628 days ago

Shamla

The Team from Humans of Christchurch Ōtautahi

“I am a reader. I didn’t grow up with siblings, I had a lot of free time. From my childhood, I read lots of books. One of my favourite authors, she’s Enid Blyton. I grew up reading Famous Five, Secret Seven, Malory Towers – they constituted a big part of my world. The first thing I did when I came to New Zealand was to hunt down libraries nearby.

I usually visit Tūranga. Lot of events happen there. Being inside four walls doesn’t light up your mood, so I come out to Tūranga and spend my time there surrounded by people. It makes me calm. I borrow books and go for a walk around the city. That’s my way of getting to know Christchurch. I just close my Google Maps and explore. So far, I haven’t got lost! It’s very easy to find my way around. In Christchurch city, everything connects.

I earned my Bachelor’s in Environmental Science. I am also passionate about conservation, which made me join Conservation Volunteers. One of the first things that I did when I came to Christchurch was to call them and ask how I could participate.

Moving to a new city could be intimidating. But these volunteering events have helped me a lot to put myself out there and talk to people. People are usually nice and warm. When I say I’m new to Christchurch, they ask about, like, how are you doing? Settling down? How do you find Christchurch? I found a lot of people who are like-minded as well, a lot of people who do conservation work like working outdoors. I also get to go to new places, like Amelia Rogers Reserve and McCormack’s Bay.
And I’m enjoying it very much, that’s the most important thing. When you’re volunteering you should enjoy and really kind of get into what you’re doing. So, I’m happy. I’m learning a lot. I’m getting to know a lot of new people, new environments.

I’m grateful that we moved to Christchurch; it’s one of the best decisions that we have made. I feel welcome in New Zealand, in Christchurch, particularly.”

- Shamla

View more stories, or nominate someone: @humansofchch
www.humansofchch.org...

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More messages from your neighbours
6 hours ago

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

The Riddler from The Neighbourly Riddler

Make a hearty dish. Take just half a minute. Add four parts of kestrel. Then just add one. What have you made?

(Trev from Silverdale kindly provided this head-scratcher ... thanks, Trev!)

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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6 days ago

Poll: Should the government levy industries that contribute to financial hardship?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

As reported in the Post, there’s a $30 million funding gap in financial mentoring. This has led to services closing and mentors stepping in unpaid just to keep helping people in need 🪙💰🪙

One proposed solution? Small levies on industries that profit from financial hardship — like banks, casinos, and similar companies.

So we want to hear what you think:
Should the government ask these industries to contribute?

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Should the government levy industries that contribute to financial hardship?
  • 59.5% Yes, supporting people is important!
    59.5% Complete
  • 26.1% No, individuals should take responsibility
    26.1% Complete
  • 14.3% ... It is complicated
    14.3% Complete
1122 votes
1 day ago

Addictive Eaters Anonymous

The Team from Addictive Eaters Anonymous - Christchurch

After ten years of depression, my life had hit rock bottom

I remember being ‘different’ around food for most of my life. This included things such as being the person who had two cream buns at morning tea when everyone else had one; eating icing sugar by the spoonful directly from the packet; and being the family member who went into the kitchen after dinner to eat the leftovers. There are numerous other examples – too many to list. I could overeat anything. If I couldn’t get my preferred favourites (e.g. chocolate), I’d be eating the vegetables.

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