1719 days ago

We Say/You Say: trans-Tasman bubble

The Team from Community News

Hi neighbours!

After more than a year of closed borders, Australians and New Zealanders will soon be able to jet-hop between countries after the government announced that the trans-Tasman travel bubble will be operational from April 19.

With quarantine-free travel now possible, are you more likely to head across the Tasman or travel domestically?

Fronting Australian media yesterday, Jacinda Ardern not only spoke of the excitement of families being able to be reunited, but also pitched New Zealand tourist activities to Australian viewers.

"If there is a hot spot in one of the states of Australia we may just act in the same way that another state would ... Just prepare that there may be disruptions, but what better place in the world to be stuck. Am I right?," she said.

The trans-Tasman bubble will operate on a three tier basis: Continue, Pause and Suspend. If there are a few cases in Australia linked to the border, quarantine-free travel will continue. Travel may be paused for 72 hours if there are rogue community cases and in the instance of a state or nationwide lockdown, travel will be suspended.

Share your thoughts below and don't forget to type NFP if you don't want your comment featured in the Conversations page of your local paper.

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More messages from your neighbours
15 hours ago

Poll: Is it ok to regift something that you have been given?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

🎁 Holiday Gift Chat!

Do you ever regift?
What’s your take on asking for a receipt if a gift doesn’t fit?

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Is it ok to regift something that you have been given?
  • 78.1% Yes! It's better to regift what I don't need
    78.1% Complete
  • 21.9% No. It's the thought and effort that matters
    21.9% Complete
242 votes
2 hours ago

πŸŽ„ Christmas 2025 Holiday Pay - What You Need to Know πŸŽ„

Stephanie from Sunnynook

πŸŽ„ Christmas 2025 Holiday Pay - What NZ Employers Need to Know πŸŽ„
With Christmas fast approaching, it’s important to make sure your team is paid correctly over the holiday period - especially with holiday legislation changes on the horizon.
πŸ‘‰ Good news: For Christmas 2025, the current Holidays Act rules still apply.

Here’s a simple breakdown πŸ‘‡
βœ… Employees with 12+ months service
β€’ Entitled to 4 weeks paid annual leave
β€’ Pay the higher of:
πŸ‘‰ Ordinary Weekly Pay or Average Weekly Earnings
πŸ“Œ Full-time example
β€’ 8 hrs/day Γ— 5 days = 40 hrs/week
β€’ $1,200 per week = $240 per leave day
πŸ“Œ Part-time example
β€’ 3 hrs/day Γ— 4 days = 12 hrs/week
β€’ $300 per week = $75 per leave day
βœ… Employees with less than 12 months service
β€’ Not yet entitled to annual leave
β€’ If your business closes down over Christmas, they must still be paid holiday pay for the closedown period (usually paid via payroll accruals or 8% of gross earnings under current law)
🎁 Christmas & New Year Public Holidays
β€’ Christmas Day (25 Dec)
β€’ Boxing Day (26 Dec)
β€’ New Year’s Day (1 Jan)
βœ”οΈ If the day is a normal working day, employees are paid for it
βœ”οΈ If they work on a public holiday:
➑️ Time and a half + an alternative paid day off
πŸ”” Important – Changes Coming
The Holidays Act will eventually be replaced by a new Employment Leave Act, moving to hours-based leave accrual and simplified calculations.
⚠️ These changes are not in force yet, so Christmas 2025 still follows current rules.
πŸ’¬ Need help checking your payroll or holiday calculations?
πŸ“§ Email: info@corefigures.co.nz
🌐 Website: corefigures.co.nz...
✨ Feel free to share this with other NZ business owners ✨

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6 days ago

Neighbourhood Challenge: Who Can Crack This One? ⛓️‍πŸ’₯❔

The Riddler from The Neighbourly Riddler

What has a head but no brain?

Do you think you know the answer? Simply 'Like' this post if you know the answer and the big reveal will be posted in the comments at 2pm on the day!

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Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.

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