We Say/You Say: Should the Hauraki Gulf be protected?
Kia ora neighbours,
A new poll released by the Hauraki Gulf Forum has found there is overwhelming public support for more measures to protect and restore the Hauraki Gulf/Tīkapa Moana.
Of over 1000 respondents, 81% said they love and have a very strong attachment to the Gulf, including its beaches, shorelines and islands. The greatest public concerns for the health of the Gulf are plastics (73% of respondents said this had the most negative impact), sewage (72%), chemicals (70%), and commercial fishing (63%).
Methods proposed to protect the Gulf include planting all waterways, re-establishing lost shellfish-beds and reefs, and banning fishing methods such as dredging and bottom-trawling that damage the sea-floor. 84% of respondents supported these actions, with less than 3% in opposition.
Do you love being in/around the Gulf, and do you think it should be protected? Share your thoughts below and don't forget to type NFP if you don't want your comment featured in the conversations section of the Eastern Courier.
Poll: 🤖 What skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?
The Reserve Bank has shared some pretty blunt advice: there’s no such thing as a “safe” job anymore 🛟😑
Robots are stepping into repetitive roles in factories, plants and warehouses. AI is taking care of the admin tasks that once filled many mid-level office jobs.
We want to know: As the world evolves, what skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?
Want to read more? The Press has you covered!
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52.5% Human-centred experience and communication
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14.7% Critical thinking
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30.1% Resilience and adaptability
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2.7% Other - I will share below!
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.
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!
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