586 days ago

Watch out for this pretty flower

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

Green thumbs are being asked to watch out for a beautiful but toxic flower that could be growing in their backyards.

What you need to know:
- Every part of the plant is poisonous, and can cause gastroenteritis, thirst, paralysis, blindness, and heart and kidney failure.
- This plant is hardy and normal pest control efforts are often not enough to eradicate.
- The cape tulip, growing up to 90cm high with one strap-like leaf, was introduced to Aotearoa in the 1940s, the Ministry for Primary Industries’ manager for pest management John Sanson said. “Cape tulips, like many of these invasive weeds, are really attractive ornamental species ...but they escape over people’s backyard fences and into pasture, as these things often do,”
- It was classified as a noxious plant in the late 1970s after they were discovered to cause harm to livestock and humans, even killing animals when too much as ingested.
- The salmon-pink flowers bloom for about two days a year between June and December, and have previously been an ornamental species for keen gardeners.

Sanson urged people who believed they had the weed growing on their property to leave it untouched and contact Biosecurity New New Zealand’s Exotic Pest and Disease on 0800 80 99 66.

Once a site was confirmed, manual removal or chemical treatment would start.

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More messages from your neighbours
1 day ago

Have you been to Hamilton Gardens lately?

Libby Totton Reporter from Waikato Times

Hamilton will soon offer a portal to a medieval ‘hospital’, without the stress of the bubonic plague.

The Medieval Gardens will open next year at Hamilton Gardens, with much of the work already done.

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O
5 hours ago

Leaving Neighbourly

Orlando from Pukete

Hey everyone, just a quick note to say I’m leaving Neighbourly. I joined because I thought it would be a good way to connect with people in the community, especially the older generation, and to receive advice, help, and shared knowledge.

Over time I’ve made quite a few posts genuinely looking for help or guidance, and unfortunately I’ve rarely received any responses. Most of the time it’s just one or two likes and no actual comments or help, which gets pretty discouraging after a while.

I understand people are busy, but when you consistently put things out there and hear almost nothing back, it starts to feel like there’s no real point in being part of the platform. Because of that, I’ve decided it’s best for me to move on.

No hard feelings — just not the right fit for me. Wishing everyone all the best.

13 hours ago

Scam Alert: Fake information regarding December Bonuses from MSD

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

The Ministry of Social Development is reporting that fake information is circulating about new ‘December bonuses’ or ‘benefit increases’

If you get suspicious communication, please contact Netsafe.

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