Local Voting system to change
đłď¸ Whangarei District Council has decided to elect the Mayor and Councillors for the 2025 and 2028 local elections using a Single Transferable Vote system
How does STV work? 1ď¸âŁ2ď¸âŁ3ď¸âŁ
Instead of putting a tick beside the candidates you want to vote for, you rank them with numbers: '1' for first choice, '2' for second choice, '3' for third choice and so on. If a voter's first choice doesn't have enough support to get in, their vote transfers to their second choice. If their second choice doesn't have enough support to get in, their vote transfers to their next choice, and so on.
Voters can still choose just 1 candidate if they prefer, but those votes wouldn't transfer if the candidate is not elected. Under STV, voters can support as many or as few candidates as they like.
The change to use STV may be overturned if 5% of the Districtâs electors demand a poll by 11 December 2023 to countermand Augustâs decision. For more information, please click "Read More"
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, weâre 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 â 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 Zealandâs 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 Zealandâs 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.
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