8 reasons to start beekeeping
1. Honey: Honey is sweet and delicious, and raw honey contains powerful antioxidants, vitamins and enzymes.
2. Pollination: Flowers, fruit trees, and crops in your neighborhood won’t grow without pollination, so help them thrive by providing natural pollinators.
3. Learning Experience: Many things can be learned from bees, and observing the bees comb building, honey making, or egg laying can be fascinating.
4. Inexpensive Hobby: Once you’ve spent the initial investment on beekeeping materials and protective clothing, all that’s needed is your time.
5. Help Stop Colony Collapse Disorder: Due to the effects of colony collapse disorder (CCD), bees are disappearing. So raising bees and nurturing them helps to increase their numbers.
6. Stress Relief: Watching your bees’ activities or working with them can help you keep focused and your mind off other things.
7. Beeswax: Beeswax is a by-product of hives and makes great candles, lip balm, wood polish, and more.
8. Health: Honey has antiseptic and antibacterial properties and the acidity in honey keeps bacteria from growing.
To find out more, or to start beekeeping click here.
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.
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!
-
52.2% Human-centred experience and communication
-
14.9% Critical thinking
-
30.1% Resilience and adaptability
-
2.8% Other - I will share below!
Loading…
