How to spend our first weekend at Alert Level 4
This is a crucial time. You might be tempted to leave the house this weekend to enjoy your free time. But it’s incredibly important that you don’t revert back to ‘normal life’.
Remember why we are all taking these extreme measures. Stay home. Save lives. This breaks the chain and stops the virus spreading.
How to break the chain, and protect us all:
STOP THE MOVEMENT
The virus is spread by us. It can’t move by itself. So we all need to avoid moving around as much as possible, eg:
● don't travel to and from baches or second homes
● avoid driving out of your neighbourhood
● don't travel across the country in campervans
● note that DOC has closed all of its campsites and huts.
KEEP EXERCISE LOCAL
There are very few exceptions to staying home, but exercise is one of them. Going for a walk, run or bike ride is good for your mental health. Just remember to:
● stay close to home. Enjoy your neighbourhood, but go no further
● keep it solitary, or only with those you live with
● keep a 2 metre distance from others.
DO SAFE ACTIVITIES ONLY
● Our emergency services need to be fully available to respond to COVID-19 cases. Any search and rescue operation reduces the ability of first responders to help others.
● Do your bit to help them by only undertaking safe activities, and avoiding going into areas where you could get lost or hurt and require their help. Avoid outdoor activities like swimming, surfing, tramping, or boating, hunting or hiking.
AVOID PUBLIC SPACES
● All bars, restaurants, cafes, gyms, cinemas, pools, museums, libraries and playgrounds are closed.
● Avoid places like beaches where people commonly linger, or are unable to maintain a 2 metre distance.
● Don't touch surfaces others may have touched when outdoors, like park benches or playgrounds.
When you return home carefully wash your hands, and any items you took with you outdoors.
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.
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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53% Human-centred experience and communication
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15.7% Critical thinking
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28.8% Resilience and adaptability
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2.5% Other - I will share below!
Poll: Should complete designs be shared with the public, or should the community help shape the designs from the start?
The Post recently shared an opinion piece on the Harbour Crossing and why a more democratic approach might be needed 🚗🚲👟
While most decisions sit within the political arena, many organisations—like NZTA—manage long-term projects that go beyond party lines. Politics can sometimes disrupt progress, and the next Harbour Crossing is a big decision that will affect all Aucklanders.
We’d love your thoughts: Should near-complete, shovel-ready designs be shared with the public, or should the community have a hand in shaping the designs from the start?
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81.5% Community feedback and transparency is needed.
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18.5% No. This would be impossible in practice.
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