Aayla disappointed to be left out
A poll on Neighbourly was overwhelmingly in favour of Aayla Toman playing in the Pacific Youth Cup in Wainuiomata over the weekend.
Nearly 1200 people took part in our pool and 76 per cent were in favour of her playing.
Unfortunately, doing the haka with her team-mates was as close as she got to the action.
Aayla, 13, had hoped to take the field for the Te Whanganui-a-Tara U13s at the Pacific Youth Cup in Wainuiomata, Lower Hutt, on Saturday, but was told the referee would not allow the game to start if she played.
Standing on the sideline during her team’s first match against Samoa Wellington, Aayla said she had been overcome with emotion before the match, but doing the haka had made her feel 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!
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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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