Have you checked your chimney recently?
A growth in heat pump sales and new generation woodburners had seen a drop in the number of chimney fire callouts across the region this winter but Fire and Emergency New Zealand Napier senior station officer Jamie Nichol said "we continue to get a few".
While the callouts were down on past winters they still cropped up and it came down to a combination of a casual approach to cleaning and using green wood, he said.
And while chimney fires were relatively quickly dealt with, they created a potential risk to ceiling spaces, "which is why people have to ring us and let us deal with it, rather than try and put it out themselves".
Older systems and particularly units which had not been correctly installed had the potential to quickly heat up ceiling spaces and timbers if there was a fire up the chimney flue. Nichol said people using fires needed to get into the habit of having them cleaned annually.
Read more from Hawkes Bay Today here.
Image: Stuff
Poll: Should all neighbours have to contribute to improvements?
An Auckland court has ruled a woman doesn’t have to contribute towards the cost of fixing a driveway she shares with 10 neighbours.
When thinking about fences, driveways or tree felling, for example, do you think all neighbours should have to pay if the improvements directly benefit them?
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82.5% Yes
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14.8% No
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2.7% Other - I'll share below
Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut
This Wednesday, we're having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.
John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!
As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!
John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.
Share your question below now ⬇️
What's your favourite recipe for courgettes?
Kia ora neighbours. If you've got a family recipe for courgettes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our January 2025 issue.