Saddle Hill Community, Dunedin

Time to tidy that garage

Time to tidy that garage

Use Neighbourly Market to make a few bucks while you're at it

636 days ago

Want to recognise your favourite local business?

Prospa

New Zealand's small businesses have had another tough few weeks. We're calling on you, wherever you are across the country, to recognise a local business making a difference in your community.

We all love a cheeky grin and a wave from our local grocer, or a toot from the delivery … View more
New Zealand's small businesses have had another tough few weeks. We're calling on you, wherever you are across the country, to recognise a local business making a difference in your community.

We all love a cheeky grin and a wave from our local grocer, or a toot from the delivery driver, or a coffee order that’s ready before we arrive. These are the business owners who remind us we're home.

Give your favourite local business owner the recognition they deserve by nominating them in the 2023 Prospa Local Business Hero awards.
Nominate now

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649 days ago

Swapping an off-grid dream house in Swanson for a Cromwell hut

Colleen Hawkes Reporter from Homed

Meet a family with four boys (almost) that's up for adventure - and they don't mind roughing it in the process.

638 days ago

An Invite to Our Past

Waitangi Treaty Grounds

He iwi tahi tatou. Together we are one nation, united by Te Whare Rūnanga, standing tall next to the Treaty House and built by the hands of my whānau for not only Māori and Pākehā, but all New Zealanders. I invite you to come and share in their story.”

Pita Tipene is the Chair of the … View more
He iwi tahi tatou. Together we are one nation, united by Te Whare Rūnanga, standing tall next to the Treaty House and built by the hands of my whānau for not only Māori and Pākehā, but all New Zealanders. I invite you to come and share in their story.”

Pita Tipene is the Chair of the Waitangi National Trust. He, and all of those all of those at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, invite you to come and feel the stories that shaped Aotearoa.
Find out more

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639 days ago

Turning the tables

The Team from Resene ColorShop Dunedin

Give a dull brown table a fresh light look using a modern chalk paint style effect.

Find out how to refresh your table with this handy advice.

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639 days ago

Cyclone Gabrielle

The Team from Red Cross Shop Dunedin

If you are wanting to help the people in the north that has been devastated by cyclone Gabrielle please go to the New Zealand Red Cross website and look up New Zealand Disaster Fund.

Thanks for your support

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643 days ago

Poll: Is our government making the right decisions?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

We've seen the devastation of flood waters, yet the Government backed down on plans to protect wetlands (which help soak up heavy rain) after they received complaints by property developers.
Are you confident we're making the right decisions to protect us from future disasters? … View more
We've seen the devastation of flood waters, yet the Government backed down on plans to protect wetlands (which help soak up heavy rain) after they received complaints by property developers.
Are you confident we're making the right decisions to protect us from future disasters? Let's discuss!

Share your thoughts in the comments below - add NFP if you don't want these shared in the We Say You Say column of your local paper.

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Is our government making the right decisions?
  • 2.4% Yes, I back the decision to build over wetlands
    2.4% Complete
  • 88.3% No, we need to focus on preventing future flooding
    88.3% Complete
  • 7.2% Sort of - we can't always cater to the 'what-ifs'
    7.2% Complete
  • 2.1% I don't know
    2.1% Complete
4257 votes
647 days ago

Poll: Do you support the opening of a new airport in Tarras?

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from Otago News

Pressure is mounting on the city council to come out against Christchurch Airport’s “senseless” plans to build a new airport in Central Otago.

Eleven academics from across New Zealand have formed a group to oppose the airport’s proposal to build a “world-class sustainable airport” in… View more
Pressure is mounting on the city council to come out against Christchurch Airport’s “senseless” plans to build a new airport in Central Otago.

Eleven academics from across New Zealand have formed a group to oppose the airport’s proposal to build a “world-class sustainable airport” in Tarras – about 90km from Queenstown.


The council owns a 75% stake in the airport, with the other 25% owned by the Government.

Three of those academics spoke at Wednesday’s Christchurch City Council meeting and urged the council not to continue supporting the project. The Tarras development was a vanity project that would cripple Christchurch’s economy, they said.

Christchurch Airport project director Michael Singleton said New Zealand was geographically isolated and high-quality air connectivity would always be an important driver of social and economic wellbeing.

