Growing native trees for the Red Zone Third working bee
I am David Newton (my wife Jane joined Neighbourly in 2015) I got two fantastic helpers today Paul and Glenise. We pricked out 200 seedling Wineberry, (great for bird food) into 50x50 pots, sowed Kahikatea, Lancewood and griselinia littoralis seed all eco sourced from Travis wetland. Then we finished off the two hours potting 100 coprosma robusta and another 100 mixture of marble leaf and Manuka seedlings into PB3’s from the 50x50’s. All this done in our two hour slot. Next session Sat Sept 1st 2-4pm at the SBHS Nursery (meet in the carpark beside ther double story block off Averil St. Bring gumboots). Thanks to Canterbury Landscape Services, CSL Ltd who provides the excellent potting mix and seed raising mix as well as pumice free as a gift to SBHS. Thank you, Phil and your team. The nursery is growing well and even the Konini is busting back into leaf after looking very naked and dead from the heavy frosts. About 50 of our trees will be going out into a planting at Horseshoe Lake next Saturday as part of Otakaro Forest Park’s regular Working Bee there. More habitat and bird food for our native species. Thanks again. Regards David.
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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