For a solid future, get a trade!
If you know a young person who wants a career with variety, a good income and the potential to be their own boss, then getting a trade is a smart move.
At Ara Institute of Canterbury we've got lots of trades courses starting in Christchurch and Timaru in February. Options include painting & decorating, electrical & engineering, plumbing & gasfitting, construction, carpentry & joinery, motor industry trades and He Toki and Pasifika trades training.
Students learn from inspirational mentors in real-life learning environments and get lots of hands-on experience to prepare for the workplace.
To find out more visit our website or call 0800 24 24 76
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!
☔️ Where’d the summer go?
It’s the talk of the town (and every coffee queue): the Canterbury "summer" has felt a bit wet this year! We’ve definitely had our fair share of grey skies and raincoats lately 🌧️ In fact, the Post reports that Christchurch experienced almost double our usual!
While the forecast is looking bright for this weekend (fingers crossed!), we aren't out of the woods ... there are a few more cold fronts lining up before winter hits.
We want to hear from you: What are your go-to rainy-day activities? Whether you’re a local legend at the indoor courts or a professional movie-marathoner, share your secrets with us!
Drop your favourite rainy-day tips or photos in the comments below! 👇
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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