Meet our new reporter :)
Pukekohe, believe it or not, is a town I had always envisioned settling down in - and now that I'm straight out of my Wintec journalism degree, I get to work here.
After finally getting my study life over with, I am stoked to be starting my working career at the Franklin County News.
I was born Emelyn McHardy, but feel free to call me Em if I ever give you a call.
I grew up in Papua New Guinea, and after travelling back and forth to New Zealand a few times, I lived there a total of seven years.
But I will always think of little Paeroa as my home town.
I'd probably best describe myself as a "20-year-old nana" - while my friends may enjoy hitting the town, and staying up until 3am, I much prefer an early night at home, watching some Youtube or American Horror Story.
People ask me why I chose journalism. For me journalism means I'll never stop learning, I'll never have the same day twice and I'll always be experiencing something new.
I look forward to my new experiences with Franklin County News and can't wait to meet the community.
Give me a call on 237 0404, 027 886 3942, or email me emelyn.mchardy@fairfaxmedia.co.nz.
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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