Next time you buy a scone or a sandwich to go, hand over your reusable Sammybag and say ‘no thanks’ to single-use paper bags. Then wipe it or wash it and use it again and again.

Just take a look at the sharply dressed staff at the Hotel Britomart, one of Auckland’s best addresses. The uniforms they sport– front-of-house, porters, housekeeping, food and beverage – are all the work of Tamzin Hawkins.

When a tree falls at Otahuna Lodge near Christchurch, head gardener Steve Marcham is sad... but happy. Sad for the demise of a majestic tree but in his head he’s already planning what he can make from the fallen timber.