1237 days ago

Poll: Who would you vote for as New Zealander of the year?

Caryn Wilkinson Reporter from Community News

The New Zealander of the the Year finalists are Dr Siouxsie Wiles, Farid Ahmed and Ranjna Patel.

The awards honour extraordinary Kiwis who inspire, give hope and lead.

Wiles is a microbiologist and science communicator from Auckland.

When Covid-19 first hit New Zealand, Dr Siouxsie Wiles rose to the challenge, said Miriama Kamo, Te Koruru – patron of the awards.

"... she's stood tall to speak to hundreds of millions globally," Kamo said.

"Her work helped us all to see beyond the fear and complexity of the pandemic, to understand not only what was happening, but also how we could, and can continue to, collectively respond."

Ahmed is the Muslim community leader who became an icon of forgiveness following the March 15 terror attacks in Christchurch.

After losing his wife in the attacks, Ahmed demonstratred how faith and love could
provide a pathway to navigate deep grief.

Awarded an international peace prize for his ongoing work, he published Husna's Story in March last year, donating all royalties to St John Ambulance.

The third finalist, Ranjna Patel, is the Tamaki Health director and a domestic violence social entrepreneur.

When Patel was asked to offer guidance around family violence in in the south Asian community, she identified a crucial missing step in family violence intervention – engaging offenders in their own rehabilitation.

In 2014, she established the first Gandhi Nivas home for perpetrators in Otahuhu, providing innovative early intervention and prevention services for Kiwi men.

A study undertaken by Massey University looked at men five years before entering Gandhi Nivas and after, and found 60% of men did not re-offend.

The annual Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year Awards are in their 12th year.

The six winners will be announced in Auckland on March 31.

*Please put NFP if you do not want your comments used by Stuff.

Who would you vote for as New Zealander of the year?
  • 65.7% Dr Siouxsie Wiles
    65.7% Complete
  • 17.6% Ranjna Patel
    17.6% Complete
  • 16.7% Farid Ahmed
    16.7% Complete
102 votes
More messages from your neighbours
5 days ago

Poll: Have you had a pen pal?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

With the invention of the internet and mobile phone communication, pen pals seem to be a thing of the past but it was a common practice at one point.

Did you have a pen pal? Where did you meet them? Share below!

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Have you had a pen pal?
  • 66.9% Yes
    66.9% Complete
  • 32.8% No
    32.8% Complete
  • 0.3% Other - I'll share below!
    0.3% Complete
729 votes
10 days ago

Let's get social

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

Tell us what groups you'd like to see in your area...(walking groups, coffee meet-ups, swing dancing, a family tree group - anything at all!)

Or if you are already in a great group, share it here for others to get involved.

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11 days ago

Latest scams to look out for 👀

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

Neighbourly hopes to keep you safe by keeping you informed of the latest scams circulating. This week, we are sharing two common text message scams:

NZTA / Waka Kotahi scam:
- The scam is a text message saying it's from New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, and it encourages the recipient to pay an overdue road toll by visiting a fake website, threatening to take the matter to court within 15 days if they don’t pay up.
- The aim is to trick people into giving away their personal details or pay them money.
- While it is not the first time toll payments have been utilised by scammers, the threat of court action could see more people fall victim.
- The sender will either be a unknown phone number or unknown email address.
Want to report one of these scams? Do so, on Netsafe

NZ Post scam:
- This scam arrives by test message and says it's from NZ Post.
- The premise is that delivery of your parcel was unsuccessful so in order to rearrange delivery. you must click on a link to give your correct address.
- The aim is to trick people into giving away their personal details or pay them money.
- NZ Post advises people not to click the link, but to report the message to the Department of Internal Affairs by forwarding it to 7726.
Think you may have fallen prey to a scam? Get in touch with Netsafe or contact your bank if it involved your bank details.

Remember, if you didn't expect the message and you are now asked to share personal details or money, then stop contact and seek advice elsewhere.

Feel free to share any below that you've encountered recently. This may help others across the country be aware.

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