Help conserve water this summer – water restrictions kick in next week
Use your sprinklers and fixed irrigation systems on alternate days - that’s the message for the Taupō district community, as Level 1 water restrictions kick in from Monday 13 December.
However, hand-held hoses can be used at any time.
Council asset manager water Tom Swindells said that as the Taupō district begins to swell with holiday visitors and temperatures rise, demand for water always increases hugely.
“This puts enormous pressure on our water treatment plants; so we always see a large surge in demand across the district at this time of the year.
“Regardless of how much water is in the lake, or how much we can get from springs or bores, our plants can only treat a certain amount of water each day, so we are asking residents to act now to help reduce the stress of this demand.
“From Monday 13 December, please only water your garden and lawn every second day (using the odds and evens system based on your street address).
“That means if your address ends in 0, 2, 4, 6 or 8, you can use sprinklers on even calendar days. If your address ends in 1, 3, 5, 7 or 9, you can use them on odd calendar days,” Mr Swindells said.
These Level 1 water restrictions apply to sprinklers and fixed irrigation systems only.
For further information on how to conserve water, please follow the link below.
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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