Scam Alert: Bank cold calls

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

ASB is warning customers about reports of cold calls from scammers claiming to be from ASB. These scammers are trying to obtain personal information, including usernames, dates of birth, and verification codes sent to your mobile phone.

🛡️ The "Caller Check" Test
If you get a call from someone claiming to be from ASB and you’re unsure, just ask them for a Caller Check. You will then be able to verify the call through the app.

Remember, banks will:​​
❌ Never ask for your banking passwords, PINs, or verification codes​​
❌ Never need to know your full credit card number – especially the CVC
❌ Never ask you to download software or remotely access your device​​
❌ Never ask you to purchase gift cards or transfer funds.

If you have received a phone call and think your account has been compromised, call ASB on 0800 ASB FRAUD (0800 272 372), or visit your local branch.

MEGA – February 2026 Edition - First Birthday and look …… we are still here!

Phil from Eastbourne

Plans Missing. Pipes Bursting. Names Changing. Backbone Required.
February’s MEGA issue asks one simple question: where’s the plan — and who’s in charge?
In Days Bay, the shared path currently plays hide-and-seek. It starts. It stops. Kerbs change personality mid-block. Drainage experiments with lagoon living. If there’s a fully resolved design — alignment, parking numbers, cross-sections, timeline — publish it. We’re not anti-cycleway. We’re anti-afterthought.
Ferry Road looks like it’s studying the Howard Point collapse manual. Cracks, water and gravity are a familiar trio. Fix it now or rehearse another apology.
At Moa Point, untreated wastewater has redefined “edgy capital city.” Councils are “monitoring.” The ocean would prefer maintenance.
On the positive side, MEGA supports exploring smart, regulated additional moorings in Days Bay and Lowry Bay. A bay with boats feels alive. Views alone don’t create vibrancy.
Nationally, Sky Stadium is now HNRY Stadium — not Henry, HNRY. The Cake Tin remains undefeated. Meanwhile, touring maps increasingly hit Auckland and Christchurch, then fly home. That’s not branding failure. That’s routing laziness.
The 2026 World Cup will be spectacular football wrapped in visa queues and hotel prices that require refinancing. Rugby coaching appointments may outlast the season itself.
Super City merger talk continues. In mega-structures, small boards tend to “streamline.” If Eastbourne wants influence, it needs guarantees, not nostalgia.
One clear win: HCERT now has a community-funded reconnaissance drone. Big cities have helicopters. We have propellers.
February’s message is blunt:
Publish the plans.
Fix the pipes.
Stabilise the roads.
Back ambition with delivery.
Or MEGA will keep asking.
visit: www.mega.kiwi.nz...

Poll: Are you still heading to your local for your caffeine fix, or has the $$ changed your habits? ☕

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

Wellington’s identity is built on its cafe culture, but with costs climbing, that culture is under pressure. We’ve seen the headlines about recent closures, and it’s a tough pill to swallow along with a $6+ coffee.

We all want our favourite spots to stay open, but we also have to balance our own budgets ⚖️

We want to know: How are you handling the "coffee math" in 2026? Are you still heading to your local for a chat and a caffeine fix, or has the cost of living changed your habits?

Keen to read more about "coffee math"? The Post has you covered.

Are you still heading to your local for your caffeine fix, or has the $$ changed your habits? ☕

• I avoid spending money on coffee
• I still indulge at my local cafe
• Irrelevant - coffee is not for me

Vote View Results

• 42.5% I avoid spending money on coffee
  42.5% Complete
• 48% I still indulge at my local cafe
  48% Complete
• 9.5% Irrelevant - coffee is not for me
  9.5% Complete

200 votes