2548 days ago

Red sticker prevents public access to McLean's Mansion in Christchurch

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from The Press

Hundreds of people turned up to tour one of the world's largest timber homes on the weekend, only to find the gates closed.

Organisers were forced to make a last minute decision on Friday to cancel the open days at the 118-year-old, 53-room McLean's Mansion, in central Christchurch, when it was discovered the building was structurally unsafe and still subject to a Section 45 notice (red sticker).

It's not yet known how long it will take for the notice to be lifted, but if it could be lifted this week there is a chance the open days could still be held before scheduled work begins later this month. Otherwise the open days will be delayed until October.

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More messages from your neighbours
5 days ago

Poll: 🤖 What skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

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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🤖 What skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?
  • 52.5% Human-centred experience and communication
    52.5% Complete
  • 14.7% Critical thinking
    14.7% Complete
  • 30.1% Resilience and adaptability
    30.1% Complete
  • 2.7% Other - I will share below!
    2.7% Complete
552 votes
1 day ago

Share your favourite main crop potato recipe and win a copy of our mag!

William Hansby Reporter from NZ Gardener & Get Growing

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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8 hours ago

Some Choice News!

Kia pai from Sharing the Good Stuff

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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