Say gidday to your neighbours

Neighbours Day couldn’t come at a better time as communities need to rally after the Christchurch terror attack, organisers said. Celebrating its 10-year anniversary, Neighbours Day 2019 will kick off today, one week after the mosque shootings which claimed 50 lives. Neighbourhood Support spokeswoman Alivia Partas said there had been an outpouring of love and support since the massacre, with people ‘‘chomping at the bit’’ to do something to help the person next door if they’ve needed extra support in the last week. She said the day could be used to start a conversation about whether Kiwis included people of different ethnicities in their communities before. ‘‘Did you know where the local mosque is? [These people] might not have been invited to these events in the past.’’ Neighbours Day co-ordinator Cissy Rock said the shock from last Friday’s events made everyone stop and think about things that really matter – simply put, ‘‘knowing and caring for people’’. She said the day was aimed at connecting people in the community and getting to know the person over the fence, or in the flat next door – but now it was more than that. ‘‘I guess it makes a lot of sense now,’’ she said when asked if more support was needed in the wake of the attacks. ‘‘New Zealand is really shocked ... this is a chance to be mindful. You might not have introduced yourself to the neighbour and now it’s six months on – use [the day] as an amnesty and say hi.’’