Tree-felling at exclusive golf course divides members, neighbours
A plan to cut down about 200 trees on an exclusive Christchurch golf course has triggered an emotive debate, dividing club members and residents.
Christchurch Golf Club has already started felling the trees, mostly pine and macrocarpa, at its course in Shirley after consulting arborists and its course committee. General manager Mike Hadley acknowledged the removal was a sensitive issue – some club members lobbied to retain them – but said the club wanted to restore the course to its links origins.
Links courses tend to be on or near a coast and feature dunes, undulating greens and few, if any, trees.
Mark Belton, managing director of Permanent Forests NZ Ltd, which specialises in growing forests for carbon sequestration and conservation, said the club could have consulted nearby residents about the tree removal.
“Urban planning and urban forests in National Park Christchurch needs to be carefully considered to get the right trees in the right places to create habitats for birds but that don't cause issues for neighbourhoods."
Read more here and read more about the campaign to make Christhcurch a National Park City here.
Poll: 🤖 What skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?
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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52.7% Human-centred experience and communication
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14.6% Critical thinking
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30% Resilience and adaptability
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2.7% Other - I will share below!
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.
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!
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