296 days ago

Did you know about the citizenship ceremony privacy breach?

The Team Reporter from Hamilton Press

Proudly clutching their certificates after a ceremony, new citizens probably didn’t realise that photos the council was taking could have opened the door for scammers.

In a privacy breach that spanned six years and thousands of photos, people who downloaded the images from the the Hamilton City Council website could have zoomed in to see details including full names and dates of birth.

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More messages from your neighbours
16 days ago

⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️

The Team from SPCA New Zealand

It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:

👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️

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1 day ago

How are you celebrating Christmas this year?

Libby Totton Reporter from Waikato Times

From hot air balloon rides to cotton ball scooping games, folks around Hamilton have their festive plans sorted.

On a sunny Monday when most people are already on holiday, there were a few homecomers on Hamilton streets.

How are you celebrating Christmas this year? Tell us in the comments (adding NFP if you don't want your words used in print).

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2 days ago

Rescued teen tells of fall down ‘two-storey’ waterfall

Libby Totton Reporter from Waikato Times

A Hamilton teenager who spent nearly 40 hours in the bush with broken bones after falling off an “almost two-storey waterfall” has expressed gratitude for all the efforts to find her.

Maia Johnston, 19, who left her mother’s home in Tōtara Park, Upper Hutt on Saturday evening, said she got lost in Akatarawa Forest – described as “a rugged blend of native and exotic forest”, including steep valleys and river gorges, by the Wellington Regional Council.

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