What you need to know about tomorrow's nurses strike
Hospitals have been emptied out and will be reduced to essential services tomorrow as thousands of nurses and healthcare workers stop work. The industrial action will run from 7am Thursday for 24 hours.
What you need to know:
• Canterbury DHB staff will notify patients if their appointments change.
• If patients need to check on their appointment, they can call the number on their appointment letters. If possible, quote the NHI number which is usually in the upper right-hand corner of the letter. If people can't find their appointment letter, they can call 03 364 0640 and ask to be put through to the appropriate department.
• On the day of the strike, people should still go to hospital if the matter is urgent. Dial 111 for emergencies or an ambulance.
• Otherwise, people should visit their GP or a local pharmacy.
• Free medical advice is available 24/7 at 0800 611 116.
Read more here.
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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