1660 days ago

Snow seekers' dreams of perfect powder day dashed by Covid-19 lockdown

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from Otago News

The dreams of snow-seekers throughout the South Island have been snatched away by a lockdown that coincides with the season’s best powder day.

A storm early this week dumped up to half a metre of snow on southern ski areas and Wednesday was keenly anticipated to be the best day of the season with thick powder and brilliant sunshine.

Cardrona and Treble Cone manager Bridget Legnavsky​said everyone’s plans came to a halt overnight when it was announced New Zealand was entering an alert level 4 lockdown.

“We haven’t had great snow this season and all of a sudden it’s absolutely dumped enormous amounts of snow,” she said.

While ski area staff were disappointed, they were not caught off guard and were ready to close down if necessary.

Read more, including how the region's other major fields have responded to the snap lockdown, here.

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More messages from your neighbours
4 days ago

Poll: If we want to reduce speeding, what do you think actually changes driver behaviour? 🛻🚨🚓

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

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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If we want to reduce speeding, what do you think actually changes driver behaviour? 🛻🚨🚓
  • 38.2% The sting of a fine (Money talks!)
    38.2% Complete
  • 61.8% The threat of demerit points (Nobody wants to lose their license!)
    61.8% Complete
747 votes
10 days ago

Some Choice News!

Kia pai from Sharing the Good Stuff

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!

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11 days ago

Share your favourite main crop potato recipe and win a copy of our mag!

William Hansby Reporter from NZ Gardener & Get Growing

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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