Merry Christmas and Electorate Office Festive hours
It’s hard to believe that Christmas is yet again upon us. It feels like not so long ago that we celebrated the start of 2021.
The beginning of the year was full of activities, including community engagement to gather our community’s priorities and then Delta came along and threw a curveball.
However, I’m so pleased that we pulled through. While there have been many challenges, there have also been opportunities to gain from lessons learnt. Even though Taupō moved straight into red under the traffic light system, I’m proud of our work together to help families and businesses understand the various alert levels and traffic light rules.
I look forward to a break with my family and a reset in preparation for a busy next year. This includes a constituent clinic in February and Friendly Forum in March, details at www.louiseupston.co.nz....
My Taupō Electorate Office will physically close for the Christmas and New Year break on 24 December 2021. We will virtually be back on board on 5 January 2022 and contactable by phone and email until the office physically reopens again on 17 January 2022.
Phone and email messages will be cleared while the office is closed. Anyone needing assistance can get in touch by email upston.taupo@parliament.govt.nz or 07 376 5563
My team and I would like to wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year.
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.
Loading…
