1110 days ago

Are class sizes too big these days?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

Primary, secondary and kindergarten teachers are striking this week as they look for a pay offer that meets inflation at 7.2% and makes concessions around staffing issues - in particular, student to teacher ratios.

A ratio of 1 teacher for 23 students applies for year 11 students, however support staff can be counted as teachers so the reality is that class sizes can be much higher.
What do you think are the ideal sizes for classrooms?

Type NFP alongside your comments if you don't wish these to be shared in the We Say You Say column of the local paper.

More messages from your neighbours
1 day ago

Poll: Should we ditch daylight saving? 🕰️

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

First introduced in New Zealand in 1927 with the passing of the Summer Time Act, it's what we know as 'Daylight Saving' and this year it ends on the first Sunday in April.

While we do get to sleep in this time around, some people would like to scrap the clock tinkering for good.

And why? Some evidence suggests the time changes are bad for our health as they mess with sleep patterns leading to short-term fatigue and affecting mood. Meanwhile the hour change is frustrating for farmers and a nightmare for getting the littlies to sleep. But what's your take?

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Should we ditch daylight saving? 🕰️
  • 41.5% Yes - get rid of the clock changes
    41.5% Complete
  • 56.9% No, I enjoy it
    56.9% Complete
  • 1.7% Other - I'll share below
    1.7% Complete
1386 votes
J
6 days ago

Mr Minit in Chartwell: Be wary

Jenny from Hillcrest

Hi all,
Just sharing my experience. I had the battery for my car key replaced in March 2025 at Mr. Minit in Chartwell. I was given a one‑year warranty, which seemed impressive at the time.

However, the battery stopped working early Mar 26. With the warranty card, I brought the key back to have it checked and replaced. What I didn’t realise was that the battery was *not* actually replaced. He only tested it with a meter. When I asked whether he had replaced the battery, he said “yes,” but that wasn’t true. He then said he had tested the battery level and there was no need to replace it. When I asked to see the meter, it showed the battery was in the green zone which means it was ok.

I was then advised that I might need to replace the entire key unit. I asked whether he had properly troubleshot the issue to confirm it was the battery and not the key itself. His reply was that he normally doesn’t do that, but I was a “special case.” That means, the warranty card was a misrepresentation and there was no real intention of replacing the battery when it was faulty.

After he finally replaced the battery with a new one, my key worked perfectly again.

**Lesson learnt:**
Make sure you take a photo of your warranty card. I feel like the warranty is mostly for show — if I had lost it, I would have been charged another $20+ for a battery. Worst still, I would have to pay more to change the key unit unnecessarily.

Make sure you witness that they replace your old battery with a new one if it's still under warranty.

3 days ago

Don't overthink this riddle...

The Neighboury Riddler

I have a silver sole
but no feet,
I make my living by bringing the heat.
What am I?

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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