Oteha, Auckland

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1363 days ago

The Neighbours Day Aotearoa 2021 event map is now live! 🌻✅

The Team from Neighbourhood Support New Zealand

To find a public event near you, visit: neighboursday.org.nz/find-an-event

If you have already registered your event and want to make it public, email kiaora@neighboursday.org.nz and they will add it to the map. If you haven't registered yet, tick 'Yes - please list it on the Neighbours … View more
To find a public event near you, visit: neighboursday.org.nz/find-an-event

If you have already registered your event and want to make it public, email kiaora@neighboursday.org.nz and they will add it to the map. If you haven't registered yet, tick 'Yes - please list it on the Neighbours Day website' to have your event included when you sign-up.

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1364 days ago

Government grants now available

EECA

Everyone deserves a warm, comfortable home.

See if you’re eligible for free insulation and 90% off heaters with a Warmer Kiwi Homes grant.

For more details visit WarmerKiwiHomes.govt.nz
Learn more

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1369 days ago

Increase in MIQ costs for temporary visa holders - are you impacted?

Lucy Reporter from Auckland Stuff

Hi Neighbours,

MBIE has just announced that from 25 March 2021, MIQ costs for temporary entry visa class holders will increase from $3100 to $5520.

Temporary visa holders (including those on visitor visas, student visas, work visas and limited visas) who have already booked MIQ spots and are due… View more
Hi Neighbours,

MBIE has just announced that from 25 March 2021, MIQ costs for temporary entry visa class holders will increase from $3100 to $5520.

Temporary visa holders (including those on visitor visas, student visas, work visas and limited visas) who have already booked MIQ spots and are due to enter on/after 25 March will also be expected to pay by the new standards.

Are you impacted by this change? What are your thoughts on this change? Feel free to get in touch with me to share your views:
Lucy Xia
Email: lucy.xia@stuff.co.nz
Mobile: 022 0929 679.

1368 days ago

Poll: With Auckland back in alert level 3 lockdown, are you becoming more complacent when it comes to following the rules?

Caryn Wilkinson Reporter from Community News

Kiwis may become complacent and start to ignore government guidance if lockdowns become more frequent, according to experts.

Auckland moved back into a week-long level 3 lockdown on Sunday after two fresh community cases of Covid-19 were discovered.

But University of Auckland associate … View more
Kiwis may become complacent and start to ignore government guidance if lockdowns become more frequent, according to experts.

Auckland moved back into a week-long level 3 lockdown on Sunday after two fresh community cases of Covid-19 were discovered.

But University of Auckland associate professor Susanna Trnka​ says if people no longer feel a sense of urgency they will be less compelled to follow the rules.

"During the first lockdown it was understood that extraordinary times require extraordinary measures,” the social anthropologist said.

"But as it becomes lockdown two, three and four, the sense of the urgency has shifted and isn't so palpable."

Senior lecturer Sarah Cowie, who is an expert on psychology and behaviour, said it was "certainly a possibility" that people could become more complacent during recurring lockdowns.

“There's evidence from places overseas that have been flung in and out of lockdown that people do become a little bit more complacent the more you have,” she said.

“If we are doing things in line with level 3 and not seeing the benefits of that, it might feel discouraging."

*Please put NFP if you do not want your comments used by Stuff.

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With Auckland back in alert level 3 lockdown, are you becoming more complacent when it comes to following the rules?
  • 18% Yes
    18% Complete
  • 31.3% No
    31.3% Complete
  • 50.7% I'm adhering strictly to government guidance.
    50.7% Complete
904 votes
1366 days ago

What you need to know: Earthquakes and tsunami warnings

The Team from Auckland Council

Advice for the Auckland region:

EVACUATION | Aotea / Great Barrier Island

Coastal inundation (flooding of land areas) is expected on Great Barrier Island. Local response plans have been activated and residents have been evacuated to higher ground.


