2953 days ago

A Story of the Avon River

Graeme from Burwood

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful river running through the neighbourhood of Burwood/Avondale. It was a well-kept area until one day there was a terrible earthquake. Then everything stopped. The grass on the banks got longer and longer and people could not enjoy walking there. The grass got so long a request to have it cut was sent to the Council, who sent someone to cut it. A neighbour seeing the result took it upon himself to tidy the area himself so that people could again enjoy the area. The community appreciated what he did and a local organisation bought him a new lawnmower to make his work easier. One day after a number of years the Council sent some people to build a stopbank. After a few weeks of work, they left, leaving a pile of dusty soil with sides too steep to mow with a lawnmower (if they had planted any grass) resulting in a magnificent display of weeds.
The neighbour became disheartened and very disappointed. How is he to fix it so that it looks again like a Garden City we live in instead of an abandoned allotment?
Any ideas on how to make this sad story have a happy ending?

More messages from your neighbours
19 days ago

Have you got New Zealand's best shed? Show us and win!

Mei Leng Wong Reporter from NZ Gardener & Get Growing

Once again, Resene and NZ Gardener are on the hunt for New Zealand’s best shed! Send in the photos and the stories behind your man caves, she sheds, clever upcycled spaces, potty potting sheds and colourful chicken coops. The Resene Shed of the Year 2026 winner receives $1000 Resene ColorShop voucher, a $908 large Vegepod Starter Pack and a one-year subscription to NZ Gardener. To enter, tell us in writing (no more than 500 words) why your garden shed is New Zealand’s best, and send up to five high-quality photos by email to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz. Entries close February 23, 2026.

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4 days ago

Poll: 🤖 What skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

The Reserve Bank has shared some pretty blunt advice: there’s no such thing as a “safe” job anymore 🛟😑

Robots are stepping into repetitive roles in factories, plants and warehouses. AI is taking care of the admin tasks that once filled many mid-level office jobs.

We want to know: As the world evolves, what skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?

Want to read more? The Press has you covered!

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🤖 What skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?
  • 52.2% Human-centred experience and communication
    52.2% Complete
  • 15% Critical thinking
    15% Complete
  • 29.9% Resilience and adaptability
    29.9% Complete
  • 2.9% Other - I will share below!
    2.9% Complete
525 votes
5 days 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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