FREEDOM, EQUALITY IN SPADES IN NZ

Michael from Trentham

NZ may have somewhat lost many of the features that have made us a great nation worldwide in the past but not that of democracy.

in the latest survey (2023) on the most democratic countries in the world, NZ sits in second place behind Norway.

Interestingly both countries are similar in population and sit at either end of the globe.

Australia ranks ninth, the UK 21st and the USA sliding to 26th.

The USA has never been in the top 10 since these international surveys started which is ironic because Americans think and are told they are the greatest democratic nation the world has ever seen. Land of the free. Yeah right.

So living in a exceedingly democratic country and all that is meant to entail, it seems even more ludicrous that the city of Upper Hutt, has landed in a situation with its water pipes that has gone unresolved and almost unchecked over a lengthy period of years and a blind eye to it has been cast by elected councillors and Mayors and the staff they harbour.

More messages from your neighbours

6 days ago

Brain Teaser of the Day 🧠✨ Can You Solve It? 🤔💬

The Riddler from The Neighbourly Riddler

How many balls of string does it take to reach the moon?

(Peter from Carterton kindly provided this head-scratcher ... thanks, Peter!)

Do you think you know the answer? Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm on the day!

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22 hours ago

Poll: Are Kiwis allergic to “exuberance”? 🥝

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

In The Post’s opinion piece on the developments set to open across Aotearoa in 2026, John Coop suggests that, as a nation, we’re “allergic to exuberance.”

We want to know: Are we really allergic to showing our excitement?

Is it time to lean into a more optimistic view of the place we call home? As big projects take shape and new opportunities emerge, perhaps it’s worth asking whether a little more confidence (and enthusiasm!) could do us some good.