“Doing nothing in the face of a well-documented and fast-approaching infrastructure deficit and changing climate jeopardises the long-term ability of communities to maintain or improve their standard of living," he said.

Read the full story here and tell us your thoughts in the comments below.

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Do you support the opening of a new airport in Tarras?
  • 17.6% Yes
    17.6% Complete
  • 81.1% No
    81.1% Complete
  • 1.4% Not sure/something else (tell us in the comments)
    1.4% Complete
74 votes
647 days ago

Plan forcing developers to pay for affordable housing met with overwhelming opposition

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from Otago News

From reporter Debbie Jamieson:

Queenstown and Wānaka developers have signalled overwhelming opposition to a plan which would force them to contribute to community housing.

The Queenstown Lakes District is in the midst of a housing crisis with desperately-needed workers and families leaving … View more
From reporter Debbie Jamieson:

Queenstown and Wānaka developers have signalled overwhelming opposition to a plan which would force them to contribute to community housing.

The Queenstown Lakes District is in the midst of a housing crisis with desperately-needed workers and families leaving town because they cannot find suitable accommodation.

To increase the supply of affordable housing the Queenstown Lakes District Council is proposing to require most new residential subdivisions and developments to pay a financial contribution of 5%.

It would be collected by the council and provided to Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust (QLCHT) or another community housing provider.

Known as “inclusionary zoning”, it has already been used on a voluntary basis by the council with developments such as Jacks Point and Shotover Country contributing.


Under the Housing Accords and Special Housing Areas Act developers were required to pay contributions of up to 12.5% in the district. The Act has since been repealed.

About half of the 181 submissions received on the district plan change proposal were from developers opposing the rules.


Many of the submissions are duplicates from law firms or planners, representing the likes of Wānaka developers Infinity Investment Group and film developers Silverlight Studios, Glendhu Station Properties Ltd, Henley Downs Land Holdings, and the Jacks Point developers.

They argue the plan is unlawful and unreasonable and will not increase affordability.

Centuria Property Holdco Ltd, the group behind the $1 billion fast-tracked Lakeview/Taumata development in central Queenstown, is also opposed.

Developers Winton want it to be rejected claiming the proposal is outside the scope of the council’s role under the Resource Management Act and that council evidence is flawed.

Many individuals stood alongside the developers, concerned the proposal would lead to the cost of land rising.

“We struggled to afford our current property and with the continuing cost of living crisis cannot afford an additional levy to now pay for someone else's property too,” Robert Haydon, of Wānaka, wrote.


Christoffel Beukman, of Wānaka, said the proposal would result in a downgrading of housing stock and value and lead to an increase in antisocial and criminal behaviour.

It would make the area attractive to people who would otherwise not be able to afford housing in the district, she said.


Many saw it as another tax, or disagreed on principle.

Queenstown man Tony Strain said it was the worst of all the “dumb ideas” the council had come up with.

“Why should landowners and developers subsidise the tourist industry which has been built on low wages and will benefit the most from cheap housing?” he said


Some were concerned that small landowners would have to contribute also.

However, the Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust has submitted that exemptions be put in place for already existing lots where only one residential unit was to be erected, or less than three lots created.

The trust had more than 800 households on the trust’s waiting list, in an area where the median house price in September was 15.6 times the median household income, compared to 8.1 times nationally.

Former mayor Jim Boult was among a handful of supporters for the plan.

He said Queenstown could be like other tourism towns around the world where most workers were commuters.


However, it was an inclusive community where the children of billionaires attended school alongside the children of supermarket workers, he said.

The inclusionary zoning tool was vital if the community was to make housing at least reasonably affordable for most, he said.


He acknowledged there was an offset to others buying property, but said it had not proven an inhibiting factor under HAASHA legislation.

The plan was supported by other housing trusts from around New Zealand.

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642 days ago

Stop paying too much!

The team at NZ Compare

The affordability of everyday items just keeps increasing!

If it’s not the petrol prices, it’s the cost of food, insurance or rates and let’s not get started on mortgage interest costs!

Home loan interest rates don't stay the same for long these days and it’s causing many … View more
The affordability of everyday items just keeps increasing!

