Celebrate National Gardening Week with FREE Butterfly-friendly Seeds
Our Monarch Butterfly is under threat and this National Gardening Week Kiwis are being called upon to plant butterfly friendly plants to help save the caterpillars when they hatch in Spring and Summer.
Last year saw a national shortage of Swan plants, the main diet of Monarch caterpillars, causing a large number of the population to be wiped out.
Yates is getting behind the drive to avert a similar crisis this year by giving away various free butterfly friendly seeds including Yates new Butterfly Field Mix seeds between 1st and 14th October. Just register here during this time to receive your packet of seeds.
A national planting day will be held on 20th October. Plant a Swan plant or other butterfly friendly plants in your garden, in your neighbour’s garden, at school, in your local community garden – and let’s help Monarch butterflies flourish.
National Gardening Week aims to foster a love of gardening with a focus on growing not only plants but friendships, good health, strong communities and closer connections with nature.
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.
Will these roadworks affect you?
Don’t expect a quick trip between Cambridge and Tamahere for much of this year, because major roadworks are starting.
Asphalt works on that section of Waikato Expressway will run from March through to late 2026, NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) says. Motorists are warned to plan for significant delays.
“Unfortunately the pavement, particularly in the slow lanes, has deteriorated faster than expected,” NZTA’s Roger Brady said.
Will these roadworks affect you? Tell us more in the comments (adding NFP if you don't want your words used in print).
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