Good Neighbours Make Great Wellington Neighbourhoods
Wellington Mayor Celia Wade-Brown has thrown her support behind the nationwide Neighbours Day, building stronger, more resilient communities.
Neighbours Day Aotearoa, the national initiative to encourage people to know their neighbours, takes place on the weekend of 24-25 March. Mayor Wade-Brown will be visiting community events and celebrations city-wide.
Supported by community-focused organisations and thousands of kiwis, Neighbours Day Aotearoa is a national, multi-agency campaign that aims to get all kiwis to go one step further in getting to know their neighbours on one day of the year.
Mayor Wade-Brown wants to encourage all Wellingtonians to start planning their own celebrations to be involved in one of the nation's biggest community events.
"People are planning events for their street, neighbourhood or apartment building in towns, villages and cities all over New Zealand. As the Capital we should show them how it's done!" says Mayor Wade-Brown.
"Talk to your neighbours now, especially those who have recently moved to your area. Get to know one another and plan an event to be remembered fondly for years. Get to know your neighbours, build a stronger community and learn something new about the people you live with.
"Neighbours Day helps you feel safer in your community and encourages you to think about how to cope in an emergency. This is also a good time to identify those who may need more help than others in times like these."
Wellington City Council is putting on several celebrations at community centres and also a "say g'day to your neighbour day" for Council housing tenants, but Mayor Wade-Brown stresses that the point of the day is to encourage residents to make connections for themselves.
Registration packs are available from Thursday 1 March from the Council Service Centre on Wakefield Street or from community centres around the city - so get planning. The registration pack includes tips on what a neighbourhood could do to celebrate, and goodies to share, Registering also gives the chance to be part of Neighbours Day Aotearoa publicity.
Visit the Neighbours Day website for more information on the national event, or people can phone the Council on 499 4444 to discuss their celebration further.
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