Does our driving attitude need to change?
Hi neighbours,
Does our attitude toward disability carparks need to change? Stuff Nation contributor Noel Burland thinks so.
He expressed his opinion of the topic after an article appeared on Stuff about a man in Rangiora, who had taken his nine-year-old son who has Cerebral Palsy to the local swimming pool, and found a note on his car that read: "not genuine, shame on you" on his windscreen after he legally had used a disability park outside the pool.
"The person who left the note has quite clearly made an egregious error of judgement, something that may be more common than we realise,
" Burland said.
"That error was the fact that not all disabilities are visible and this person was completely wrong to assume the family weren't entitled to use the park - despite the fact they had the proper disability card displayed on the dashboard of their car."
So we want to hear your opinion on this topic. Have you ever faced a situation like this in your community? Do you think most people understand the rules around disability carparks? Do drivers need to improve their attitudes? Share your thoughts in the replies below.
(Please add "NFP/not for print" if you do not want your images/ comments used on Stuff)
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.
Poll: Would you help your kids out with buying a home?
OPINION: Over the past year, I’ve had the same conversation with many Waikato families again and again.
A child has found a house. The market feels like it’s moving. There’s pressure to act quickly. And before anyone has really had time to think it through, parents are being asked to step in with cash, guarantees, or equity from their own home.
Would you help your kids out with buying a home? Tell us more in the comments (adding NFP if you don't want your words used in print).
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0% I already have.
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0% Yes.
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0% No
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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