Motumānawa / Pollen Island

Motumānawa / Pollen Island^[1] is an island in the Waitematā Harbour, very near the northern end of Rosebank Peninsula, in Auckland, New Zealand. The official name of the island was changed from Pollen Island and gazetted as Motumānawa / Pollen Island on 12 November 2015.^[1]

Motumānawa / Pollen Island

Motumānawa / Pollen Island in 1969, adjacent to the Northwestern Motorway
Geography
Location	Auckland
Coordinates	36°51′45″S 174°40′10″E
Adjacent to	Waitematā Harbour
Administration
New Zealand

History

A New Zealand fernbird seen on Motumānawa / Pollen Island

The island was given its English name from Daniel Pollen, who bought it in 1855. He later became Premier of New Zealand. Pollen used the shellbanks of the island to produce lime for the brick and concrete industries.^[2] In 1918, the Avondale Road Board purchased the island, in order to harvest the shells to be used for construction projects, such as layering on footpaths.^[3]

The island has been owned and managed by the Department of Conservation (DOC) since late 2005, when it was acquired from Ports of Auckland. It was gazetted as an open scientific reserve in 2006. It had been leased by Forest and Bird from Ports of Auckland between June 1995 to June 2005. During the lease Forest and Bird identified the native plants and animals living there and prepared a management plan.^[4]

Biodiversity

The island is a part of the wider intertidal ecosystem of the Motu Manawa (Pollen Island) Marine Reserve.^[5] Motumānawa / Pollen Island is a breeding spot for New Zealand dotterels, New Zealand fernbirds, the banded rail and the black-backed gull. The main vegetation on the island is Juncus kraussii, Apodasmia similis and Plagianthus divaricatus, with smaller patches of New Zealand flax nd Olearia solandri.^[5]

Marine reserve

The Motu Manawa-Pollen Island Marine Reserve was established in 1996.^[5]

References

1. "New Zealand Gazetteer: Motumānawa / Pollen Island". gazetteer.linz.govt.nz. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
2. Diamond, John T. (1992). "The Brick and Pottery Industry in the Western Districts". In Northcote-Bade, James (ed.). West Auckland Remembers, Volume 2. West Auckland Historical Society. p. 48. ISBN 0-473-01587-0.
3. Dickey, Hugh (2020). Whau Now, Whau Then. Blockhouse Bay Historical Society. pp. 14–16. ISBN 978-0-473-54013-5.
4. "Pollen and Traherne Islands / Motu Manawa Marine Reserve". Forest and Bird. Retrieved 17 March 2012.
5. Cameron, Ewen; Hayward, Bruce; Murdoch, Graeme (2008). A Field Guide to Auckland: Exploring the Region's Natural and Historical Heritage (Revised ed.). Random House New Zealand. p. 190. ISBN 978-1-86962-1513.

External links

• Motu Manawa (Pollen Island) Marine Reserve and features at the Department of Conservation
• Photographs of Pollen Island held in Auckland Libraries' heritage collections.