Member Agreement & Privacy Policy


Neighbourly Membership Terms and Terms of Use

Last Updated: 15 December 2020

Welcome to Neighbourly.co.nz, a website and mobile phone application that allows you to connect with other users in your neighbourhood (Neighbourly). This agreement describes your rights and responsibilities as a user of Neighbourly and as a Neighbourly.co.nz member (Member) and what you can expect from us.

By clicking "Create my account" on the Member registration page or using the Neighbourly site in any way, you agree to be bound by these terms (the Terms), the Neighbourhood Guidelines and the Privacy Policy. Once you are a Member you will be able to access and use additional features of Neighbourly. If you do not wish to be bound by these Terms, do not use Neighbourly.

You agree that we will send service notifications and community notices from Neighbourly and on behalf of our partners to you in the following ways: (1) within the Neighbourly private messaging account, or (2) sent to the contact information you provided us (e.g., email, mobile number, physical address). If you do not agree to having a private messaging account or providing us your contact information for these purposes, we will not be able to provide you with a Neighbourly account. Please review your settings to control and limit other email communications or mobile text messages you receive from us.

We reserve the right to change these Terms at any time. We will notify you of that change by updating the "last updated" notice adjacent to the link to these terms. By continuing to use Neighbourly, you agree to be bound by the amended terms of use.

  1. Registration, Eligibility and Address Verification:
    1. You must be at least 13 years old to use Neighbourly.
    2. You must use your real name and provide your current address of residence when you register as a Member. You confirm that all information provided to Neighbourly is current, complete and accurate at the time you provide it, and you agree to maintain and update this information as required.
    3. We may use the information provided by you on registration to verify the accuracy of that information (including using the information to contact you).
    4. Each person can only have one account per address of residence.
    5. To complete a Member registration for Neighbourly we require you to verify your address of residence through a verification process determined by us in our sole discretion. Please refer to the Help section for further information on address verification. If you are unable to satisfactorily complete address verification, you will not be eligible to be a Member. We will take reasonable steps to ensure that a Member's address is verified correctly. You rely on this information at your sole risk; we do not guarantee complete accuracy.
    6. Where we offer you the option of logging in with your Facebook membership details, you will remain bound by the terms of those services when you are using them and you provide us with the authority to copy your Facebook membership details to Neighbourly.
    7. You may not share your account password with anyone else (even a family member sharing your home)
    8. Registered sex offenders, their households and those involved in criminal enterprise are not eligible for Neighbourly accounts. We may also deny account registrations we think would harm a Neighbourly neighbourhood.
    9. We may, in our sole discretion, refuse or discontinue any Member registration.
  2. Content

    You retain all ownership rights to the content (text, photos, video or otherwise) you submit to Neighbourly.co.nz (collectively, your "Content"). You warrant you are entitled to make available for the intended use any Content you upload. You acknowledge that others in your Neighbourhood or nearby Neighbourhoods may have access to such Content as described in our Privacy Policy. Neighbourly may also offer you the ability to share Content publicly (a 'Public Post') to all Neighbourly members and anyone else who is using the Neighbourly website. You will be able to choose whether your Content is shared as a Public Post or to your Neighbourhood. Where you have not selected the Public Post option, the default will be to post your Content to your Neighbourhood. You may not provide us with any Content you don't have the right to publish or that is defamatory, infringing, illegal or otherwise wrongful.

    Neighbourly member Content should not be reproduced in any way outside of the member's own community without the express permission of the member who has published and/or owns the Content. This includes text, photos, videos and otherwise.

    However, whenever you upload Content on publicly-viewable screens or pages, that information will be publicly available to those persons as determined by you in your Neighbourly settings and can be collected and used by others. We cannot control who reads your Content or what other users may do with the information you voluntarily post, so we encourage you to exercise discretion and caution with respect to your Content.

    Remember: you should only share the sort of things you feel comfortable sharing with your neighbours over the fence.

  3. Conduct

    We take care to protect the rights of all users of Neighbourly and we expect that our Members will do the same. You must ensure that you abide by our Neighbourhood Guidelines (or any other Member Guidelines posted by us) at all times.

    We may monitor your use and the use of other members of Neighbourly to ensure that your and any other Member's conduct is in accordance with Neighbourly Guidelines for Neighbourly Behaviour (Neighbourly Guidelines) and is not Inappropriate Conduct.

    Inappropriate Conduct may include:

    1. threats of violence to any neighbour;
    2. bullying or harassment of any neighbour;
    3. uploading any nude images, pornography or other graphic content
    4. spamming other users of Neighbourly
    5. breaching another Members privacy or the security of another Members account
    6. invading the rights or freedoms of any other Member;
    7. promoting or inciting discriminatory or prejudicial behaviour; or
    8. any other conduct that Neighbourly might from time to time acting reasonably determine is inappropriate.

    We use search filters and other search technology for monitoring with a view to limiting Inappropriate Conduct and communications between Members. We do not guarantee that our filters will be able to find all instances where there may be Inappropriate Conduct and Communications between Members. You must ensure that your own conduct is within the Neighbourly Guidelines.

