Do you know who lives next door? Residents of one Auckland street have made a point of knowing their neighbours, reports Jacqueline Smith
Is Seacliffe Rd the friendliest street in Auckland? Marion Lane thinks so. She and her four children moved into the Hillsborough neighbourhood from Mt Eden two years ago
and they already feel like part of the original paintwork. It could be the fact that the neighbours monitor speeding cars and drinkers in the car park or that the retired neighbour up the road picks up any broken glass every morning. Marion thinks the best thing is that she knows who she lives next to and that they are always there if she needs them. "I've never lived in such a friendly street," she says Seacliffe Rd has a neighbourhood watch programme, a civil defence plan and holds regular neighbourhood gatherings. Rosemary Currie, who raised her family there, has been co-ordinating neighbourhood support for 15 years. She says the focus is on making sure the street caters equally for its children and seniors. They've launched a successful "Reduce Speed" campaign, they call police when car park drinkers get out of hand, and members of an early morning walking group, who wear jackets emblazoned with "Keep Seacliffe Road Safe", pick up rubbish, look out for graffiti and check up on unusual activity. "Seacliffe Rd is a great place to live and we encourage everyone to keep a smile on our street," she says. At the latest meeting, the residents organised ways to support each other in a civil defence emergency. "We encourage neighbours to be supportive to each other and to think about what they could do if there were slips and people were injured, rather than relying on council or other," says Mrs Currie. The neighbourhood is now embarking on a smallscale history project to celebrate who they are and how they came together. They hope other streets can emulate what they do, even if it is to introduce themselves to the people next door. "When you live of Seacliffe Rd you feel a part of the community and a responsibility for it," says Mrs Lane.
