Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Neighbourhood support online for Western bay

Bay of Plenty Times
30 Jul, 2014 12:00 AM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Former Mount Maunganui Neighbourhood Support co-ordinator Marie Gilpin wants people to get to know their neighbours. Photo / George Novak

Former Mount Maunganui Neighbourhood Support co-ordinator Marie Gilpin wants people to get to know their neighbours. Photo / George Novak

Western Bay neighbourhoods are being urged to reconnect through a new website helping neighbours build stronger, safer communities.

Website "Neighbourly" lets neighbours get to know each other through a secure, address-verified network to swap goods, advertise events, offer services or help prevent crime.

Once signed up, neighbours can swap restaurant tips, recommend local gardeners or find their area's best babysitter.

The move has been praised by Western Bay neighbourhood support members, who say anything which brings neighbours together is positive.

Users can start interest subgroups such as fishing, or book clubs, or public or private street groups.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The site also offers an Urgent Alerts feature which allows a resident to send an urgent text message to neighbours in an emergency.

One Tauranga post asks for advice on how to maintain heatpumps. Another praises Papamoa's beautiful sand beaches, friendly locals and country village feel.

Tauranga City and Suburbs Neighbourhood Support chairwoman Lynn Morrison said the site could be useful for Tauranga.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"The more you can get neighbours talking to neighbours the better."

"[The site] could work out very well."

Retired Mount Maunganui neighbourhood support co-ordinator Marie Gilpin said neighbourhood support was very important. But though it was good to encourage neighbours to get to know each other through an online forum, older members of the community may not get as much use out of it because "a lot of our people are not online".

Mrs Gilpin said the most important thing was to know what was normal in your neighbourhood.

Papamoa neighbourhood support co-ordinator Lorraine Stevens said the site sounded like a "very good idea".

Neighbourly co-founder and managing director Casey Eden said the site was a tool for people wanting to make a difference in their community, but not sure where to start.

"We understand not everyone wants to walk the street with a clipboard or host community meetings and so Neighbourly is all about making this process simple and easy by allowing people to get the ball rolling from the comfort of their own house."

Mr Eden said he and co-founder Shane Bradley started the website out of concern they knew more about their overseas friends than their next-door neighbours.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty Times

Home-schooled students ride 755km to Parliament for equal sports access

10 Jul 11:07 PM
Bay of Plenty TimesUpdated

Heavy rain warning issued for Bay of Plenty, up to 140mm expected

10 Jul 10:57 PM
Premium
Bay of Plenty Times

'A sad loss': Why this prostate cancer treatment is 'disappearing' in NZ

10 Jul 08:02 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Home-schooled students ride 755km to Parliament for equal sports access

Home-schooled students ride 755km to Parliament for equal sports access

10 Jul 11:07 PM

Amelia Twiss and George Fisher made the journey over 10 days.

Heavy rain warning issued for Bay of Plenty, up to 140mm expected

Heavy rain warning issued for Bay of Plenty, up to 140mm expected

10 Jul 10:57 PM
Premium
'A sad loss': Why this prostate cancer treatment is 'disappearing' in NZ

'A sad loss': Why this prostate cancer treatment is 'disappearing' in NZ

10 Jul 08:02 PM
Kaitiaki fight pathogen endangering iconic Mauao pōhutukawa

Kaitiaki fight pathogen endangering iconic Mauao pōhutukawa

10 Jul 07:24 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP