The Basics
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What is Neighbourly?
Neighbourly is a free and private neighbourhood website that allows you to easily meet and interact with your neighbours and community. Through these connections we believe we can help create stronger, safer and friendlier places for all our members to call home.
People are using Neighbourly to:
Track down a trustworthy babysitter
Find out who does the best lawn mowing in town
Ask for help keeping an eye out for a lost cat or dog
Find a new home for your old fridge
Find local employment and great local staff
Finally call that nice lady down the street by her first name
Quickly get the word out about a break-in
Neighbourly's mission is to use the power of technology to build stronger and safer neighbourhoods, and ultimately more face to face interactions and connections between neighbours.
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How can I join Neighbourly?
Joining Neighbourly is super easy...
To join Neighbourly using your computer
Visit neighbourly.co.nz to create your free account. We will need to know your address and some contact details, including your email address.
OR if you have been invited to join Neighbourly you can follow the special link on your invitation to create your account.
If you would like to sign up your business or community organisation, please visit the business or community section.
To join Neighbourly using your mobile device
Download the free Neighbourly app through the App Store or Google Play and follow the prompts to sign up.
If you have received an invitation code, select the INVITATION CODE option on the app home screen.
If you have any problems joining Neighbourly, feel free to send us a message and we can help you get up and running.
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How much does Neighbourly cost to use?
Joining Neighbourly is free for neighbours and local organisations.
If you are interested in advertising your business or services on Neighbourly, please visit the Neighbourly business section.
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What can you do on Neighbourly?
Neighbourly allows you to stay connected with your neighbours by interacting with other members of your local community. Once you have signed up as a member on Neighbourly you can:
Communicate directly with your neighbours and contribute to group conversations
Create and publicise local events
Exchange info about crime and safety, and update your community with urgent text message alerts
Buy, sell or trade products or give away free items
Help out a neighbour with a job they need a hand with
Recommend local businesses or request some help finding what you need
Create or join groups of people with similar interests to you
Neighbourly members can choose to see and respond to updates via email, on the website or through any mobile device.
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Which suburbs are part of Neighbourly?
Neighbourly is now live in every suburb in New Zealand. The boundaries for these suburbs have been created using a variety of mapping sources including boundary maps from the NZ Fire Service, local councils, NZ Post, Statistics New Zealand, and Land Information New Zealand.
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I don't agree with the suburb boundaries on Neighbourly
Unfortunately defining suburb boundaries is not an exact science, and we understand that some users may disagree with the suburb boundaries that are currently set.
It is important to remember that just because your address is technically located in one suburb you can still interact and view posts from other neighbourhoods using our Nearby Neighbourhoods function. Also, and most importantly, Neighbourly is about interacting with neighbours around you and you can still do this regardless of which suburb your address falls within.
If you do believe we have made an error please contact us.
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Who created Neighbourly and why?
Neighbourly is proudly brought to you by a group of people who are just like you - members of the local community. Neighbourly was built because we want to live in strong and vibrant communities and want to do our bit to make these safe and fun places to live. You can read more about our Co-founders as well as the story behind Neighbourly.
We have combined this passion with our extensive experience in the New Zealand internet space to build a website that we can all be proud of.
In December 2014, Neighbourly.co.nz proudly announced a partnership with Fairfax Media NZ.
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Want to get in touch or give us feedback?
We will always welcome your feedback or ideas about how we can improve Neighbourly. Feel free to contact us. We look forward to hearing from you.
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I want to stop receiving email invitations to join Neighbourly
Neighbourly may be sending you email invitations to join because your friends, family or neighbours have requested we do this, and have supplied your email address to us.
If you wish to stop receiving these emails, or if you have already joined Neighbourly with another email address, you can choose the Not Interested option in the email.
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How is Neighbourly different from Facebook and other social networks?
Here at Neighbourly we like to think that the local neighbourhood was the original social network. But we also feel that existing social networks available on the internet are not ideally set up to work for local communities.
So whilst we all use the likes of Facebook and LinkedIn, we see Neighbourly as servicing a different set of needs compared with other social media sites around.
We also think eventually people will be involved in more than one social network as they break up their personal, professional and community lives.
Key differences between Neighbourly and Facebook include:
Neighbourly neighbourhoods are private and information can only be accessed by members. All members must be address verified and use their real names.
On average only 2% of people’s Facebook friends will be neighbours so you will more than likely be interacting with different people.
We consider Facebook to be more about status updates and the sharing of everyday life. We believe Neighbourly will be a utility reserved for problem solving and information sharing on an “as needed” basis.