If it’s not the petrol prices, it’s the cost of food, insurance or rates and let’s not get started on mortgage interest costs!

Home loan interest rates don't stay the same for long these days and it’s causing many households to feel stressed out. Could you be saving thousands of dollars a year? If you don't check, you don't know.

Get a FREE mortgage health check through Money Compare and find out. If you could save money, why wouldn’t you right?!
Click Here

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643 days ago

Have you got the shed of your dreams?

Mei Leng Wong Reporter from NZ Gardener & Get Growing

Dear neighbours,

Last year, Jane Horne and partner Simon Bartholomew's Mondrian-inspired cube took the title of Resene Shed of the Year. Now, we're on the hunt for this years winner! Send us photos and the stories behind your man caves, she sheds, clever storage spaces, cute chicken … View more
Dear neighbours,

Last year, Jane Horne and partner Simon Bartholomew's Mondrian-inspired cube took the title of Resene Shed of the Year. Now, we're on the hunt for this years winner! Send us photos and the stories behind your man caves, she sheds, clever storage spaces, cute chicken coops and potty potting sheds to win amazing prizes worth more than $2000. The Resene Shed of the Year 2023 winners will be announced in the April issue of NZ Gardener.

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645 days ago

Can you help support Cyclone Gabrielle affected communities?

Stuff

Cyclone Gabrielle has had a devastating impact on hundreds of thousands of Kiwis. As the long clean up begins and support becomes more and more needed, Stuff is calling for readers to support the Red Cross and Mayoral Relief Funds in areas where a local state of emergency has been declared. … View moreCyclone Gabrielle has had a devastating impact on hundreds of thousands of Kiwis. As the long clean up begins and support becomes more and more needed, Stuff is calling for readers to support the Red Cross and Mayoral Relief Funds in areas where a local state of emergency has been declared. We'd love your support. You can donate here. Donate now

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645 days ago

Have you got a great recipe for taro?

Mei Leng Wong Reporter from NZ Gardener & Get Growing

Dear neighbours,

Every month, NZ Gardener runs a series of tested reader recipes using a seasonal crop. We are still on the hunt for amazing and inventive taro recipes! Send your best ones to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz by Feb 26, 2023. Every published recipe wins a copy of the April issue of NZ … View more
Dear neighbours,

Every month, NZ Gardener runs a series of tested reader recipes using a seasonal crop. We are still on the hunt for amazing and inventive taro recipes! Send your best ones to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz by Feb 26, 2023. Every published recipe wins a copy of the April issue of NZ Gardener.

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646 days ago

Stained chair

The Team from Resene ColorShop Dunedin

It’s easy to transform a plain wicker chair into something special with Resene Colorwood natural wood stain.

Find out how to transform your furniture with our easy advice.

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646 days ago

Your home, your safe haven

Frances Hodgkins Retirement Village

Your home is your sanctuary where you can relax, rejuvenate, and entertain family and friends.

That’s why Ryman villages are designed to be safe havens. We’ve prepared for adverse events, so you don’t have to.

Your safety and your family’s peace of mind are our top priority, no… View more
Your home is your sanctuary where you can relax, rejuvenate, and entertain family and friends.

That’s why Ryman villages are designed to be safe havens. We’ve prepared for adverse events, so you don’t have to.

Your safety and your family’s peace of mind are our top priority, no matter what the weather. Every Ryman village has staff available 24/7 and backup generators for emergencies.

We all hope we never have to experience a natural disaster or other emergency. But if it happens, we’ll take care of everything and make sure that you have what you need.

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648 days ago

Small biz owner? We're right behind you!

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

It's been a tough few weeks for our communities, including our small businesses. To help small businesses keep connected with their neighbours, we’re offering Neighbourly Premium Business Listings FREE for three months. You’ll feature in the local business directory, plus be able to engage… View moreIt's been a tough few weeks for our communities, including our small businesses. To help small businesses keep connected with their neighbours, we’re offering Neighbourly Premium Business Listings FREE for three months. You’ll feature in the local business directory, plus be able to engage with neighbours to ask for help, share new operating hours, move damaged stock, or simply give thanks for recent support. T&Cs apply. Get Premium now

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