When was the last time you wrote a letter by hand?

Can you imagine paper being so sparse and contact between loved ones so infrequent that you'd use every last inch of paper when writing letters?

Such was the case in the early 1800s when New Zealand faced a paper famine. Letter writing was essential to keep in touch but with such limited paper available the technique of 'crossed letters' was adopted.

The writer would turn the page ninety degrees after finishing a page and add a second layer of text.

Read more about this fascinating writing form here. Read more

More messages from your neighbours

5 days ago

Poll: Do you think NZ should ban social media for youth?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

The Australian Prime Minister has expressed plans to ban social media use for children.

This would make it illegal for under 16-year-olds to have accounts on platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X.
Social media platforms would be tasked with ensuring children have no access (under-age children and their parents wouldn’t be penalised for breaching the age limit)
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Do you think NZ should follow suit? Vote in our poll and share your thoughts below.