Rural Canterbury community gets clean water in time for Christmas
After having to boil their water for nearly a year, a rural community in North Canterbury finally has a new bore and clean water.
The Oxford Rural Number 1 water scheme – supplying homes around Thongcaster, Woodstock and Domain roads near Oxford – previously took water from the Waimakariri River. The district council put affected residents on a boil water notice after E coli was found in the water supply in January.
The water is now sourced from a 105 metre-deep well in McPhedrons Rd, which yields enough clean water to supply the current scheme and meet predicted growth over the next 50 years.
Resident Erica Willoughby says the community is thrilled to have their water back.
"It has been a long time of having to buy drinking water and using water collected from a rain water tank for showers, but now the water coming out of the tap is great."
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.
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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52.2% Human-centred experience and communication
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15% Critical thinking
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29.9% Resilience and adaptability
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2.9% Other - I will share below!
Brain Teaser of the Day 🧠✨ Can You Solve It? 🤔💬
Make a hearty dish. Take just half a minute. Add four parts of kestrel. Then just add one. What have you made?
(Trev from Silverdale kindly provided this head-scratcher ... thanks, Trev!)
Do you think you know the answer? Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm on the day!
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