Jacqui Dean holds Waitaki
Waitaki's incumbent, National MP Jacqui Dean has sealed a sixth term with 3168 majority win over her nearest challenger, Labour’s Liam Wairepo.
Dean trailed on at least two occasions during the counting but eventually pulled clear, winning with 17,615 votes to Wairepo’s 14,447.
The significance of the Labour swing is seen in the fact that Dean had retained her seat in 2017 with a massive 12,816 margin.
Dean said it had been a “watershed election”, with the tide turning away from the National Party.
However, she was “delighted” to be re-elected as an MP.
“I’ve been an MP since 2005 and I still pinch myself every day and I think how lucky I am.
“The party will have to take stock, but I am proud to be an MP and will continue to hold the Government to account.”
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?
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38.2% The sting of a fine (Money talks!)
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61.8% 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.
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