Water restrictions eased across the region
Wellington’s sprinkler ban has been lifted– but with sporadic rain forecast for winter residents still need to avoid wasting water.
The restrictions were put in place for the Hutt Valley, South Wairarapa, Wellington city and Porirua in mid-February as water usage soared during the summer months.
From Tuesday, residents in Lower Hutt, Porirua and Wellington city can again use sprinklers and irrigation systems, Wellington Water said. In Upper Hutt and South Wairarapa people can do so every second day, as is usual.
Most of the Wellington region’s drinking water comes from rivers and the Waiwhetu aquifer under the Hutt Valley. River levels fell to 90 per cent before the sprinkler ban.
Meanwhile, people in the Wairarapa town of Carterton still have to boil their water after E. coli bacteria was found in the water supply on March 12.
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.
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