Ashburton District Neighbourhood Support

Belonging to a Neighbourhood Support Group is a great way to get to know your neighbours and enhance a feeling of community spirit and safety in the community.

There are currently 385 Neighbourhood Support groups in the Ashburton District (including Methven, Rakaia and Hinds). Setting up or joining a Neighbourhood Support group is easy, free and the benefits are many.

What do Neighbourhood Support Groups do?

• Encourage neighbours to get to know each other

• Welcome new residents

• Help nurture a sense of community spirit • Reduce social isolation

• Enhance the safety and appearance of neighbourhoods • Notify each other of anything suspicious happening in the neighbourhood • Enable communities to take responsibility for their own safety and wellbeing • Be prepared for and support each other in times of civil emergency such as during an earthquake, flood, pandemic, etc • Have immediate access to neighbours’ phone numbers in an emergency • Communicate with each other when going on holiday • Share information that will help reduce the risk and fear of crime.

I am available to come and talk with individuals or groups of neighbours about how to set up a Neighbourhood Support group and explain the benefits. I am also able to help you get your street/road group established.

Sue Abel 027 296 1006 (03) 308 3558 sue.abel@safermidcanterbury.org.nz

Ashburton District - Being a Good Neighbour

Good neighbours are an important part of living in a community

sort out the problem, you should go to the proper authorities. Courtesy of the Ministry of Social Development – New Zealand

A good neighbour is:

• Considerate and respects people’s rights and privacy • Tolerant and understands that people have different ways of doing things • Concerned when something is wrong and does something about it • Responsible for the actions of their families, guests and pets • Law abiding and reports illegal activity to the Police.

As a neighbour you can help by:

• Keeping the noise at your place down to a reasonable level • Being tolerant of neighbours’ children playing outside • Keeping shared driveways clear • Keeping your section tidy • Keeping an eye on neighbours’ properties • Talking things over when there are problems, listening and trying to come to an agreement that works for everyone. Most problems can be solved by talking about them. If none of this works, start writing down the details of the problem, including what happens and when it happens. If you can’t