The Cost of Improving Porirua Council Chambers
The Post had an article in the 10th of August edition on this topic, I have been waiting for something to appear on Neighbourly but perhaps it is waiting for the next Kapi-Mana News to appear on Tuesday.
In Public Service Watch by Justin Wong he mentions the following points (abridged by me):
PCC is considering options for its meeting chamber..... to make it 'more accessible and welcoming' for the public.
.... chambers can feel unwelcoming and intimidating for visitors and guests....
Discussions to refurbish and relocate the chamber to the ground floor originally came up in 2017, but the council then decided against the move and opted for a $370,000 upgrade to install audio-visual and live-streaming equipment......
..... and create a space that was 'familiar and welcoming'..... officials also conceded there were downside.
The cost to do so today would be four to six times more than what was estimated on 2017.......
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Sorry Justin but your article is too important to be allowed to just slip past.
Now the PCC is looking at all the options including just titivating the chambers for $26,000.
I would think that the people of Porirua Council catchment area would rather that the money was saved and put towards reducing their rates bill. The person whose job it is to push for this appalling use of ratepayer money, might be better employed elsewhere in the Council or perhaps encouraged into employment some place else with a Council who has money to waste.
Scam Alert: Fake information regarding December Bonuses from MSD
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.
Poll: Do you set New Year’s resolutions?
🎉 2026 is almost here!
We’re curious ... how do you welcome it?
Do you set resolutions, follow special traditions, or just go with the flow?
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10% Yes! New Year, New Me
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16.9% Yes - but I rarely stick to them
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73.2% Nah - not for me
Update to Neighbourly members on data breach 06/01/2025 8am
Yesterday in the High Court at Auckland, Neighbourly was successful in being granted an injunction against any unauthorised use of the data taken in a recent breach.
As we alerted you on January 1 and confirmed on January 3, our systems were accessed illegally and members’ information, including names, email addresses, GPS coordinates from the address you provided to us, forum posts and direct member communications were among the data that was accessed.
We acted immediately upon hearing of a potential breach: we temporarily disabled the site, notified members and authorities and worked with our external security consultants to understand if and how it had occurred. We then confirmed the breach with members, safely restored the site to service and began the process of seeking the injunction. Yesterday’s decision by Justice Johnstone prohibits the use of the data by any unauthorised person, and requires them to permanently delete it, or any information obtained from it.
This does not mean that vigilance against scammers is not still required: there is a large industry globally that seeks to use stolen information for identity fraud or to dupe people into providing details of their financial affairs for theft. Again, to keep yourself safe from scammers it is critical that you:
- Don’t click links in emails. Instead, type the web address directly into your browser. This helps ensure you’re visiting a real site, not a fake one
- Enable two-factor authentication where available as this adds an extra layer of security to your data
- Stay alert for phishing emails. Be cautious of unexpected emails asking for personal information, especially ones that create a sense of urgency.
Again, we want to apologise to you for this illegal access to the Neighbourly database and to assure you that we have carefully worked through how this occurred. We have safely secured the site and its services for use and ensured we have robust processes in place so this cannot happen again.
We are continuing to work with the relevant authorities, including the National Cyber Security Centre, on any further steps we need to take.
If you have any further questions please contact us via our customer support team at helpdesk@neighbourly.co.nz.
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