871 days ago

170,000 Christchurch residents ‘at risk’ from drinking water as 27 councils given notice to fix

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from The Press

From reporters Debbie Jamieson and Keiller MacDuff:
A total of 170,000 people in Christchurch are potentially at risk of bacteria in drinking water, as regulator Taumata Arowai races to identify councils without protozoa barriers on their water supplies in the wake of Queenstown’s cryptosporidium outbreak.

Taumata Arowai on Thursday sent letters to 27 councils, telling them to lock in plans - and money - to fix their drinking water supplies by June.

Most of the councils are in the South Island. Christchurch has the largest potentially at-risk population, the regulator said, with about 170,000 people drinking from supplies in part fed from wells less than 30 metres deep.

These appear to be in the Ferrymead water supply zone, which also feeds the Lyttelton Harbour basin (nearly 23,000 people), and the central water supply zone (supplying about 158,000 people).

However, Christchurch City Council has so far been confident the health risk is low. It said it was unlikely people would get water from only the shallow wells, because it mixed with water from other sources first.

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1 hour 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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19 days ago

Have you got New Zealand's best shed? Show us and win!

Mei Leng Wong Reporter from NZ Gardener & Get Growing

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.

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4 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?
  • 52.4% Human-centred experience and communication
    52.4% Complete
  • 15% Critical thinking
    15% Complete
  • 29.7% Resilience and adaptability
    29.7% Complete
  • 2.8% Other - I will share below!
    2.8% Complete
532 votes