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Very, very, very hungry caterpillars are coming for your garden
“They look evil,” says Sam Mojel. He may be biased: this summer, armyworms destroyed much of the garden he and his wife Rhonda have spent decades tending. The pair took to hunting the pests at night, wearing headtorches.
Armyworms are ravenous. They decimate crops and will take a thriving vege garden down to stalks overnight. Then they’ll come inside and eat your houseplants. They’ve been in New Zealand a long time but this summer, they boomed—and an even hungrier cousin blew in from over the ditch. Keep reading...
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Bloom or bust
Summer is the season of dahlia shows. Every weekend, enthusiasts assemble in town halls around the country to compete for the top prize: Champion of Champions. But participation in these shows is dwindling, and now the country’s top growers are seeking to pass on their expertise to a new generation of gardeners.
Meanwhile, dahlia breeders continue to explore the plants’ hidden genes, producing ever newer, stranger, more extravagant cultivars. Keep reading...
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Pocket money
When it comes to investing, time in the market generally beats timing the market. So how can young investors fight against their short-term impulses and improve their financial literacy? How can parents help set their kids up for the future? And how is the growing demand for good returns from companies that claim to do good changing the way young people invest? Helen McDowall, Head of Investments at MAS, has the answers. Keep reading...
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In case you missed it: Jungle warfare
Sweat drips down Richard Margesson’s brow as he rappels down the slope. It’s a scorcher day on Waiheke Island. Cicadas thrum, the sun beats on the grassy cliff overlooking the boats of Oneroa Bay. But Margesson has no time for sightseeing. His objective is to free about 50 native seedlings from the clutches of a mortal enemy. It takes a good half-hour, but the mission is successful. Margesson, a Brit nicknamed Mad Major, has spent the past few years bringing his military skills and tactics to a new battle here on Waiheke. “We’re not fighting humans—thank god—but rather fighting a biological enemy,” he says. Keep reading...
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Calling all young conservationists
Pure Salt, LEARNZ and the Department of Conservation have launched the ‘Kaitiakitanga/Guardianship’ Expedition Fiordland Video Competition and are inviting kids aged 12-16 to share their perspectives on the importance of environmental guardianship in video form. Two winners and their guardians will be helicoptered into Tamatea / Dusky Sound on the 11th October 2023 to join ‘Expedition Fiordland’, a LEARNZ field trip that will be recorded and available in classrooms. During their time aboard the expedition vessel Flightless they will take a close look at what it takes to protect this special ecosystem and learn about predator control, new technologies, biosecurity, citizen science, sustainable fishing, full utilisation, underwater clean-ups, marine reserves and the management of invasive species such as Undaria. Entries close on 27th September. Find out more about the competition and enter now...
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