Eldernet

07/09/2026

Thinking about growing your own vegetables this spring? 🌱

To celebrate the start of the gardening season, we spoke with Sarah O’Neil, the Gardener, author of Growing Vegetables, about getting started, growing in smaller spaces, keeping costs down and adapting the garden as we get older.

One thing we especially liked was Sarah’s reminder that gardening doesn’t need to be complicated — and you certainly don’t need a huge garden.

Her advice for beginners? Start with the vegetables you actually like to eat, and don’t be afraid to begin with seedlings rather than seed.

❓ What’s your favourite vegetable to grow? Let us know in the comments. 🥕🍅

She also shares some great practical tips for gardening when bending, kneeling or lifting has become harder, including raised beds, ergonomic tools and taking a “little and often” approach.

Read our interview with Sarah here: https://substack.com/home/post/p-211795248

And don’t forget — our Show Us Your Favourite Patch competition is now open. Send us a photo of your favourite part of the garden and tell us why it’s special to be in to win.

📧 [email protected]
Entries close Sunday 27 September.

Learn about the easiest crops to get started with, the essential equipment you need, what grows well in small spaces, and more.

06/09/2026

Care suites are becoming a more common part of residential care — but they can be confusing if you haven’t come across them before.

They’re still residential care, and the care you receive is based on your assessed needs. What’s different is usually the accommodation itself and the way you pay for it.

In this reel, we break down:
• what a care suite is
• how it differs from a standard or premium room
• how the payment arrangement usually works
• some of the potential benefits

Care suites won’t suit everyone, and features, costs and terms vary between providers. The important thing is understanding how they work so you can compare your options properly.

Learn more about care suites and explore available options around New Zealand on Eldernet:
https://www.eldernet.co.nz/residential-care/care-suites

04/09/2026

🌱 COMPETITION REMINDER — Show us your favourite patch.

Here's my garden in full chaotic bloom, just how I like it. We’d love to see the part of your garden that makes you happy.

It could be a flourishing vegetable patch, a few pots on the patio, a tree in bloom, a local park, or simply a favourite corner where you like to spend time.

And remember — we’re not looking for the biggest or best garden and it doesn’t need to be a current photo.

We want to hear why it matters to you.

To enter, email us:
📷 A photo of your favourite patch
🌿 A sentence or two about why it’s special
📍 Your name and town or region

Send it to [email protected].

You’ll go in the draw to win a copy of Growing Vegetables by Sarah O’Neil, plus a $50 Mitre10 Voucher.

Entries close Sunday 27 September.

02/09/2026

When you’re looking at aged residential care, you may come across a standard room, a premium room or a care suite — but what’s the difference?

With aged residential care under pressure in parts of New Zealand, understanding the different accommodation options available is becoming increasingly important.

Over the next few weeks, we’re taking a closer look at care suites: what they are, how they work, their potential benefits, the costs and commitments involved, and the questions worth asking when comparing your options.

We’re starting with the basics.

While the care you receive is based on your assessed needs, the accommodation itself — and the way you pay for it — can be quite different.

Take a look at our three graphics to see how standard rooms, premium rooms and care suites compare.

There’s no one option that will suit everyone. Understanding the differences can help you know what to look for and what questions to ask.

Learn more about care suites and explore available options around New Zealand on Eldernet:
https://www.eldernet.co.nz/residential-care/care-suites

01/09/2026

🌱 COMPETITION TIME — Show Us Your Favourite Patch!

We’re excited spring is here and the gardens are starting to come back to life. To celebrate, we have a great competition open to everyone.

We want to see your favourite patch — it could be a vegetable garden, a few pots of bedding plants, herbs by the back door, a favourite tree, or simply a corner you love spending time in.

It doesn’t need to be a current photo — it could be from last summer or even a few years ago. And it doesn’t need to be big, perfectly tidy or prize-worthy. We’re much more interested in WHY it’s special to you.

To enter, simply email us:
📷 A photo of your favourite garden or growing spot
🌿 A sentence or two telling us why it’s special
📍 Your name and town or region

Send your entry to [email protected].

You can enter your own garden or, with their permission, enter on behalf of someone else. Retirement villages and care homes are very welcome to get involved too.

All entries will go in the draw to win a copy of Growing Vegetables by Sarah O’Neil/Sarah the Gardener plus a $50 Mitre10 Voucher kindly donated by Mitre 10 MEGA Brougham Street.

By entering, you agree that Eldernet may share your submitted photo and story on our social media and in our newsletters.

Entries close Sunday 27 September. We can’t wait to see your favourite patch this spring.

26/08/2026

Janet Brown knows retirement from both sides — after years working in the sector, she’s now living it herself. And her take on making your money last is refreshingly practical.

A few of her points that stood out:

- You may spend more in the earlier, more active years of retirement, then less for a period, before costs rise again if health, care or support needs increase.

- Retirement does not have to mean stopping work overnight. Continuing some paid work can make the financial transition easier, give your savings more time to grow and reduce the pressure to start drawing on them straight away.

-Creating some certainty around regular expenses can be valuable when you cannot know exactly what future costs will look like.

- Small savings still matter. See our previous post for nearly 50 entitlements, payments, subsidies and discounts available to New Zealanders aged 65+.

Throughout Money Month, we’ve been sharing practical retirement-planning guidance. Janet’s article adds something different — a more personal, conversational view from someone who has spent years thinking about retirement and is now experiencing it for herself.

Read Janet’s full article, Making Your Retirement Savings Last the Distance: https://substack.com/home/post/p-210991495

25/08/2026

Throughout Money Month retirement planning series, we have looked at how much you may need for retirement, the costs that can shape your budget and different ways your savings may be used.

Retirement planning can feel like a large and complicated task, particularly when you are trying to predict costs many years into the future.

You do not need to work everything out at once.

Start with three practical steps:
1. Estimate what your retirement lifestyle may cost
2. Check the regular income and savings you expect to have
3. Choose one action that will help you better understand your position

Your next step could be using a retirement calculator, reviewing your KiwiSaver, checking your expected NZ Super entitlement, discussing your plans with whānau or seeking independent financial advice.

The goal is not to find a perfect number today. It is to understand your position a little better than you did before.

And finally - this is general information and is not intended to replace personalised financial advice.

24/08/2026

Housing is one reason there cannot be one retirement savings number that works for everyone.

Someone who owns a mortgage-free home may have very different regular expenses from someone who rents, continues paying a mortgage or lives in a retirement village.

Even a mortgage-free home has ongoing costs, including rates, insurance, maintenance and repairs. Other housing choices may involve regular rent, village fees, service charges or moving costs.

The right option is not only about which appears cheapest.

Security, maintenance, location, community, support and future suitability can also be important.

When planning for retirement, make sure your expected housing costs are included in the overall picture.

19/08/2026

Do you know what support people aged 65+ may be entitled to?

MoneyHub has pulled together a handy article containing nearly 50 entitlements, payments, subsidies and discounts available to New Zealanders aged 65+ — all in one place.

It covers things like NZ Super extras, health costs, rates relief, SuperGold benefits, care-related support and more.

As part of Money Month, we’re sharing practical information and resources that can help people make the most of their money in retirement — and this is a very useful one to check.

Take a look and see what might apply to you — or share it with someone who could benefit.

https://www.moneyhub.co.nz/over-65-entitlements.html