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]
^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. ISBN0-473-01587-0.
^Dickey, Hugh (2020). Whau Now, Whau Then. Blockhouse Bay Historical Society. pp. 14–16. ISBN978-0-473-54013-5.
^ abCameron, 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. ISBN978-1-86962-1513.
