Out Cold

Instead of hiding from winter, how about getting to know it? Matariki marks the end of harvest time, when whānau come together to share food and stories, remember loved ones and look to the stars for evidence of the weather and climate to come.

So, gather up the family, rug up in your warmest woollies and celebrate our new year at one of the many Matariki ki te Manawa events across Tāmaki. From reflective light installations to immersive art to live music, there are heaps of opportunities to connect and have more kōrero with nature so that nature can guide us.

Celebrate Matariki across Tāmaki

A few simple changes can help keep your home warm and save on your bills.

• Swap old light bulbs for LEDs. Shave around 10% off your power bill.
• Set your heat pump (if you have one) between 18 and 21°C and leave it on for longer (rather than short bursts).
• Keep your shower shorter. Reducing to 4 minutes could save $60 each month.
• Dry your clothes on the line, or inside near an open window to knock up to $300 off your yearly power bill.

We’re making power moves too. Auckland Council is switching off gas boilers and powering up solar rooftops, saving heaps for Auckland and doing our bit to reduce emissions.

Find more power tips here

When it rains, it pours, and when drains are blocked, water starts looking for somewhere else to go. That can mean flooded roads, footpaths and driveways, and more water flowing towards homes.

Keeping our water moving is a team effort. Auckland Council has crews out before and after big rains, clearing high-risk drains to help reduce flood risk. Watercare’s Central Interceptor is helping reduce overflows and protect our waterways.

You can do your part too. Clear the grate outside your home, rake leaves off the footpath and, if you can, say kia ora to your neighbour who might need a hand.

Help drain the rain

Feeling a bit SAD (short for seasonal affective disorder), or just over the winter blues? A rain garden might help boost your mood. Turn a boggy corner of your garden into a mini oasis for birds, native plants, bees and you. Swap grass or concrete pavers for soil, gravel and water-loving plants like harakeke, carex and toetoe. Add flowering natives and glow-up the grey gloom.

Across Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland Council is investing in rain gardens, wetlands and other green spaces to help communities manage stormwater naturally. From the tree lined streets of Te Hā Noa on Victoria Street to new wetland at AF Thomas Park to a flood resilience project in Rānui. Better drainage, more wildlife, and more reason to get outside on a winter day? That's something to feel better about.

Create your own rain garden

Ka ora te wai, ka ora te whenua, ka ora ngā tāngata
If the water is healthy, the land is healthy, the people are healthy

If flooding in your area worries you, you’re not alone. By connecting with nature and taking action in your community, you can support your wellbeing and make a meaningful difference.

Across Tāmaki Makaurau, marae and community groups are restoring streams, planting native species and clearing waterways to help slow floodwater and improve the health of local rivers.

The Ōtara Waterways Flood Resilience Project is one example where volunteers, mana whenua and Council are working together to reduce flood risk and restore the mauri of the creek. Across the rohe, through Te Ara Urutau, Auckland Council is supporting more locally led projects that are helping communities adapt together.

Get involved in your neighbourhood