Have you received an email from the IRD? It could be a scam
Inland Revenue is warning of several scams circulating this tax season. Inland Revenue revealed earlier this month that there is about $183 million of tax refunds sitting unclaimed – enough to fly first class from Auckland to London and back more than 11,000 times.
Since then the IRD has been alerted to a scam email that asks users to enter their personal details to claim their tax refund. The email has the subject line, "IR3 individual income tax return 2016".
It's important to remember the IRD will not:
- Advise you that you are due a tax refund through email
- Send an email with a link to a webpage which asks you submit personal details
- Ask for credit card details or bank account numbers over the phone in order to process a monetary payment
- Ask you to pay a tax debt using gift cards or vouchers
- Sent you an email that does not include or ask for your IRD number
If you receive a suspicious email, SMS scam message or a fraudulent call please email phishing@ird.govt.nz or call them on 0800 227 774 (make sure you have your IRD number).
Log on to the Inland Revenue's website, register for myIR and use its calculator to work out whether you are owed money or have tax to pay.
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.
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.
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