    You understand that, where you allow a third party to use your Neighbourly login, we will deem this to be your conduct and you will be responsible for that conduct.

    Where we determine that there has been a breach of the Neighbourly Guidelines or there has been Inappropriate Conduct, we may terminate your Neighbourly Membership in our sole discretion and report this breach to the relevant law enforcement agency.

    Should you become aware of any breach of the Neighbourly Guidelines, Inappropriate Conduct or members whom you know may harm a Neighbourly neighbourhood, please let us know so that we may review and, where we consider appropriate, take action.

  4. Neighbourly Leads

    Where you apply to be and where you are accepted as a Neighbourly Lead, you agree to the following terms and conditions:

    1. where you have submitted an application to become a Neighbourly Lead, you understand this does not guarantee that you will be selected as a Neighbourly Lead. Neighbourly reserves the right in its sole discretion to decline any request received.

    2. as part of the application to be a Neighbourly Lead, you understand that Neighbourly may complete a character check, including:

      1. where requested by Neighbourly, you will provide a character reference (in the form prescribed by Neighbourly) and understand that Neighbourly may contact the referee(s);
      2. Neighbourly may run a Police Check
      3. where requested by Neighbourly, you will provide your full contact details, your employment status and (where applicable) your place of employment. You understand that Neighbourly may contact your employer to verify this information and request a further character reference from your employer;
      4. Neighbourly may review your use of Neighbourly and any other publically available information about you (including your use of any other social media platform);
    3. as part of your application to be a Neighbourly Lead and where you are accepted as a Neighbourly Lead, you must disclose whether:

      1. you have been or are subject to, or party to, any criminal investigation;
      2. you are employed by any other social media platform or are otherwise employed in the online social media industry;
    4. if you become a Neighbourly Lead, while you remain a Neighbourly Lead you will promptly advise us of any changes in the information you have provided to us including any of the information in (b)(3) and (c) above.

    5. where Neighbourly has reasonable cause to believe that there has been any change in the information provided in (b)(3) and (c), it may complete any of the checks outlined above. Where Neighbourly does wish to run these checks, then it will contact you and if you do not agree, then Neighbourly may terminate your status as a Neighbourly Lead;

    6. where you are accepted as a Neighbourly Lead you:

      1. will act in the best interests of the Neighbourly community you are the lead of at all times;
      2. will not act in any way that will discredit or damage the reputation of Neighbourly;
      3. abide by the Neighbourly Guidelines for Neighbourly Behaviour and ensure that you do not engage in inappropriate conduct;
      4. will not agree to be interviewed in your capacity as a Neighbourly Lead or in any other way representing Neighbourly, by any media outlet (including TV, radio, print media, or other online media (including bloggers) without prior consent from Neighbourly;
      5. understand that a Neighbourly Lead role is a volunteer position and you will not be receiving payment or compensation of any kind during the tenure of you Neighbourly Lead status;
      6. not use your position as a Neighbourly Lead to gain personal financial gain or reward (including employment or gain for your organisation);
      7. acknowledge that Neighbourly has key community partners and you will conduct yourself in an appropriate manner when referring to or liaising with these partners through Neighbourly or on behalf of Neighbourly; and
      8. agree that all moderated and/or removed posts must remain confidential and must not be released to the public or discussed with any other third party.
    7. where you are accepted as a Neighbourly Lead, you or Neighbourly have the right terminate your status as a Neighbourly Lead immediately without cause.

  5. Email Registration

    Where you sign up to receive email communication or mobile text messages from Neighbourly we may continue to provide this information to you until you indicate otherwise. You may opt out of receiving email communication at any time by altering your email settings contained within your Member profile or using the unsubscribe link in the footer of all emails.

  6. Security

    You must ensure that any username and password you have as a Member is kept secure and confidential and not revealed to any other person. Any use of Neighbourly (including posting content, communicating with others or changing your account settings, etc.) using your Member Account will be deemed to be your use. You agree to notify us immediately of any unauthorised use of your username and/or password or any other breach of security. Upon your notification we will cease to rely on that username and password.

    As no data transmission over the Internet can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit or receive through the Neighbourly. These activities are conducted at your own risk.

  7. Liability

    You agree to indemnify and hold us and our officers and employees harmless from any claims, actions, costs (including legal costs) or losses by us or any third party due to or arising out of:

    1. reasonable reliance by us or any third party upon any acts carried out, requests made or information provided through the use of your Member Account (including your username and/or password);
    2. your breach of any of these Terms; or
    3. any conduct of yours or any transaction entered into by you that does not comply with the relevant law or infringes any third party right, including intellectual property rights.

