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Neighbours Day Aotearoa A Nationwide Success
7 April 2013
MEDIA RELEASE
Neighbours Day Aotearoa A Nationwide Success
Neighbours Day Aotearoa 2013 was a runaway success, with thousands of New Zealanders from Cape Reinga to Stewart Island coming together in a nationwide celebration of neighbourliness.
The Neighbours Day Aotearoa (NDA) Facebook page and email was flooded with messages from happy neighbours wanting to share their NDA activities. Street parties, giant water slides, trips to local water holes, and street-wide garage sales were all pulled off with aplomb.
For many, it was a chance to reconnect with new neighbours; for others, an opportunity to do more than just wave over the fence, but to instead spend some time strengthening relationships.
Rowena McCoy has lived on her Hamilton cul-de-sac for the past ten years. When she heard about NDA she knew it would be a great opportunity to get to know her neighbours, many of whom were new to the area.
Her son Jack and 9-year-old neighbour Linley filled out the invitations provided by NDA and popped them into the letterbox of every house on the street.
“It got people smiling, talking, and being more interactive with each other,” she says. “Just that little gesture made a big difference.”
Rowena’s family celebrated NDA with a shared picnic on their front lawn, and the local kids delighted in blowing up the NDA balloons and wearing the NDA badges.
“It was nice to be a part of something,” she says. “We will definitely keep up the tradition.”
The campaign partners are optimistic that the spirit of neighbourliness generated from NDA will continue all year round.
“It can be hard to take that first step in getting to know your neighbours,” says Rebecca Harrington (NDA Project Manager) “Once the ice is broken, people find it easier to strike up a conversation or ask for help over the fence. It doesn’t take much to turn a street into a neighbourhood. It’s never too late to start.”
Neighbours Day Aotearoa is a joint initiative of Lifewise, The Mental Health Foundation, Inspiring Communities, and Neighbourhood Support.
Neighbours Day
http://www.neighboursday.org.nz
http://www.facebook.com/neighboursday
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