MEMBERSHIP MILESTONE

Since launching in June 2014 Neighbourly’s membership has now hit 500,000 members. With one in four Kiwi households now using the site, the pace of growth on New Zealand’s first free and private community website represents Kiwis’ desire to become better connected in their local neighbourhoods. Enabling members to share advice, plan events, find employment and lost pets, discuss community issues, and exchange recommendations for local services, Neighbourly was established to help neighbours get to know each other better. There are now 260 neighbourhoods with more than 500 members. Remuera takes the top spot at 5015 members with 31 per cent of its households signed up. Suburbs on the heels of Remuera are St Heliers with 3505 members and Mt Wellington with 2811 members. To become a member visit www.neighbourly.co.nz.

SPEAK FIJIAN

Embrace Fijian Language Week from October 8. Attend events, use Fijian greetings, and promote the language in schools, workplaces and community groups. Fijian Language Week runs until Saturday October 14 and the 2017 theme is ‘‘Noqu vosa, me’u bula taka’’, which means ‘‘my language, learn it, speak it, live it’’. This is the fifth of seven Pacific language weeks this year.

SAFER BOATING

New Zealand’s national Safer Boating Week from October 13 to 20 has an important new message for boaties: If you can’t call for help, we can’t rescue you. While a lifejacket helps you to stay afloat, it’s not enough to get you rescued. For seven years the forum successfully focused on lifejackets. As the number of recreational boaties increased over that time, the percentages carrying lifejackets on board and those wearing them have also increased. An estimated 86 per cent of boaties take lifejackets with them on their boats, and 76 per cent wear their lifejackets all or most of the time on the water. At the same time, only 38 per cent of boaties take two waterproof ways to call for help and the most common device they take is a cellphone.