Community groups and projects

Kawau Island Residents and Ratepayers Association

KIRRA is one of two organisations (the other is KIAC) on the Island whose primary focus is to protect and promote the interests of landowners and residents, not infrequently against the incursions of mainland bureaucracy.

KIRRA has a membership of over 300 individuals and families and membership is welcomed from all newcomers. KIRRA is charged with publishing the quarterly island magazine Kookaburra (curiously named, as these ordinarily Australian birds are one relic of the Governor Grey heritage).

The Kookaburra Magazine has a long history and is written by the community, for the community. The Magazine is published and sent to KIRRA members four times each year and is supported by local advertisers who provide services for the Kawau community.

For information contact Jackie Shaw: editor@kirra.org.nz

See an example of the Kookaburra here : Autumn 2020

Advertise in the Kookaburra: View Kookaburra advertising rates

The Kawau Communities Conservation Trust has been set up to enable island communities to implement effective pest control on the Island, starting with rats. The Trust want to give people choices about how rat control is done at their property – and manage this through our own trusted community.

Trustees: Caroline Boot, Joe Karam, Pippa Tabron, Greg Tabron, Sue-Ellen Craig and Carl Weaver - are joined by enthusiastic Team Leaders (so far) - Lisa Gubb, Sharon Harper, Shelley Futcher, Jasmine Hweh and Steve Hoyle.

Kawau Island Advisory Committee

KIAC as the Kawau Island Advisory Committee, originally set up as an Act of Parliament in 1963 to reflect and protect the unique characteristics of the Island. In particular, KIAC was charged with interfacing with both local and central government on the mainland to ensure that the particular qualities of the island were not compromised by overbearing “one size fits all” bureaucracy. One huge achievement by KIAC in recent years has been the production of the Kawau Island Vision Statement – a collaborative document with the then Rodney District Council.

Since the recent introduction of the Auckland Unitary Plan the formal status of KIAC has been uncertain, but KIAC itself has continued and liaises mostly on a political level with the Rodney Local Board.

fire and emergency new zealand

Have you ever wondered what happens when a 111 emergency call occurs on Kawau Island?  First responders can't just hop in a fire appliance and drive to the incident. 

The solution to this problem is FENZ Kawau Island, a fully volunteer group made up of dedicated locals. This group is highly trained and responds to all emergencies on Kawau Island, including medical, civil defence and fire.

There are very few roads on Kawau so the logistics of transporting fire crews and equipment are not always an easy task. To help with this situation FENZ Kawau now use the very latest  UHF/VHF communication radios and they have direct communication with Westpac and air logistics helicopters, allowing efficient and quick actions.

All trained FENZ members carry a personal pager and are on call 24/7 giving Kawau Islanders the best response advantage in any emergency situation day and night.

Fire is a major risk on Kawau Island and having a local FENZ team is a considerable factor in reducing the risk. 

Any assistance by way of donations is much appreciated and if you're thinking you might want to be a FENZ Kawau member please give us a call.

CFO (Chief Fire Officer): Gavin Brunton 021 260 7086

Firefighter and Fire Permits: FENZ Website

North Harbour Custodians is a group formed to execute a pest control project at North Harbour, Kawau Island. The Starboard Arm of North Harbour, Kawau Island is a coastal marine environment featuring a tidal estuary flanked by bush covered hills.

Despite many years of degradation through land clearing and invasive pests, such as wallabies, many patches of quality native bush and many native birds remain. With over 30 privately owned properties, mostly holiday homes, the community has for many years worked to improve the natural environment. The community owned wharf that services the area, and the company that administers it, has served as a conduit for activities such as coastal clean-ups and marine pest eradication.

These actions inspired the group to apply for and obtain a grant to expand these activities to include a large scale rat control project. The many encounters by owners with birds such as the kiwi have served to inspire this action to ensure the birds and other native animals present have the very best chance of thriving.

Kawau Emergency Response Trust

The Kawau Emergency Response Trust was established in 2006 to undertake a fundraising programme to support existing services for a fast response capability on Kawau Island. This covers medical, fire, civil defence and environmental emergencies.

To date this has included medical response packs, defibrillators, stretchers, emergency radios, large volume water storage tanks and pumps, emergency depots and storage sheds, an emergency response jet ski, helipads and so on.  The Trust has also funded a series of three-hour First Aid courses for Kawau Islanders which were delivered by St Johns.

Whilst several trustees have a medical, fire services or civil defence background, and provide valuable insights into what is needed for emergency response on the Island, many others are untrained, yet enthusiastic, volunteers working behind the scenes in ongoing fundraising activities. We are dedicated to ensuring the Island can be self- sufficient in providing First Response fast.

The Trustees work very closely with FENZ (Fire and Emergency New Zealand) www.fireandemergency.nz to ensure that funds raised are used in the most effective way possible.

Donations to KERT can be sent to Private Bag 945, Kawau Island, Auckland Mail Service Centre or by direct credit to KERT, The National Bank of New Zealand, Account Number 06-0483-0091225-14.

On the eastern shore of North Cove is 29 acres of spacious and sheltered land. The large area of land makes it most suitable for its purpose. The Camp was bequeathed to the youth of New Zealand by Captain Neils Bentzon, a Danish seaman in 1935.

He lived most of his time on his little mulletty type boat, but went ashore when old age and increasing arthritis meant that life in the tiny cottage on the land would be more comfortable. After his death the Education Board, in 1936, brought over a small schoolroom by barge, to be used as a school for 13 Kawau children. This didn’t last for very long due to the decrease in pupil numbers.

It was 1969 before plans were put into place to turn the property into a camp. In the years since, there has been a lot of work with voluntary labour, lots of assistance from Rotary and Lions and funding sponsorship, put into developing the camp to what it is today. The Captain would be very proud and pleased to see how it is now and how much pleasure it gives to so many young people.