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1670 days ago

Saving Trees from Climbing Pest Plants

Elizabeth from Maitai

Some neighbours in Atmore, Cleveland and Mayroyd Terraces have been getting together to free trees in our neighbourhood that are being strangles and suffocated by climbing pests such as Old Mans Beard, Climbing Dock, Banana Passionfruit and several others. We are meeting again this morning at 10.00 am and plan to get together monthly.


We can only work on public reserves and our own property.


If you would like to join us, or learn more about what we do, please contact me.


We have met with NCC Council Staff and now understand that the only way we will ever improve the situation is with our own efforts. The problem is too large and the costs would be too high to do this without volunteer labour. Council are ready to help with advice and information.


Nobody wants their rates to rise and so its not feasible to leave it to Council. After all, Council are us - we are in this together.


We would ask you, if you have these weeds on your property, would you be willing to remove them - or at least cut the vines out of the trees - not pull them - just leave them to die 'in situ' as this keeps spreading weed seeds to a minimum.


We weedbusters would love to see more of our friends and neighbours joining us in the effort to free our trees.


Nga mihi nui
Elizabeth

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🧩😏 Riddle me this, Neighbours…

The Riddler from The Neighbourly Riddler

I am an odd number. Take away a letter and I become even. What number am I?

Do you think you know the answer? Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm on the day!

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1 day 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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21 days ago

Have you got New Zealand's best shed? Show us and win!

Mei Leng Wong Reporter from NZ Gardener & Get Growing

Once again, Resene and NZ Gardener are on the hunt for New Zealand’s best shed! Send in the photos and the stories behind your man caves, she sheds, clever upcycled spaces, potty potting sheds and colourful chicken coops. The Resene Shed of the Year 2026 winner receives $1000 Resene ColorShop voucher, a $908 large Vegepod Starter Pack and a one-year subscription to NZ Gardener. To enter, tell us in writing (no more than 500 words) why your garden shed is New Zealand’s best, and send up to five high-quality photos by email to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz. Entries close February 23, 2026.

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