1964 days ago

First Rung, episode 2, is here!

Kylie Klein Nixon Reporter from Homed

Hi team! Thank you so much for your support of First Rung, our first podcast!
The launch last week went even better than we'd hoped. I'm over the moon.
I thought I'd drop by to let you know this week's episode, Location, Location, Location, is out now.
Just like the first one, it's packed with tips, advice and anecdotes from experts and home owners on every aspect of buying your first home. It also comes with a chance to win a $500 Resene prize pack.
In episode 2, we talk to a first time buyer who moved from one end of the country to the other for a chance to get on the ladder, hear about apartments as a viable first home option and an expert gives us some tips on how to choose the right lawyer.
We all know buying a home is one of the toughest, most daunting things we might ever do as adults, so it doesn't hurt to get some expert advice and support. That's what we wanted to give you with First Rung.
Give episode 2 a listen and let us know what you think - and I hope you're all in to win that crackin' prize pack!

Image
More messages from your neighbours
9 hours 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? 🛻🚨🚓
  • 30.8% The sting of a fine (Money talks!)
    30.8% Complete
  • 69.2% The threat of demerit points (Nobody wants to lose their license!)
    69.2% Complete
159 votes
1 day ago

SLASH BESIDE THE TRACK UP TO TRIG

Paul from Levin

I question the wisdom and the morality of an industry which creates so much waste, waste which is also a cause of widespread and devastating damage. So, I searched the internet for potential uses of slash. It was easy to find.
I recommend a visit to nzbioforestry.co.nz. I quote from the website:

OUR SOLUTION:

NZ Bio Forestry proposes to develop a sustainable renewable forestry model that increases the economic value of the NZ- Aotearoa forestry sector, simply by integrating bio-technologies augmenting the forestry, wood manufacturing, and petrochemistry industries into one model.
Specifically, our strategy is to utilise the whole tree and convert the tree’s sugars into bioenergy, biomaterials, and biochemicals. This means using slash, off cuts, pruning, and wood waste to produce biofuel via bio pellets and biochemicals. It means optimising logs through the whole process….logging, manufacturing freighting, and refining process to serve the many Asia-Pacific markets with high-value products….not just exporting raw logs to one or two large dominant markets! (End of quote)

NZ Bio Forestry then contrasts the financial return from the present exports of raw logs with the potential return from utilising the WHOLE TREE.

In US dollars, the return from exporting logs is between $50 - $140 per log.

Using the whole tree including the slash and other waste for wood processing would return $200 - $800 per tree, and,

Using the bio-refinery process to convert the wood waste into fossil-free biochemicals would return $2,500 - $11,200 per tree.

I can’t help but conclude that our current focus on exporting logs is a pitiful failure of industry and government policy compared with the potential benefits of processing THE WHOLE TREE. And to complete the argument, this not just theory. In Scandinavia, SCA, which owns Europe’s largest private forest with 2.7 million hectares, has built a well-invested value chain that maximises the value of each individual tree and all of the forestry’s resources.

A SUMMARY OF POTENTIAL ADDITIONAL PRODUCTS:

Wood Pellets and Chips: Slash can be collected, dried, and processed into hog fuel or wood pellets for use in industrial boilers, as a replacement for coal, to generate heat and electricity.

Biofuel Production: Research is underway to convert forest residues into marine biofuel to help decarbonize the shipping sector.

Gasification: Advanced, small-scale, on-site processing plants can turn slash into renewable energy products like bio-oil, ethanol, and hydrogen.

Biochemicals: Specialized refineries can convert woody waste into sustainable alternatives to plastics, chemicals, and industrial products.

WAKE UP Aotearoa, New Zealand!!!

7 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