Watch out for this pretty flower
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.
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.
Step by step for a great cause!
Our amazing Hillary Hikers from Edmund Hillary Village showed their support for Bowel Cancer New Zealand's Move Your Butt campaign this month!
Sporting the bright purple and orange campaign shirts, these wonderful walkers hit the Auckland waterfront and marched from Mission Bay to Kohimarama, raising awareness for bowel cancer and the importance of early detection along the way.
Click read more to read the full story.
MEGA – February 2026 Edition - First Birthday and look …… we are still here!
Plans Missing. Pipes Bursting. Names Changing. Backbone Required.
February’s MEGA issue asks one simple question: where’s the plan — and who’s in charge?
In Days Bay, the shared path currently plays hide-and-seek. It starts. It stops. Kerbs change personality mid-block. Drainage experiments with lagoon living. If there’s a fully resolved design — alignment, parking numbers, cross-sections, timeline — publish it. We’re not anti-cycleway. We’re anti-afterthought.
Ferry Road looks like it’s studying the Howard Point collapse manual. Cracks, water and gravity are a familiar trio. Fix it now or rehearse another apology.
At Moa Point, untreated wastewater has redefined “edgy capital city.” Councils are “monitoring.” The ocean would prefer maintenance.
On the positive side, MEGA supports exploring smart, regulated additional moorings in Days Bay and Lowry Bay. A bay with boats feels alive. Views alone don’t create vibrancy.
Nationally, Sky Stadium is now HNRY Stadium — not Henry, HNRY. The Cake Tin remains undefeated. Meanwhile, touring maps increasingly hit Auckland and Christchurch, then fly home. That’s not branding failure. That’s routing laziness.
The 2026 World Cup will be spectacular football wrapped in visa queues and hotel prices that require refinancing. Rugby coaching appointments may outlast the season itself.
Super City merger talk continues. In mega-structures, small boards tend to “streamline.” If Eastbourne wants influence, it needs guarantees, not nostalgia.
One clear win: HCERT now has a community-funded reconnaissance drone. Big cities have helicopters. We have propellers.
February’s message is blunt:
Publish the plans.
Fix the pipes.
Stabilise the roads.
Back ambition with delivery.
Or MEGA will keep asking.
visit: www.mega.kiwi.nz...
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