2075 days ago

Kids Greening Taupō's online success

Chris Marshall Reporter from Taupō Times

The nationwide Covid-19 lockdown has provided an opportunity for innovation and creativity for Kids Greening Taupō, as demand surges for the organisation’s online materials.

The Kids Greening Taupō programme – initiated in 2014 - is based on the Department of Conservation’s (DOC) Collaborative Community Education Model and was the first programme to test and pilot this model.

The model which focuses on place-based education, student-led conservation change, and collaboration across communities has been rolled out across the country, said Taupō-based DOC Outreach and Education Co-ordinator Kerryn Penny.

The Kids Greening Taupō Nature Connectors series encourages parents or caregivers to get children outside and engaged with nature through a variety of simple activities and challenges. The Online Nature Classroom has different themes every week and a strong inquiry and observation aspect, such as identifying pests and making tracking tunnels, including information linked to DOC resources.

The lessons are designed to become permanent education resources.

Kids Greening Taupō Education Co-ordinator Rachel Thompson said the likelihood of a COVID-19 lockdown saw staff develop online materials for activities that children could do in their neighbourhood.

“We’ve been posting (online) right from day one of the lockdown. We believe connecting to nature for mental and physical well-being is more important than ever at a time like this.”

Kids Greening Taupō had done an amazing job of providing fun, practical activities to engage young people and their whānau with nature, said Penny.

Kids Greening Taupō is an offshoot of Greening Taupō, a non-profit group, and it is part of the local Taupō Environmental Education Collaborative which comprises a range of organisations providing Environmental Education programmes and support – including the Department of Conservation (DOC). The organisation has also received grants from DOC’s Community Conservation Fund to support its work.

For more information on Kids Greening Taupō visit www.kidsgreeningtaupo.org.nz...

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More messages from your neighbours
19 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 days ago

Poll: Do you set New Year’s resolutions?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

🎉 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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Do you set New Year’s resolutions?
  • 10.2% Yes! New Year, New Me
    10.2% Complete
  • 17.9% Yes - but I rarely stick to them
    17.9% Complete
  • 71.9% Nah - not for me
    71.9% Complete
1057 votes
15 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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