STAY AWAY FROM COASTAL AREAS | Rest of Auckland… View more
Advice for the Auckland region:

EVACUATION | Aotea / Great Barrier Island

Coastal inundation (flooding of land areas) is expected on Great Barrier Island. Local response plans have been activated and residents have been evacuated to higher ground.


STAY AWAY FROM COASTAL AREAS | Rest of Auckland

Strong and unusual currents and unpredictable surges near the shore are expected in the following areas. This means a threat to beach, harbour, estuary and small boat activities.

West Coast of Auckland

Manukau Harbour

East Coast of Auckland

Waiheke Island

Waitemata Harbour.

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1366 days ago

Keep it up Aotearoa! 💕

The Team from Neighbourhood Support New Zealand

It's been heartwarming to hear stories from across the North Island of people taking others into their home and sharing a cup of tea together or fixing them a meal.

For the latest official updates:

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1368 days ago

Buying by tender: Did you write a letter?

Kylie Klein Nixon Reporter from Homed

Hi folks,
My colleague Jo is writing a story about buying by tender, specifically, the new trend of writing letters to the vendor to explain why they should pick your offer over all the rest.
As the market gets harder and harder to break into, we've been hearing more and more about people … View more
Hi folks,
My colleague Jo is writing a story about buying by tender, specifically, the new trend of writing letters to the vendor to explain why they should pick your offer over all the rest.
As the market gets harder and harder to break into, we've been hearing more and more about people trying to make a personal connection with vendors to give their tender offers the edge. We've heard folks will include personal details about their family, why the love the house and what their plans for the property are.
Jo would love to talk to anyone who's written a letter like this to accompany a tender - perhaps it's you, perhaps a relative or friend - or from vendors who've received letters like this, accompanying a tender.
Perhaps you asked for such letters?
We'd love to hear more about that experience for you and how it shaped the way the sale went.
You can reach out to jo here (she'll be joining the Neighbourly neighbourhood soon!) or via our email: homed@stuff.co.nz.
Looking forward to hearing your stories.

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1366 days ago

Tsunami Warning Update: Tsunami warnings sparked by the morning's quakes have now been cancelled

Caryn Wilkinson Reporter from Community News

UPDATE: Tsunami warnings sparked by the morning's quakes have now been cancelled.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

There are no longer any tsunami warnings for New Zealand.

The largest waves following today's earthquakes have now passed.
View more
UPDATE: Tsunami warnings sparked by the morning's quakes have now been cancelled.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

There are no longer any tsunami warnings for New Zealand.

The largest waves following today's earthquakes have now passed.

Those who evacuated their homes can now return home.

There are no longer any beach and marine threats, but strong and unusual currents and surges will continue for up to another 24 hours.

People should remain vigilant and take extra precautions with regards to beach and ocean activities.

There were three earthquakes near the Kermadec Islands, north-east of NZ, this morning.

These included a magnitude 8.1 earthquake, a 7.1m, and a 7.4m earthquake.

Georgia Forrester

1366 days ago

*** THIS IS THE THIRD EARTHQUAKE THIS MORNING ***

The Team from Neighbourhood Support New Zealand

A Tsunami Warning has been issued following the M8.0 earthquake north-east of New Zealand near KERMADEC ISLANDS REGION.
People near coast from BAY OF ISLANDS to WHANGAREI including GREAT BARRIER ISLAND and from MATATA to TOLAGA BAY must MOVE IMMEDIATELY to nearest high ground, out of all tsunami … View more
A Tsunami Warning has been issued following the M8.0 earthquake north-east of New Zealand near KERMADEC ISLANDS REGION.
People near coast from BAY OF ISLANDS to WHANGAREI including GREAT BARRIER ISLAND and from MATATA to TOLAGA BAY must MOVE IMMEDIATELY to nearest high ground, out of all tsunami evacuation zones, or as far inland as possible. Evacuate these areas even if you did not feel the earthquake. DO NOT WAIT. A damaging tsunami is possible.