You will also receive the following benefits through Neighbourly if you do become a member:
An Urgent Alerts feature, which makes it possible and easy to send out information relating to crime and safety or emergency situations, by text message or email.
The security of knowing all your neighbours have been address verified and are who they say they are.
An easily updateable directory of your neighbours, who you can contact or talk to about a wide array of issues, ideas or opportunities.
The ability to create sub groups of people with like minded interests as you. Share your passions and interact with others.
A recommendations section that allows you to seek or give your feedback about local service providers.
The ability to create and promote local events within your neighbourhood that allow you to meet your neighbours, making your local environment a friendlier and safer place.
The opportunity to buy, sell and trade items with no commission fees.
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Want to work at Neighbourly?
As we grow Neighbourly we will be on the lookout for a wide range of people and skills that can help the website be an amazing tool for the community.
If you think you have some skills that we should know about, or you have a real passion for the community, please contact us.
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How is Neighbourly different to a neighbourhood mailing list?
Neighbourly was designed to act as a utility for neighbours to communicate, share and help each other, whilst maintaining high levels of security and privacy. Neighbourly offers a wide range of benefits compared with traditional neighbourhood mailing lists including:
A neighbourhood directory, containing real contact and profile information, making it possible to really get to know your neighbours.
A neighbourhood map.
The ability to create open or closed groups within the neighbourhood.
The ability for members to control the number of emails they receive based on the types of updates they want to be notified about. Members can choose to receive emails about each new post, view the day's activity in a daily digest, or turn off emails and check the website for new posts from neighbours.
An Urgent Alerts feature, which makes it easy to send out urgent information.
A recommendations section, which archives recommendations by category, making it much easier to browse and find information over time.
A local busines directory, providing a one stop shop for local businesses and services.
The ability to create and RSVP to events.
Classifieds categories, which make exchanging between neighbours quicker and easier.
A dedicated Crime & Safety section.
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What is a Neighbourly partner and why are they needed?
Our partners play a big part in supporting Neighbourly, helping us grow so we can continue developing the site and launching new features.
It’s important to Neighbourly that our partners are positive contributors to their local communities. We also need them to share our goals of stronger, safer, friendlier places for all New Zealanders to call home.
We’re proud to have a number corporate partners on board: AMI, Resene, FreshChoice, Stuff Fibre, The Warehouse and Electric Kiwi.
You’ll see our partners popping up in different areas of the site - Eg Crime & Safety posts are brought to you by AMI and Lost & Found posts are supported by The Warehouse. Our partners are committed to making Neighbourly a better website for all members.
A few other ways partner support helps…
promoting Neighbourly to a new audience and growing membership
running exciting new promotions with partner product
developing local leadership and supporting the development of Lead resources
funding Neighbourly involvement at community events
enabling more face-to-face meetups
producing Neighbourly collateral
Can partners access member information?
Absolutely not. Neighbourly partners do not have access to any member information.
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Can I promote my business on Neighbourly?
Neighbourly realises the importance of local businesses to any community, and for this reason we have designed a special neighbourhood business section with some great tools for business owners!
This is the best place for Neighbourly members to find local trades and services around their home and neighbourhood, so it's also the best place for you to register your business and let the community know all about you.
Simply visit the Neighbourly business section to get started.
For further information check out What is the Neighbourly Business Directory? or contact the friendly Neighbourly team.
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What should I do if a member's comments are upsetting me or I don't agree with them?
Just because a person shares a fence or neighbourhood with you, this doesn't mean they'll always share your opinion. When contributing to any discussion on Neighbourly we ask members to show tolerance and respect towards other members, even if they don't agree with what's being said.
Before replying to a message on Neighbourly please consider the following:
1) Are my comments better sent in a private message?
2) Are my comments likely to upset other contributors and readers?
3) Am I contributing positively to the thread (even if the post itself is less than positive)?
4) Do my comments relate to the discussion or will I be hijacking the post?
5) Are these thoughts I would stick on a lamppost outside my house?
6) Are my comments in line with the Neighbourly Guidelines?
If you believe another member has breached the Neighbourly Guidelines, please follow these steps:
1) Send a friendly private message to your neighbour and gently suggest another way they could word their post
2) Get in touch with your neighbourhood Leads for guidance
3) Flag the offending post or reply for the Neighbourly team to review
4) Contact the Neighbourly team and explain why you feel a post is breaching the Guidelines
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What should I do if comments on my post are getting off track?
