32 days ago

Neighbourly Q&A: Renting rights with CAB's Sacha Green

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

We are continuing our Q&A sessions on Neighbourly. This week we have the amazing Sacha Green from Citizens Advice Bureau New Zealand (CABNZ) who will be answering your questions about your renting rights.

A little bit about Sacha:
She has been working for CABNZ for 10 years and is passionate about empowering people with knowledge of their rights as well as ensuring access to justice.

She helps support the team of over 2,000 trained volunteers who deliver the CAB service in 80 neighbourhoods around Aotearoa by providing advice and support at a national level on a wide range of issues. One of Sacha’s work areas is leading the CAB’s social justice work on housing and tenancy issues.

Whether you're a flatmate, landlord, boarder or flatmate, you can leave a comment below and Sacha will share an answer on Wednesday from 9.30am. You may want to ask about notice periods, bond fulfillment, reasonable rent increases, or even whose responsibility it is to deal with mould in the home.

Join Sacha here on Wednesday at 9.30am. See you then!.

⇩ Share your question below ⇩

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More messages from your neighbours
18 hours ago

Are you getting enough sleep to solve this one neighbours?

Riddler from The Neighbourly Riddler

Name a month in which people sleep the least.

Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.

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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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1 day ago

Poll: Are swear words no longer?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

In 2023, Apple amended its autocorrect function to allow Iphone users to freely use their intended word without mentioning 'ducks'. Is this a sign of the times? Are swear words no longer taboo in our communities or workplaces?

Type 'Not For Print' if you wish your comments to be excluded from the Conversations column of your local paper.

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Are swear words no longer?
  • 21.4% Yes - swear words don't phase me
    21.4% Complete
  • 47.2% No - it's still inappropriate to swear
    47.2% Complete
  • 30.8% It's depends on the word
    30.8% Complete
  • 0.7% Other - I'll share below!
    0.7% Complete
1283 votes
12 hours ago

Flood funding boost for Canterbury rivers

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from The Press

By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter

Central Government funding to assist with flood resilience has been welcomed by Environment Canterbury.

The regional council has received cash from the new regional infrastructure fund as part of Budget 2024.

Environment Canterbury acting chairperson Craig Pauling said the new co-funding arrangement ‘‘is a great start’’.

‘‘Co-investment is something we’ve been pushing for a long time, along with the rest of Te Uru Kahika – Regional and Unitary Councils Aotearoa.

‘‘Flooding is the country’s most common natural hazard, and urgent action is needed to ensure our communities are resilient"

The country’s regional councils have been advocating for central Government support for river resilience projects for several years.

It led to the 'Before the Deluge' report, which was released just before Cyclone Gabrielle struck parts of the North Island last year.

Pauling said Environment Canterbury identified seven priorities for the region, which were put forward in the report.

‘‘We will continue to work with the Government to progress projects to help safeguard lives, property and vital infrastructure across Waitaha, as well as help us with overall river resilience including biodiversity and biosecurity outcomes.

‘‘I am looking forward to keeping the conversations with the Government going and getting these initial pieces of work started.’’

Included in the initial funding round will be upgrades to critical and aged flood management infrastructure across the region to make it more resilient to the changing climate.

Further work on the Rangitata flood resilient programme and projects in South Canterbury will also be funded.

The Government is still working through the amount of support which will be offered to each project.

River resilience was a major focus in the consultation for Environment Canterbury's latest long-term plan.

About three-quarters of submitters supported the council increasing its spending on flood protection, and pest and weed control.

The council is proposing to invest $25 million a year, over the next 10 years, to boost flood protection.

It also plans to introduce a district-wide rate for river resilience in Selwyn, and is considering similar options for the Ashley Rakahuri River and rivers in South Canterbury.

■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.