Emergency water supply
With the end of Daylight Saving today now is a good time to not only check your smoke alarms as suggested by the Fire and Emergency Service, but also check your stored emergency water supply. I have just checked my stored water had nothing growing in it (so it was safe to reuse the bottle), then emptied the bottles rinsed the bottles out and then topped them up to overflowing before putting the lids on. I then changed the date on the bottles and stored them back in the cupboard in the garage.
Remember that you should have AT LEAST 3 liters per person per day and 3 days worth as a minimum. Some suggest that you should have two weeks worth if possible because, when the Alpine Fault ruptures, so much of the South Island will be affected it could take 2 weeks for help to arrive.
Empty fizzy drinks bottles work for storing water, rinse well and fill to overflowing then add lid - just don't use empty milk bottles (wrong type of plastic and you cannot clean them sufficiently - over time microbes from the milk that leeched into the plastic will contaminate your water).
Also check any stored emergency food (we keep all ours in the pantry with the rest of the food - trying to rotate the stock continuously).
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!
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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14.7% Critical thinking
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29.8% 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.
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