The Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute’s (BUEI) ‘Island SOS’ presentation on Sunday, July 2nd at 3:00 pm, will shine a light on the restoration and protection strategies taking place on the Noises Islands in New Zealand, with a talk from Sue Neureuter.
Running monthly, the ‘Island SOS’ series aims to highlight innovative sustainable ocean strategies from islands around the world. Each ‘Island SOS’ talk focuses on a singular island nation and topic, exploring ideas from sustainable events to shellfish restoration.
Sue is one of three custodians of The Noises Islands, a chain of islands and rock stacks located off the coast of the North Island of New Zealand, within the northeast region of Hauraki Gulf Marine Park (or Ko te Pataka kai o Tikapa Moana Te Moananui a Toi in Māori). Composed of 130 million-year-old Jurassic greywacke rock, The Noises are home to an incredible range of sea birds, invertebrates, reptiles and indigenous vegetation.
Celebrated for their outstanding beauty and biodiversity, The Noises have fallen victim to careless visitors and overfishing over the years, decimating the environmental ecosystem surrounding the islands over time. In her talk, Sue will discuss how she and her siblings (Rob and Zoe Neureuter), who inherited The Noises from earlier generations in their family, are aiming to tackle these changes.
Sue is involved with ‘Sea Change’, the Hauraki Gulf Forum-led project which aims to develop a wide-reaching plan of management for the gulf, liaising with the New Zealand Department of Conservation and the Auckland Council. She, in partnership with her sister Zoe, runs ‘Mostly Coastal Landscaping Ltd’. Along with their brother Rod, the Neureuter family have invested all their passions and hopes into the conservation of The Noises, ensuring that the wildlife and local habitats in both the land and sea are able to thrive for future generations.
Similarly, Bermuda is looking to expand its ocean conservation efforts through the Blue Ocean Prosperity Plan to protect our ocean’s marine habitats. BUEI CEO Karla Lacey notes that, “The ‘Island SOS’ series allows our community to recognise our potential in protecting our local oceanic environment. Ms. Neureuter and her sibling’s work on The Noises is a perfect example of how prioritising an environmental ecosystem over private interest can have a great impact, conserving and preserving marine environments for generations to
come.”
Each ‘Island SOS’ takes place live for an in-person audience at BUEI’s Tradewinds Auditorium with our overseas guests presenting via video link.
Tickets for BUEI Talks: ‘Island SOS’ are $10 for members and $15 for non-members. Students with a valid ID are FREE. To become a member, head to our Join and Support page. Sign up as a BUEI Member today and enjoy this lecture for free! Tickets can be purchased on the events page of BUEI’s website or by phoning our Oceans Gift Shop on 294-0204.
BUEI Talks: Island SOS is made possible by the generosity of Chubb, the exclusive sponsor for the series.
