New Zealand's first private neighbourhood website launches

New Zealand's first private neighbourhood website launches

5 June 2014, 2:13PM
Neighbourly.co.nz

After a successful pilot in five Auckland suburbs, New Zealand’s first private neighbourhood website Neighbourly.co.nz  has launched across the country.

Neighbourly is designed to foster interaction and conversation between neighbours  and community organisations by creating an easy way for them to talk and share online. Members of Neighbourly create free and private websites for their suburbs to exchange advice, find and make recommendations for local services, share events, sell or give away unwanted items, discuss local crime, locate lost pets and ultimately get to know one another.

By creating an easy way for neighbours to talk and share online, Co-founder Casey Eden hopes Neighbourly will create more connections in the “real world”.

“These days most of us don’t know our neighbours - but that’s not to say we don’t want to,” says Eden.  “We all want to feel more connected to the communities within which we live but we’re just not so sure how to do it.  Neighbourly provides a  free, fun and user-friendly platform for people to  connect within one of the most important networks in their lives - the neighbourhood.

“We’re seeing members find babysitters, sell sofas, give away fruit, set up groups based on common interests, discuss how to make their safer streets, organise street barbies and recommend good mechanics. It’s being used just how we were hoping it would be.”

Neighbourly offers a free service for organisations who want to reach residents within their community with MPs, schools, residents associations, local boards and more already using the site to communicate important local information.  It also offers an urgent crime and safety text service alerting members to emergency situations in their community and  allows members to create street groups to connect with neighbours closest to them.

All neighbourhoods are private, all members must be address verified and information shared on Neighbourly does not appear when using search engines.

“Neighbourly is ultimately about growing stronger, safer and friendlier neighbourhoods,” adds Eden. “It’s the site we wanted for our own communities; it takes us back to the community connectedness we had when we were growing up.  We’ve lost that sense of community in the average New Zealand suburb and if we can help bring it back in any way, we’re all going to have better places to call home.

“If more people meeting online results in more people chatting over their fences, we’ve achieved what we set out to do.”

Neighbourly has been backed by Shane Bradley, the Founder of some of New Zealand’s most popular websites including daily deal site GrabOne and online business directory Finda.

“Neighbourly is something I wanted and needed in my own life and was a great way to give back to my own neighbourhood too,” says Bradley.  “In many ways the internet has fragmented our communities - so what better way than using this technology to bring us together once again.”

To join Neighbourly in your suburb head to www.neighbourly.co.nz .  For a 90 second introduction to Neighbourly visit www.neighbourly.co.nz/video .  For information on becoming a Neighbourly Lead go to www.neighbourly.co.nz/community/lead

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