251 days ago

Poll: Have you paid to visit the gardens?

Libby Reporter from Waikato Local

Six months after Hamilton Gardens introduced paid entry to its Enclosed Gardens, the numbers are in - and they're looking as lush as the gardens themselves.

With $2.85 million in revenue generated, over 227,000 visitors welcomed, and more than 45,000 MyGardens passes issued since August 2024, the decision to introduce a fee has turned into one of Hamilton’s most successful moves in recent years.

If you're not a Hamilton City ratepayer, have you paid to visit? Tell us your reasons in the comments (adding NFP if you don't want your words used in print).

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Have you paid to visit the gardens?
  • 10.5% Yes
    10.5% Complete
  • 89.5% No
    89.5% Complete
38 votes
More messages from your neighbours
15 hours ago

Poll: Is it ok to regift something that you have been given?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

🎁 Holiday Gift Chat!

Do you ever regift?
What’s your take on asking for a receipt if a gift doesn’t fit?

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Is it ok to regift something that you have been given?
  • 78.1% Yes! It's better to regift what I don't need
    78.1% Complete
  • 21.9% No. It's the thought and effort that matters
    21.9% Complete
242 votes
2 hours ago

πŸŽ„ Christmas 2025 Holiday Pay - What You Need to Know πŸŽ„

Stephanie from Sunnynook

πŸŽ„ Christmas 2025 Holiday Pay - What NZ Employers Need to Know πŸŽ„
With Christmas fast approaching, it’s important to make sure your team is paid correctly over the holiday period - especially with holiday legislation changes on the horizon.
πŸ‘‰ Good news: For Christmas 2025, the current Holidays Act rules still apply.

Here’s a simple breakdown πŸ‘‡
βœ… Employees with 12+ months service
β€’ Entitled to 4 weeks paid annual leave
β€’ Pay the higher of:
πŸ‘‰ Ordinary Weekly Pay or Average Weekly Earnings
πŸ“Œ Full-time example
β€’ 8 hrs/day Γ— 5 days = 40 hrs/week
β€’ $1,200 per week = $240 per leave day
πŸ“Œ Part-time example
β€’ 3 hrs/day Γ— 4 days = 12 hrs/week
β€’ $300 per week = $75 per leave day
βœ… Employees with less than 12 months service
β€’ Not yet entitled to annual leave
β€’ If your business closes down over Christmas, they must still be paid holiday pay for the closedown period (usually paid via payroll accruals or 8% of gross earnings under current law)
🎁 Christmas & New Year Public Holidays
β€’ Christmas Day (25 Dec)
β€’ Boxing Day (26 Dec)
β€’ New Year’s Day (1 Jan)
βœ”οΈ If the day is a normal working day, employees are paid for it
βœ”οΈ If they work on a public holiday:
➑️ Time and a half + an alternative paid day off
πŸ”” Important – Changes Coming
The Holidays Act will eventually be replaced by a new Employment Leave Act, moving to hours-based leave accrual and simplified calculations.
⚠️ These changes are not in force yet, so Christmas 2025 still follows current rules.
πŸ’¬ Need help checking your payroll or holiday calculations?
πŸ“§ Email: info@corefigures.co.nz
🌐 Website: corefigures.co.nz...
✨ Feel free to share this with other NZ business owners ✨

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6 days ago

Neighbourhood Challenge: Who Can Crack This One? ⛓️‍πŸ’₯❔

The Riddler from The Neighbourly Riddler

What has a head but no brain?

Do you think you know the answer? Simply 'Like' this post if you know the answer and the big reveal will be posted in the comments at 2pm on the day!

Want to stop seeing these in your newsfeed?
Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.

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