Consumer NZ and Electric Kiwi
www.stuff.co.nz...
I've noticed for some time that Consumer NZ gives VERY poor advice - now I know why.
As for Electric Kiwi: I found their customer support excellent, and the 10% bonus for prepay and free "Hour of Power" (you can change each day until midnight when that should be, except during peak time of 7-9 am and 5-9 pm) is fantastic - baking, washing machine, dish washer, charging phones, vaccum, etc all happens during that hour. Their app lets you know each day how much you used, paid, and saved, so I have a long spreadsheet with all the data. Last year we had 36.8% of our electricity for free, this year we managed to increase it to 39.26% so far.
That the app shows each day how much electricity you use each hour also helped us to discover within 3 days that our Hot Water Cylinder had a problem - it kept heating every few hours (so usage and costs went up too) which meant cold water was flowing in - and indeed the regulator (?) under the house had failed. We got it replaced and everything is fine, but it could have been MUCH more expensive. Top marks on the app.
If there is ONE thing I wish they would do, then it is to automatically set the Hour of Power each day that gives you the biggest savings. Sometimes I forget to change it and it is really annoying when you only have 3% instead of the 30+% you were aiming at.
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.
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