Supporting our local heroes
If an emergency happens, you know they’re here to help.
If your property catches fire or you’re in a car crash, it is the volunteers and career firefighters of Fire and Emergency New Zealand who come running to help.
As soon as that siren goes, they drop what they’re doing and put your safety first.
Behind our tremendous volunteers are another group of community heroes, who get less attention but are vital to Fire and Emergency.
It’s the employers and co-workers who support our volunteers at work, knowing that at any moment they may need to leave and respond to a crisis.
Did you know Fire and Emergency give recognition to the local businesses who support this important work with the Proud Employer mark?
Look out for this mark on businesses in your community or find out which of your local businesses are Proud Employers of Fire and Emergency volunteers here.
And you can show your support for our hardworking fire crews by making a comment on this post – why not share a tribute you would like to make to our firefighters.
Pictured here are four of the 12,000 volunteers who work across the country. Left to right: Marshall (Marsh) Anderson, Jarrad West, Iain Powell, and Marsh’s brother Ti Anderson. All work at Fonterra and volunteer for the local fire brigade.
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
Would you like a free copy of our February 2025 issue?
Kia ora neighbours. We give away free copies to readers whose recipes are used in our magazine. We're still on the hunt for tomato recipes, so send your family's favourite way to use up your homegrown harvest, to: mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz. If we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of the mag
On the range
Venetian plaster finishes are on-trend at the moment, so why not recreate this look at home and cover that unsightly rangehood at the same time? Find out how to create your own with Resene Sandtex and these easy step by step instructions.