    Neighbourly is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis, therefore, use is at your own risk. You acknowledge and agree that, to the extent permitted by law, we make no warranties:

    1. that Neighbourly will meet your requirements, including fitness for purpose;
    2. that Neighbourly will operate uninterrupted, secure or error–free;
    3. that any monitoring of conduct of Members will prevent all Inappropriate Conduct;
    4. concerning any Content submitted by any other Member;
    5. concerning third party information. Such information is being made available by us as a free service. While we will not knowingly provide incorrect information we may not be able to verify all third party information on Neighbourly, and so you should not rely on it without first making your own enquiries. We do not guarantee or certify the accuracy of the third party information. Any reliance on the information is at your own risk;
    6. that any feature of Neighbourly will continue to be supported;
    7. concerning any site or resources made available on Neighbourly, including any direct link to a website not owned by Neighbourly. Neighbourly makes no representations about third party operated websites and, if you visit a linked website, you will be subject to the terms of that website and any dealing will be solely between you and that other website. These links do not imply our endorsement of that other website or product or service being advertised (as applicable) or any association with their operators unless this is specifically stated on the Website.
    8. You acknowledge and agree that Neighbourly is not responsible or a party to any transaction or arrangement that you enter into with any third party using Neighbourly. You enter into any transaction or arrangement at your own risk. Where any dispute arises between you and another user of Neighbourly you agree in good faith to use best endeavours to attempt to resolve the dispute amicably through negotiation or other informal means before pursuing any further formal action. You acknowledge that we will not be a party to any such dispute.
  8. Termination

    You or we may terminate this agreement at any time. Without limiting the foregoing, we have the right to immediately terminate any Member accounts in the event of any conduct by the Member which we, in our sole discretion, consider to be unacceptable, or in the event of a failure by the Member to comply with any of these Terms.

  9. Privacy Policy

    The collection, use and disclosure of your personal information is more fully described in the Privacy Policy.

  10. Law

    These Terms are governed by and will be construed in accordance with the laws of New Zealand and you submit to the jurisdiction of the courts of New Zealand.

  11. Contact

    If you have any questions or concerns in relation to Neighbourly these Terms please see our Help section or Contact us.


Neighbourly Privacy Policy

Last Updated: 15 December 2020

Our goal is to create more over-the-fence conversations. But we will never forget the need to protect your privacy online. Neighbourly makes it safe to share the sorts of things you feel comfortable sharing in person with your neighbours.

  • To gain full access to the site, every neighbour has to verify their address.
  • Every neighbour must sign up with their real name and provide real contact information.
  • Neighbourly.co.nz is protected by a password and encrypted by HTTPS.
  • We will never share your info with advertisers without your permission.

Since Neighbourly became part of the Stuff family in 2017, we have worked together to help make Aotearoa a better place through strong community connections. We still have a dedicated team working to maintain the Neighbourly experience that we know is important to our members, however you can now find our Privacy Policy on the Stuff website here.


Neighbourly Guidelines for Neighbourly Behaviour

We created Neighbourly because we all want to be part of communities we are proud of. And we believe that a neighbourhood is one of the most important and useful communities in an individual's life.

We believe neighbours should want to look out for each other, and ultimately be neighbourly!

To us being Neighbourly means:

Respecting your neighbours
  • Provide truthful information about yourself – use your real name (not an alias, pseudonym or abbreviation) and upload an appropriate photo of yourself to your profile
  • Be honest, authentic, and straightforward in all actions
  • Show tolerance to each other, even if you don't share similar opinions. Assume good intentions in others
  • Only share posts from Neighbourly with the author's permission
  • Practice moderation and do not post in a way that dominates conversation
  • Send a private message or post to a Group if a limited audience is more appropriate
Sharing helpful information
  • Answer your fellow neighbours' questions
  • Share information about crime and safety issues
  • Discuss community-wide issues without campaigning
  • Spread the word about neighbourhood events and make all feel welcome
  • Sell, share, or give away items that you no longer want or need
Supporting your neighbourhood
  • Recommend great local businesses and service providers without spamming or inappropriate self-promotion
  • Strengthen your community by inviting your neighbours to join Neighbourly
  • Create neighbourhood interest Groups (and invite your neighbours to join!)
  • Provide support to neighbours in need
Being a good neighbour / Neighbourly conduct

Bullying, name-calling, harassment, offensive language, threats, breaching the privacy of another member, spamming or discrimination of any kind is considered un-Neighbourly and will not be tolerated.

Any photos, comments and/or any other material deemed unproductive or offensive by a Neighbourhood Lead or the Neighbourly team will be removed at our discretion.

Breaching the Guidelines for Neighbourly Behaviour may result in your Neighbourly account being temporarily or permanently deactivated.

Safe Neighbourhoods

Neighbourly encourages all members to be familiar with our Using Social Networks Safely tips.

If you or anyone in your community is experiencing un-neighbourly behaviour on the site, please 'flag' the offending content, speak to your Lead or contact Neighbourly.

If you feel you are in an unsafe situation please contact your local police station or dial 111 if an emergency arises before contacting the Neighbourly team.


Advertising Terms and Conditions

Neighbourly Limited place material for publication on behalf of the customer (you) subject to the Stuff Limited terms and conditions of advertising (Terms). These Terms apply to all or websites and other digital services (Digital Advertising) unless we have agreed other terms in writing with you.