Norovirus outbreaks in Central Otago
Contaminated water at a sports event is responsible for one of two outbreaks of norovirus in Central Otago.
The Southern District Health Board has issued a hygiene warning after two "large" gastrointestinal illness outbreaks were reported in the region over the past two weeks.
Norovirus is highly-infectious and spread easily from person to person.
"With the start of the holiday period we ask everyone to be thorough with all personal hygiene, safe food preparation, and cooking," Poore said.
"Although the acute illness is generally over within 24 to 36 hours, people with norovirus are infectious for at least three days after the symptoms stop and on some occasions for up to two weeks."
The number of cases was in the mid-20s and no-one had been hospitalised. Read more here
Poll: If we want to reduce speeding, what do you think actually changes driver behaviour? 🛻🚨🚓
In the Post's article on speeding penalties, the question is asked whether speeding fines are truly about road safety, or are they just a way to boost revenue for the Crown?
What do you think? Should speeding motorists receive speeding fines or demerit points?
-
37.2% The sting of a fine (Money talks!)
-
62.8% The threat of demerit points (Nobody wants to lose their license!)
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!
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.
Loading…
