WE NEED YOUR HELP: IDENTIFYING FLOOD HAZARDS IN LOWER HUTT
Hutt City Council, Greater Wellington Regional Council and Wellington Water are working on two projects that make up the most comprehensive flood mapping exercise in the city’s history.
The latest computer modelling techniques have been used to develop
draft flood hazard maps that depict stormwater and river flooding.
Now we need you to help finish the job. To make sure the finished
maps are as accurate as possible, we’d like you to tell us about flooding
events in your neighbourhoods and show us any photos you’ve got.
For further information on this project, go to: hutt.city/floodhazards
We’d also like your thoughts on other natural hazards like earthquakes, slips and erosion, and their impacts on our city.
We need this information as we prepare to draft a new district plan – the rule book for land use and development in Lower Hutt. And lastly, as part of the district plan review, we’d like to talk to you about residential development in the city, particularly your thoughts on what is a reasonable distance for people to walk from higher-density residential housing to train stations, shops and other facilities.
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!
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.
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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