OWHIRO BAY UPDATE 5 FEBRUARY
Following our removal of the health warning signs in Owhiro Bay, we would like to provide clarification on the condition of the Bay.
These signs were removed as per our protocols for the reopening of the beach. A source of the spike in contamination was identified and the sampling at the long term beach monitoring site had returned to normal.
We acknowledge that our communication could have been better as removing the warning signs implies that the Owhiro Stream, that crosses the beach, is safe for swimming in. Owhiro Stream, like many urban waterways, has a long history of contamination and is regularly unsafe for swimming in. Improving the quality of Owhiro Stream will require a coordinated and long term programme of works.
We have taken immediate action to correct the lack of information, and yesterday placed warning signs at the stream mouth at Owhiro Bay. Our operations team are preparing for continued investigations in the catchment to see if there is another fault or cross-connection that we can find and resolve.
Poll: 🤖 What skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?
The Reserve Bank has shared some pretty blunt advice: there’s no such thing as a “safe” job anymore 🛟😑
Robots are stepping into repetitive roles in factories, plants and warehouses. AI is taking care of the admin tasks that once filled many mid-level office jobs.
We want to know: As the world evolves, what skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?
Want to read more? The Press has you covered!
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52.7% Human-centred experience and communication
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14.6% Critical thinking
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30% Resilience and adaptability
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2.7% Other - I will share below!
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.
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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