3397 days ago

Northpower Electric Power Trust (NEPT) online voting

Oliver Neighbourly Lead from One Tree Point

In our recent Neighbourly discussions of the local elections I was one of the people in favour of introducing online voting. So I was quite surprised when I received my voting papers for the NEPT election and discovered that online voting was an available option. Great - I did my research, made up my mind who to vote for, and went online.
Well, it's probably a good example of how NOT to implement online voting :-(
The welcome page was nice enough, but the ballot page itself looked very crude and basic, as if the so-called style sheet, which defines the styles and visual elements of a web page, was broken or missing. But it was a secure website, so I ticked my boxes and sent it off ... and didn't get any kind of feedback if my vote had been received. Hmmm. So I decided to click on the link for the feedback page and wrote up all my issues and complaints and clicked on the send button ... only to receive a timeout after a minute or so. Well, it happens sometimes, so I tried again ... another timeout. I gave up.
I had written in my earlier posts that online voting needed to be done professionally and securely, to be acceptable. The NEPT voting website felt like shoddy work, done in a hurry and not tested properly. I'm pretty sure that my vote wasn't lost, at least as sure as if I had sent it in by mail, but a professional design, with a ballot page identical or at least very similar to the printed version, and a confirmation that the vote was received, plus a working feedback page is the minimum we voters should be able to expect.
Has anybody else voted online and had similar or different (better or worse) experiences?

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3 days ago

Poll: 🤖 What skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

The Reserve Bank has shared some pretty blunt advice: there’s no such thing as a “safe” job anymore 🛟😑

Robots are stepping into repetitive roles in factories, plants and warehouses. AI is taking care of the admin tasks that once filled many mid-level office jobs.

We want to know: As the world evolves, what skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?

Want to read more? The Press has you covered!

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🤖 What skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?
  • 52.7% Human-centred experience and communication
    52.7% Complete
  • 14.9% Critical thinking
    14.9% Complete
  • 29.6% Resilience and adaptability
    29.6% Complete
  • 2.8% Other - I will share below!
    2.8% Complete
469 votes
4 days ago

Brain Teaser of the Day 🧠✨ Can You Solve It? 🤔💬

The Riddler from The Neighbourly Riddler

Make a hearty dish. Take just half a minute. Add four parts of kestrel. Then just add one. What have you made?

(Trev from Silverdale kindly provided this head-scratcher ... thanks, Trev!)

Do you think you know the answer? Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm on the day!

Want to stop seeing these in your newsfeed? No worries! Simply head here and click once on the Following button.

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18 days ago

Have you got New Zealand's best shed? Show us and win!

Mei Leng Wong Reporter from NZ Gardener & Get Growing

Once again, Resene and NZ Gardener are on the hunt for New Zealand’s best shed! Send in the photos and the stories behind your man caves, she sheds, clever upcycled spaces, potty potting sheds and colourful chicken coops. The Resene Shed of the Year 2026 winner receives $1000 Resene ColorShop voucher, a $908 large Vegepod Starter Pack and a one-year subscription to NZ Gardener. To enter, tell us in writing (no more than 500 words) why your garden shed is New Zealand’s best, and send up to five high-quality photos by email to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz. Entries close February 23, 2026.

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