Len Lye costs - for concerned ratepayers
See write-up in Daily News this morning. Despite the Council's CEO saying they had missed the boat with monitoring the LLC they are still espousing the virtues of the LLC. Not that it is all about money but a return of $2.73 for each dollar spent by ratepayers is not very good. Even 20 - 30 years ago a return of $4 was the norm. From the visitor figures they keep quoting we appear to have a viable gallery so I continue to question the overheads. Only my opinion; but I have made a point of visiting the centre (9 times to date) but must say 50% of those times I came away disappointed (I wonder what paying visitors think). At worst it was as though it was closed. we may have had just over 17000 paying customers over last year but surely they are entitled to a decent display. I went as recently as yesterday and came away only partly satisfied. There was no Len Lye exhibit that I could see and minimal use is still only being made of the wonderful first gallery (I was able to sit on one of those great decorative wooden seats and listen to the music but that is not normally the case). The second gallery was closed but due to open Saturday so I hope to go again soon. For the rest it was good to see the many weaving exhibits but a bit more variety would be good. Come on Council we can do better.
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!
Have you got New Zealand's best shed? Show us and win!
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.
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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