3315 days ago

Poll: School holiday poll

Annette Lambly-Robinson Reporter from Whangārei Leader

There has been some talk recently which moots changing our official summer holidays period and in particular the school holidays. Some are saying the unsettled weather over December and early January is almost the norm nowadays , with the weather we expect in summer not really kicking in until February and March. There are several ways of doing this which would still allow the normal Christmas and New Year stat days being observed, but the lengthy 3-5 week break would be delayed most likely to mid February to mid March. What are your thoughts? I

School holiday poll
  • 10.8% Move the holidays but keep stats days
    10.8% Complete
  • 59.5% Don' t move the holidays
    59.5% Complete
  • 2.7% Move the holidays
    2.7% Complete
  • 5.4% Which months? Mid Jan to mid Feb
    5.4% Complete
  • 16.2% End of Jan to End of Feb
    16.2% Complete
  • 5.4% Mid Feb to end Mid March
    5.4% Complete
37 votes
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18 hours ago

Some Choice News!

Kia pai from Sharing the Good Stuff

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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20 days ago

Have you got New Zealand's best shed? Show us and win!

Mei Leng Wong Reporter from NZ Gardener & Get Growing

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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1 day ago

Share your favourite main crop potato recipe and win a copy of our mag!

William Hansby Reporter from NZ Gardener & Get Growing

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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