1415 days ago

Poll: Should Arrowtown's iconic autumnal trees get the chop?

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from Otago News

The people of Arrowtown face a looming dilemma: lose a large section of the town’s colourful autumnal background or face an ecological disaster.

Resident Richard Newman has raised concerns that German Hill, which provides a prominent tree-covered backdrop to the west of central Arrowtown, is being denuded of its colourful larch trees.

“It’s environmental vandalism,” he said.

However, landowner representative Jo Booker said the larches were invasive pests that were spreading into the surrounding back country.

Read more here and tell us your thoughts in the comments below.

Image
Should Arrowtown's iconic autumnal trees get the chop?
  • 11.8% Yes
    11.8% Complete
  • 88.2% No
    88.2% Complete
  • 0% I'm not sure/something else (tell us in the comments)
    0% Complete
17 votes
More messages from your neighbours
3 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?

Image
If we want to reduce speeding, what do you think actually changes driver behaviour? 🛻🚨🚓
  • 37.3% The sting of a fine (Money talks!)
    37.3% Complete
  • 62.7% The threat of demerit points (Nobody wants to lose their license!)
    62.7% Complete
703 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!

Image
10 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.

Image