Solar power is coming to Northland
Lodestone Energy is planning to build five solar power farms, two of which will be located in Northland. Both Stuff and RNZ have published articles about this.
The first to go online will be in Kaitaia, with construction beginning later this year and completion in 2022, and provide 62GWh annually. Together with the upgraded and expanded geothermal generation at Ngawha, this will provide more energy than the Far North needs and hopefully bring power prices down in that region, which are among the highest in the country. Any excess energy generated will benefit the rest of Northland, and once another solar farm at Dargaville has been added by the end of 2023, much of Northland will be on 100% renewable and locally produced electricity.
Let's get ready for this and support this development with getting off fossil fuels and switching to electricity over the next two to three years. Need a small car that takes us to town and back, or to commute to work, or drive the kids around? Get a used electric vehicle. Still heating the home with wood fire like in the 1800s? Get a heat pump with its three times higher heating efficiency. Gas stove getting old and needing replacement? Switch to an induction cooktop. Want to become part of the renewable electricity grid? Pop rooftop solar on, and a storage battery in the garage or shed. There are so many ways to electrify and increase our energy efficiency, and Gen Less has all the resources we need to learn about it. Also, there's no need for knee-jerk action or panic - we can do all this when opportunities present themselves, like special offers, subsidies, rental and subscription programs with no capital required, or just a great bargain. This decade will bring a lot of progress and changes in the home energy space. Just let's be open-minded, keep our eyes and ears open, tell each other about it, and take action when we can.
Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut
This Wednesday, we're having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.
John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!
As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!
John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.
Share your question below now ⬇️
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.
Poll: When should the tree go up? 🎄
From what we've heard, some Christmas trees are already being assembled and decorated.
What are your thoughts on the best time to get your Christmas tree up?
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4.7% Second half of November
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43.9% 1st December
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17.7% A week before Christmas
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32.6% Whenever you wish
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1.1% Other - I'll share below
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