2707 days ago

Orewa supermarket shoppers are taking baskets home

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

Countdown Orewa has around six baskets left, following the supermarket removing plastic bags from its checkouts. A Countdown supermarket is asking customers to return shopping baskets that have walked out the door since it ditched plastic bags.

Countdown Orewa removed single-use plastic bags last month and, since then, has gone from about 200 shopping baskets to around six. "There's no more than 10 left. It's crazy," Countdown Orewa customer service manager Marlene Williams said.

They said the supermarket would continue to supply baskets, but requested customers return their baskets for other shoppers to use. The supermarket now sells reusable bags ranging in price from 15 cents to a dollar. Damaged Countdown brand reusable bags can be replaced with a new one at no cost.

Read the full story here.
Image: Stuff

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More messages from your neighbours
1 day ago

Some Choice News!

Kia pai from Sharing the Good Stuff

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!

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20 days ago

Have you got New Zealand's best shed? Show us and win!

Mei Leng Wong Reporter from NZ Gardener & Get Growing

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.

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1 day ago

Share your favourite main crop potato recipe and win a copy of our mag!

William Hansby Reporter from NZ Gardener & Get Growing

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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