Severe weather on East Coast
A state of emergency has been declared for locations on the East Coast. Check out this morning's breaking news from Stuff.co.nz.
- Severe flooding hits the Tolaga Bay and Tokomaru Bay areas of Tairāwhiti.
- Two contractors are trapped near Anaura Bay, and a rescue operation is underway.
- Tairāwhiti Civil Defence has ordered the evacuation of residents in the Mangatuna area north of Gisborne.
- The Hikuwai River reached 12.8 metres after 3am, a level higher than in flooding in 2020.
- State Highway 35 from Gisborne to Ōpōtiki, is closed because of flooding, slips and washouts.
- Power is out for around 755 customers in the Tokomaru Bay area.
- There are multiple slips in Tolaga Bay Gorge, with flooding across the road making it suitable only for four-wheel drives.
- Gisborne Civil Defence manager Ben Green told RNZ the rainfall overnight was almost "biblical".
- At least seven households have been evacuated.
- Rainfall is still heavy and there is more to come across the region, potentially another 150mm today.
- Parts of Bay of Plenty could also expect more than 200mm of rain to fall today.
For further information on the evolving situation, click here.
Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut
This Wednesday, we're having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.
John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!
As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!
John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.
Share your question below now ⬇️
Poll: When should the tree go up? 🎄
From what we've heard, some Christmas trees are already being assembled and decorated.
What are your thoughts on the best time to get your Christmas tree up?
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4.6% Second half of November
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43.6% 1st December
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17.5% A week before Christmas
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33.2% Whenever you wish
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1.1% Other - I'll share below
What's your favourite tomato recipe?
Kia ora neighbours. We know your tomato plants are still growing, but we're looking ahead to the harvest already! If you've got a family recipe for tomatoes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine to share with our readers. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our February 2025 issue.