People in all other areas who felt a LONG or STRONG earthquake should MOVE IMMEDIATELY to the nearest high ground, out of tsunami evacuation zones, or as far inland as possible.

This evacuation advice overrides the current COVID-19 Alert Level requirements. Do not stay at home. MOVE IMMEDIATELY. Stay 2 metres away from others if you can and if it is safe to do so.

People evacuating should walk, run or cycle if possible to reduce chance of getting stuck in traffic. Do not return until all-clear is given by Civil Defence.

Go to www.civildefence.govt.nz... for the most up to date information.

PLEASE SHARE THIS INFO with friends, family, neighbours!

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1366 days ago

Distressed garden shelves

The Team from Resene ColorShop Albany

Create more space in your garden with these handy garden shelves. Try out an easy to create distressed paint effect using two Resene colours.

Make the most of this weekend with this easy step by step project idea from Resene. Find out how to create your own

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1366 days ago

Tsunami warning issued for areas across the North Island

Neighbourly.co.nz

UPDATE
March 5
3:50pm

Civil Defence has announced that the National Advisory issued following the earthquakes near the Kermadec Islands region is cancelled.
___________________________________________________

UPDATE
View more
UPDATE
March 5
3:50pm

Civil Defence has announced that the National Advisory issued following the earthquakes near the Kermadec Islands region is cancelled.
___________________________________________________

UPDATE
March 5
3:09pm

The tsunami threat to New Zealand has been further downgraded.

In a statement, Civil Defence announced that while there is no longer a tsunami threat to coastal areas, there are still areas under a beach and marine threat.

These include:
- The North Cape from Ahipara to the Bay of Islands
- Cape Runaway to Tolaga Bay
- Great Barrier Island
- The Chatham Islands
___________________________________________________

UPDATE
March 5
1:38pm

The latest from Civil Defence:

"GNS Science has advised that the largest waves have now passed, and therefore the threat level is now downgraded to a Beach and Marine threat for all areas which were previously under Land and Marine threat.

All people who evacuated can now return.

The advice remains, for all areas under Beach and Marine threat, to stay off beach and shore areas."
___________________________________________________

UPDATE
March 5
11:46am

Minister for Civil Defence Kiri Allan is giving an update to media at the Beehive. She is joined by Civil Defence Controller Roger Ball and GNS's scientist Bill Fry.

What you need to know:
- Allan thanked all people for following all the relevant advice from authorities.
- Those that have moved inland or to higher ground, must stay there until the official 'all clear' is given.
- The National Crisis Management Agency has been activated.
___________________________________________________

UPDATE
March 5
10:49am

The Latest from Civil Defence:

Flooding of land areas is expected in the following areas:

The West Coast of the North Island from Cape Reinga to Ahipara.

The East Coast of the North Island from Cape Reinga to Whangarei, from Matata to Tolaga Bay including Whakatane and Opotiki.

And Great Barrier Island.
___________________________________________________

UPDATE
March 5
09:52am

The Pacific Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre say the first waves could reach the top of the North Island by 10.20am.
___________________________________________________

A magnitude 8.1 earthquake has struck off the coast of the Kermadec Islands.

What you need to know:
Civil Defence has issued a warning to all people near the coast in the following areas:
- The East Coast of the North Island from the Bay of Islands to Whangarei
- Matata to Tolaga Bay including Whakatane and Opotiki
- Great Barrier Island

Civil Defence says residents must move to the nearest high ground, out of all tsunami evacuation zones, or as far inland as possible.

The earthquake may not have been felt in some of these areas, but evacuation should be immediate as a damaging tsunami is possible.

Any direction given by Civil Defence officials overrides the current alert level rules and restrictions. Try to keep a physical distance of 2 metres from others.

To keep up to date with the latest, head to the Civil Defence Website.

