Rubbish bins
I posted a message about the disappearing rubbish bins in Whangarei a week or so ago (but I limited the area). However, I’ll leave this open to a wider area this time. Apparently this is not just limited to Whangarei. However, I went to the Whangarei District Council website, and sent a general enquiry email as to why this was happening. About a week later, I did get a phone call back. I had mentioned two particular bins that had been removed. The man I spoke with was not aware they had been removed! What I found out is that the rubbish bins are emptied by an outside contractor, not city workers. They come and say they find maybe a single coffee cup in a bin and think the bin doesn’t need to be there, so THEY remove the bin! The more I thought about this, the more I thought this is pure laziness - the more bins removed, the less work that has to be done. How much effort does it take to look in a bin and see the liner does not need to be changed? Where one bin has been removed, there is now rubbish in it’s place. I noticed the bins at a couple of bus stops have also been removed, and there is rubbish on the ground - exactly where the bins used to be! I have been told that one of the bins I emailed about will be replaced. And I will follow up on that if it isn’t back in place in two weeks. (This outside contractor is also supposed to be picking up rubbish twice a week along the Kamo shared pathway as well!)
So - if you noticed bins are missing and they need to be put back, send an email to WDC and tell them the location and that there is rubbish there and the bin needs to be replaced! Rate payers are paying for this service, no doubt.
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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