Plumbosolvency
Did you know the Ministry of Health Drinking Water Standards recommend that you flush a mugful of water from your drinking-water tap each morning before use?
This is because all waters are plumbosolvent, which means they can dissolve very small amounts of metals if they come into contact with them.
Upper Hutt, Lower Hutt, Porirua and Wellington drinking water is described as ‘soft’ water, because there is less calcium and magnesium content. Soft water is slightly more acidic than hard water, and as a result it dissolves metals more easily/quickly.
In New Zealand, the plumbing materials/fittings (i.e. your taps) which come in to contact with water are usually the source of heavy metals, such as lead, nickel, cadmium, copper and antimony.
When you turn a fitting off there may be a small amount of water left sitting in it. Whilst our treatment processes adjust the pH to reduce the water’s aggressiveness on pipework, there is the potential that water sitting in a plumbing fitting, if unused for several hours, may accumulate minute traces of metals.
Although the health risk is small, the Ministry of Health drinking water standards recommend that you flush a mugful of water from your drinking-water tap each morning before use. This should remove any water that was left in your fittings, and metals that may have dissolved from the plumbing fittings.
All households are advised to take this precaution, whether they are on public or private water supply.
For further information you can contact the Drinking Water Assessment Unit of the Wellington Regional Public Health Service, phone 04 570 9002.
Poll: Do you think NZ should ban social media for youth?
The Australian Prime Minister has expressed plans to ban social media use for children.
This would make it illegal for under 16-year-olds to have accounts on platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X.
Social media platforms would be tasked with ensuring children have no access (under-age children and their parents wouldn’t be penalised for breaching the age limit)
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Do you think NZ should follow suit? Vote in our poll and share your thoughts below.
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85.5% Yes
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13.4% No
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1.1% Other - I'll share below
What's your favourite recipe for courgettes?
Kia ora neighbours. If you've got a family recipe for courgettes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our January 2025 issue.
scumbags
There are some really awful people around at the moment. This is what happened on Sunday.
We live in Hinemoa Street opposite the Waiwhetu Stream. At around 3.40 in the afternoon I was looking out my window and saw a car pull up and start to feed the geese and ducks out the window. Then The passenger an asian man jumped out and threw himself onto a goose. he picked it up and put it the boot of the car.
I immediately ran over and stood in front of his car to stop him moving I also called my husband to help. A lovely man was riding his bike and saw it and stopped to help me. The driver tried to drive into me but I didnt move. He tried telling us it was his pet. These are wild geese.
They had a cage in the boot and some wire all ready to catch the poor bird like they have done it before. My husband took the bird from the car and released it. I then moved out of the way and after lots of abuse from the driver they drove off threatening to come back and get more.
No one should be allowed to take these beautiful birds and certainly not like this. they are all starting to have wee babies at the moment the whole thing was so upsetting to me. Another neighbour further down the road also saw it all happen.
Please keep a look out for this car and if you see them by the stream go over and watch them lets all stop this happening.
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