88 days ago

Council Dilemma of Staffing vs Consultants

Ganga from Ngaruawahia

From what I've observed, the issue of council staffing versus consultant use works a bit like this... Imagine you have a home that needs regular maintenance. You hire one handyman for your main house and another for your garage. Then someone comes along and points out that it’s wasteful since one handyman could easily manage both.

So, to 'fix' the problem, you fire both handymen and decide to use specialist contractors as and when needed. That way, you tell yourself, you’ll only pay for what you need. But before long, the same amount of work starts costing even more than what you paid for having two handymen (even though they were surplus to needs to begin with).

And now, someone else points out that you're paying too much for consultants, and in response, you hire three handymen - because it’s still cheaper than the contractors. And so, the cycle continues.

The real issue therefore, isn’t how much we spend on staff or consultants - it’s how wisely we use them.

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More messages from your neighbours
18 days ago

Scam Alert: Fake information regarding December Bonuses from MSD

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

The Ministry of Social Development is reporting that fake information is circulating about new ‘December bonuses’ or ‘benefit increases’

If you get suspicious communication, please contact Netsafe.

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6 hours ago

Further important update to all Neighbourly members

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

Dear Neighbours,

We wanted to update you with what we have uncovered in regards to the potential Neighbourly data breach which we were alerted to on Thursday January 1.

Over the past few days we have worked to understand whether our members’ data had been accessed without authorisation and, if so, the extent of the breach.

We have now confirmed that there was a breach of some data from our registered users. We are now satisfied that the breach was quickly contained, and we have restored the Neighbourly site and services.

Our investigations have shown that there was unauthorised access of Neighbourly data, which included our registered members’ names, email addresses, GPS coordinates, forum posts and member communications. It did not include passwords but some publicly advertised event and business addresses were included.

Following best practice, we will look to seek a court injunction against any use of the material.

We want to apologise to our members for this occurrence and any concerns it may have caused you over the past few days. We have, of course, addressed the issue that allowed the theft to occur, and we are satisfied that the site is secure for use by all of our members. We will work closely with all our staff to ensure we have the most robust processes in place to prevent it from happening again.

Thank you to our members who contacted us over this period and for the understanding you have shown as we work through the complex issues associated with cyber theft.

Q&A regarding Neighbourly data breach

The Team at Neighbourly

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1 day ago

A Craft a Day: Simple Projects Using Pegs, Sticks & Resene Testpots

The Team from Resene ColorShop Te Rapa

A craft project a day keeps the boredom away. Entertain kids with these easy arts and crafts projects using pegs, ice block sticks and Resene testpots. Find out how to create and paint your own peg crafts with these easy step by step instructions.

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