Be vigilant with mail
Police are aware of a recent overseas rise in scams which involve an unexpected package being sent to addresses with a gift and a QR code inside. Police believe this scamming method could find its way to New Zealand and we are urging people to be vigilant.
The gift will have the recipients address, but not include the sender's information or be from a known retailer. When the recipient opens the package to see what it is and possibly who sent it, there is a QR code to scan to find out who sent the gift.
The QR code allows the offenders to then access any and all data on your phone or device you used to scan the code, including financial information such as your bank account login details, and personal data.
Police are urging anyone who receives one of these gifts not to scan the QR code, the gift can either be kept or discarded, but do not scan the QR code.
Please report information to Police online at www.police.govt.nz... or call Police on 105.
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.
Animal Abuser
🚨 URGENT WARNING TO ALL LOST & FOUND / PET REHOMING PAGES 🚨 and people rehoming pets or reporting lost animals.
It has come to our attention that a long-term, repeat animal abuser is still actively obtaining animals through Facebook groups.
The type of animal does not matter — birds, livestock, dogs, small pets — anything he can access.
He monitors rehoming pages. He approaches people offering “help.” He presents as reasonable. He will say the right things.
Do not give this person any animals under any circumstances.
If you are an admin of a lost & found page, a community group, or a pet rehoming group:
• Please stay vigilant
• Check profiles carefully
• Share this warning across your networks
Animals have already paid the price for people not knowing.
If you are unsure about someone requesting an animal, ask rescue groups to help.
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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