Neighbourly will be updating this message as further information comes to hand

Photo credit: National Emergency Management Agency

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1367 days ago

Covid-19: Scammers ask for money, votes in exchange for coronavirus vaccine

Caryn Wilkinson Reporter from Community News

Hi neighbours,

As the Covid-19 vaccine rolls out, watch out for scammers preying on the vulnerable.

Crown agency CERT NZ (the Computer Emergency Response Team) is warning the public to stay vigilant after it was notified of a series of different scams.

The con artists are requesting credit card… View more
Hi neighbours,

As the Covid-19 vaccine rolls out, watch out for scammers preying on the vulnerable.

Crown agency CERT NZ (the Computer Emergency Response Team) is warning the public to stay vigilant after it was notified of a series of different scams.

The con artists are requesting credit card and personal information in return for a Covid-19 vaccine.

The first scam involves a phone call advising that the vaccine is available for $49.99.

People are then prompted to enter their credit card details.

The other scam asks people to head to a website where people can ‘vote’ in order to be eligible for the vaccine.

CERT NZ advised people in both instances to hang up the phone and make a note of what number the call came from, as well as the time and date it happened.

“We are actively working to put a stop to these scams as quickly as possible,” the agency said.

If bank details have been provided then people should contact their bank immediately, it said.

Meanwhile, in another hoax, people claiming to be from the World Health Organisation are asking email recipients to donate to the Who Covid-19 response fund.

Tricksters have also been targeting people with coronavirus-themed phishing emails with infected attachments containing fictitious safety measures.

The link, supposed to contain health information, installs malicious software designed to steal personal information.

In another scam, victims are asked to fill in their email and password to access information about Covid-19.

Emails are also being sent demanding money from victims to avoid video footage being circulated of the recipients in compromising positions.

Newer variations of this con are threatening to spread coronavirus to family members if a ransom is unpaid.

Security researchers have identified a new campaign where the attackers claim to have a ‘coronavirus map’ application that people can download onto their devices.

In fact the application is malware designed to steal sensitive information such as passwords.

HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM COVID-19 SCAMS:

CERT NZ recommends anyone looking for COVID-19 information looks to their regular news sites and official government websites.

The organisation urges people to be sceptical of advice that did not come from official sources.

If you are unsure if a communication is from a legitimate source, do not click on the link or open the attachment.

Contact the organisation through their official contact channels to verify.

Protect your passwords and login credentials, don’t enter these into any websites relating to the COVID-19 virus.

Keep your devices up-to-date.

Keep your anti-virus up to date and run regular checks.

Report suspected malware or phishing attempts to CERT NZ.

Go to www.cert.govt.nz... for more information.

1367 days ago

Got a gem next door?

Neighbourly.co.nz

Think of a neighbour that's done wonders in your neighbourhood, who's helped you out without you even asking them or who's dropped some homegrown goodies to you just because they can.

You thought of one yet? Now craft that thought into a nomination that could earn your neighbour … View more
Think of a neighbour that's done wonders in your neighbourhood, who's helped you out without you even asking them or who's dropped some homegrown goodies to you just because they can.

You thought of one yet? Now craft that thought into a nomination that could earn your neighbour recognition in all of Stuff's community papers nationwide - you could even score a bit of cash from us!

It's simple - Click the button below and nominate them on our Nice Neighbour nomination page now
Nominate Now!

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1367 days ago

From first arrivals to first encounters

Trust Tairāwhiti

Tairāwhiti is a welcoming place for new beginnings and new discoveries – the landing place of great Pacific navigators and the origins of Aotearoa New Zealand’s defining dual heritage.

Steeped in vibrant arts, rich history and authentic Māori culture, we invite you to discover the many … View more
Tairāwhiti is a welcoming place for new beginnings and new discoveries – the landing place of great Pacific navigators and the origins of Aotearoa New Zealand’s defining dual heritage.

Steeped in vibrant arts, rich history and authentic Māori culture, we invite you to discover the many stories Tairāwhiti has to tell.

The treasures of Tairāwhiti are ready for you to uncover.
Find out more

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