Do you think police do enough breath testing in Northland?
Road safety advocates say plummeting police breath test numbers could be contributing to Northland’s “appalling” road toll this year and alcohol-related crashes more than 50% higher than any other region.
There have been 21 deaths on Northland’s roads so far, the highest road toll figures for January to June in the last five years.
The cause of these crashes is still under investigation, but the latest report by Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency showed Northland had the highest rate of alcohol-related crashes in December 2020.
Meanwhile, the number of police breath screening tests for drink-driving has dropped to just a third of the number in 2014-15.
Do you think police do enough breath testing where you are? Are you worried about drink driving?
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!
Get up to $30,000 back* with your new home
Sign up to an independent apartment or townhouse at a participating Ryman village by 31 March 2026 and receive a $30,000 credit on settlement or sign up to a serviced apartment and receive a $10,000 credit on settlement*.
Imagine a new smart TV, your next getaway or furniture for your new home. With more money staying in your pocket, it’s yours to spend!
Discover the lifestyle that awaits.
*Participating villages only, Terms and conditions apply.
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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