Crocky
“My name’s Crocky... the nickname I've had my whole life. When I was six I had a possum skin hat like the American folklore hero Davy Crockett. I never wanted to take off the hat.
Where I feel most at home is the Southern Lakes where I was born, but I had my school years in Christchurch after my mum moved here when my parents divorced.
I buggered off overseas in the 2000’s, at one point I lived in New York. In the last 10 years I lived in Wellington, it had everything of a big city but like a small village, everything is accessible. Now I'm back again in Christchurch.
I squirrelled and saved and saved and just brought my first home. It's a new build with a vintage feel. I try and get around on my electric motorbike or my push bike, makes me feel like I'm on a mission. It's the best way to see the city. I feel bad using a car when I'm the only one in it. I like going tramping and nature is really good for me.
My biggest thing at the moment; I have an addiction to thrift shopping. I think thrifting is so cool - there's a real market for it, you know what you're looking for and it's great for reselling stuff that's already been created. I have a full time job that's stable so it’s kinda become a bit of a side hustle.
I'm currently collecting digital cameras. I have about 15, op shops think they are no good as everyone is using their phones. I source the chargers and clean the cameras up and sell them on and give them new life. Everyone's going back to the Y2K era for nostalgic reasons, the noise of them clicking a photo - very cool.”
- Crocky
View more stories, or nominate someone: @humansofchch
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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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