangārei i te Tūrei, te 9 o Mei 2023, kua rāhuitia Te Whenua Tāpui o Kiore Taretare e Ngāti Kahu o Torongare me Ngā Hapū o Whangārei. Hena koa, kia manawa popore mai ki tēnei aituā, ki tōna whānau, ki tēnei rāhui anō mā te kore tomo mai ki te whenua tāpui nei.
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Mayor Vince Cocurullo expressed his sincerest condolences to the whānau, friends, fellow pupils, staff and all members of the community grieving for the loss of the young man at the caves yesterday.
"Thank you to all who took part in the search in any capacity and to those who prayed for everyone involved."
"This is not the outcome anyone wanted, but returning the young one to his family to farewell over the next few days would not have been achieved so quickly without the enormous efforts of many people."
"Thank you to all who have come forward to offer comfort and support as well. I support the words of the Hapū, who said this is a time for manaaki and care to all, particularly to the family, his peers and school community."
He reiterated that multiple organisations will be involved to identify how a tragedy like this could be prevented in future and Council would be part of that process.
Some Choice News!
DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.
Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.
For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.
Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?
We hope this brings a smile!
Have you got New Zealand's best shed? Show us and win!
Once again, Resene and NZ Gardener are on the hunt for New Zealand’s best shed! Send in the photos and the stories behind your man caves, she sheds, clever upcycled spaces, potty potting sheds and colourful chicken coops. The Resene Shed of the Year 2026 winner receives $1000 Resene ColorShop voucher, a $908 large Vegepod Starter Pack and a one-year subscription to NZ Gardener. To enter, tell us in writing (no more than 500 words) why your garden shed is New Zealand’s best, and send up to five high-quality photos by email to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz. Entries close February 23, 2026.
Share your favourite main crop potato recipe and win a copy of our mag!
Love potatoes? We will give away free copies of the May 2026 issue to readers whose potato recipes are used in our magazine. To be in the running, make sure you email your family's favourite way to enjoy potatoes: mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, by March 1, 2026.
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