Some posts on Neighbourly attract more comments than others - especially when your neighbours share different opinions on a topic. It's important that Neighbourly members show tolerance and respect towards each other when contributing to any discussion on Neighbourly, even if they don't agree with what others have said.
If you're concerned that your post is getting off track or the discussion is becoming unfriendly, there are a few things you can do:
1) Disable replies. If you feel your post has run its course, you may wish to disable replies. You can find this option by clicking the '...' button below your post. Your post will remain on the Neighbourly noticeboard but neighbours will no longer be able to comment.
2) Remove your post. It is possible to remove your post entirely from the Neighbourly website by clicking the '...' button and selecting 'Delete'. Your post will no longer appear on Neighbourly and you will not receive further notifications about this post.
3) Take control. Sometimes a comment from the post owner is all that's needed to refocus a discussion. Consider posting a friendly comment reminding neighbours to please respect each other's opinions, to think before posting and to abide by the Neighbourly Guidelines at all times.
4) Contact your Neighbourly Leads or the Neighbourly team for further support and advice.
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How does Neighbourly make money?
A website like Neighbourly isn't cheap to run, however we're very fortunate to have the support of Fairfax Media and a number of Neighbourly partners.
Because of their support we can continue developing the site, launch new features, grow our team, run competitions - and most importantly we can keep offering Neighbourly as a free platform for our members.
We also offer paid options for business members through Neighbourly Premium, and Sponsored and Featured posts - so please get in touch if you’d like to find out more.
Our focus has always been around generating revenue in a way that provides value to our members.
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What are public notices?
Our lives often aren't restricted to the places we live. Neighbourly's public notices allow you to get a glimpse of what's happening in other neighbourhoods around the country.
Want to check out events happening around your workplace or in your friend's neighbourhood? Maybe you're thinking of relocating and would like to explore other Neighbourly communities. Or maybe you haven't joined Neighbourly yet but would like to see what's on offer...
Content on public notices is made up of posts from local businesses, organisations, publications and public posts from neighbours.
There are more features to come, so stay tuned!
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Hijacking posts on Neighbourly
Creating a new post is great for when Neighbourly members wish to update their community, or raise a particular issue, topic or question.
When adding replies to a post on Neighbourly, these should always relate to the original post to avoid confusion for participants, and to show respect for both the original poster and other members who wish to participate in the original discussion.
Hijacking a post is when replies are added on Neighbourly that raise a completely unrelated topic or push a specific agenda. This can result in the discussion getting off track, preventing the original poster from finding answers to their questions or receiving the advice they're seeking from their community.
You can report any comments that you consider to be off topic by cliking the '...' button and selecting "Report this message". This sends a silent alert to the Neighbourly Team for review.
If there is a new topic you would like to raise in relation to a post you have spotted on Neighbourly, consider starting a new post, or contacting the poster via private message.
If you see a topic on Neighbourly that you don't agree with, please check out these guidelines before responding.
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Can I post controversial topics or non-local issues on Neighbourly?
We encourage Neighbourly members to discuss neighbourhood issues that matter to them in a way that is constructive, civil, and builds community. It's important to keep discussions on Neighbourly community appropriate. We ask members to please avoid posting personal opinions on non-local issues, or topics that are widely known to be controversial or polarising (such as religion, politics, vaccinations or water fluoridation).
If you do wish to raise a topic on Neighbourly that does not directly relate to your community, we recommend setting up a group for these discussions.
Please note that if debates about controversial topics are causing disharmony among neighbours, you may be required to take the discussion away from the general newsfeed and post in a Group or via private message instead.
A reminder that the Neighbourly Guidelines still apply in groups.
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Can I post cat photos on Neighbourly?
Is Neighbourly for cat photos?
Absolutely! But only if you're sharing a photo of a missing cat, or introducing your furry family member to your community.
But I really like cat photos.
So does the Neighbourly team. But unfortunately for every person who loves a funny cat photo or meme, there are others who would like their Neighbourly noticeboard to be focused on the purpose of Neighbourly - reuniting neighbours over local recommendations, crime and safety matters, employment, lost and found and buy/sell.
To ensure cat photo lovers still have a chance to share photos and memes of furry four-legged friends, we ask feline fans (and anyone else who is keen to share jokes or non-neighbourhood related matters) to set up a Neighbourly Group.
If your post or reply does not fit within one of the Neighbourly categories (Buy, Sell & Trade, Recommendations, Local Jobs, Crime & Safety, Free Stuff, Lost & Found, Rent, Hire or Borrow) it may be best moved to a Neighbourly Group.
If you're unsure, just check with the Neighbourly team - we're here to help!