Neighbours Day Is A’comin’ Round The Corner
Next weekend (23-24 March) is Neighbours Day Aotearoa, and New Zealanders from the top of the North Island right down to
Stewart Island are planning activities big and small to take part in the country’s biggest celebration of
neighbourliness.
Maria Shelford-Wirihana, a whanau support worker from Whangarei, has only been living in her house in Kamo for a year,
and doesn’t yet know many of her neighbours.
When she heard about Neighbours Day, she knew it would be a perfect time to start getting to know the people in her
neighbourhood.
“Neighbours Day encouraged me to get out and organise something for all my neighbours to enjoy,” she says. She rallied
the people in her street, and has organised a big pot-luck lunch for everyone to come together and share some kai.
After lunch there will be a volleyball tournament, as well as some swimming competitions at the water hole down the
road. It’s a great way to start turning strangers into neighbours.
Street parties, shared picnics, back-yard cricket, and simply introducing one’s self for the first time are all on the
agenda for the Neighbours Day weekend.
The NDA team has heard from people from all walks of life who are throwing themselves into Neighbours Day festivities –
from recent migrants to families who have lived in the same house for decades, all wanting to get to know others who
live in their streets.
“It’s great to see that people from all over the country are getting into the spirit of Neighbours Day,” says Roger
Eynon, National Manager, Neighbourhood Support. “We’ve heard from families who have migrated to New Zealand who see
Neighbours Day as an opportunity to meet new friends in their communities, it helps instil the idea of community and
build resilience in everyone."
“New Zealand has many different cultures, and Neighbours Day is a good time to celebrate what we have in common with
each other,” says Mental Health Foundation Chief Executive Judi Clements.
It’s not too late to sign up for Neighbours Day Aotearoa – visit the website www.neighboursday.org.nz for ideas, resources, and stories of past NDA activities and successes.
Neighbours Day Aotearoa is a joint initiative of Lifewise, The Mental Health Foundation, Inspiring Communities, and
Neighbourhood Support New Zealand.
Neighbours Day
ENDS