How Cyber Smart are you?
Things you can do to keep your data safe
Below are a few things you can do to protect your data:
Change your password – yes, we know it’s easier to have one password for everything and keep it for years and years. But this also makes it easier for someone else to guess your password too.
Make your passwords long and strong, avoid basing them on obvious information such as family names or birthdays, and have a unique password for each online account. You could also use a password manager, which means that you only have to remember one (really good) password.
Also, keep your passwords to yourself.
Turn on two-factor authentication (2FA) – 2FA is an extra layer of protection on top of your password (for example you have to enter both a password and a code in order to access your account). With 2FA in place, if an attacker knows your password - they still can’t get into your account.
You can use 2FA for extra security on most of your accounts, from email to social media, online banking and shopping. You can also use it to access your laptops, tablets, smartphones and some game consoles. Everyone does 2FA slightly differently. To set it up, start by looking under your account settings.
Update your operating system – because this is your main line of defence against hackers and scammers. Just keeping it up to date will protect you against most of the latest bugs and viruses. You can set your system preferences to update automatically – how easy is that?
Check your privacy settings – so that you know exactly who can see what you post on social media. Think before you share personal information, as hackers can use this information to access your personal accounts or steal your identity.
The CertNZ website has loads of resources to help you with these.
www.cert.govt.nz...
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!
Poll: Canterbury is thriving on paper... but are you seeing evidence of Canterbury's improving economy?
As reported in the Press, Reserve Bank Governor Anna Breman recently gave a shout-out to our region, calling Canterbury a "stand-out" for how we recover from tough times. With tech firms growing and exporters investing, the business side of things is looking bright!
👉 But we know that "business growth" doesn't always mean the weekly shop gets any cheaper. While the city expands, many families feel like they’re just trying to keep their heads above water.
We want to know: With the business buzz of 2026, do you feel like things are finally looking up for your household, or does it still feel like a climb?
-
0% Yes
-
0% No
-
100% In some areas ...
🧩😏 Riddle me this, Neighbours…
I am an odd number. Take away a letter and I become even. What number am I?
Do you think you know the answer?
Want to stop seeing these in your newsfeed? No worries! Simply head here and click once on the Following button.
Loading…