Friday Feathered Friend
It has been a while since I posted a Friday Feathered Friend. This week it is a contribution from Louise Thomas.
"This is not the best photo of a variable oystercatcher - it's not even the best photo I took that day, but it is interesting. I noticed he/she was tagged - meet CT7. I snapped him/her in the Hutt Estuary on 12 January and sent a report off to the Banding Office as you do and got back a very interesting report about the bird.
He/she was banded on Bell Island, Waimea Inlet, Tasman on 28/05/2022 in his/her 2nd year. Sex is unknown. CT7 is a busy chap, since banding this bird has been re-sighted at Saxton Field, Stoke, Nelson on 28/06/2022 and 19/07/2022. This bird is part of a research study on the morphometrics, population trends, longevity and movements of variable oystercatchers in the Golden/Tasman Bays region.
So, if you see CT7 don't forget to report him/her to the banding office.
Variable oystercatcher/ tōrea (Haematopus unicolor). Bird #14 in 2023.
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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17% Yes - but I rarely stick to them
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73% 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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