Graduation day for Advanced & Diploma Chefs
This week, we were very happy to host a graduation luncheon for the students, families and friends of the Advanced Level 4 programme and Level 5 Diploma Chefs.
The Diploma chefs achievement comes after nearly TWO years of chopping, preparing and cooking and many tests and assignments and a bunch of hard work plus some serious determination and the privilege of remote cooking through FOUR Lockdowns!
The Advanced Level 4 chefs started in June 2020 and worked through their programme with only THREE lockdowns and remote cooking. Needless to say, we are delighted to be able to award these qualifications after what can only be described as a roller-coasted period.
The menu included Gratinated Snapper with mushroom, spinach with Sauce Hollandaise, Pigeon Bay lamb with corn, polenta, baked cherry tomatoes and basil and Crêpe with raspberry parfait and vanilla cream to finish.
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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