Once we were made aware of a potential data breach on January 1, we took the immediate and proactive action to temporarily take down the site while the breach was confirmed and the cause of the unauthorised access was established. Members were notified of the breach and the impacts on them by email where possible and through media outlets and on the site itself, once it was safely restored. We notified the Office of the Privacy Commissioner and the National Cyber Security Centre and continue to work with them along with our external security partners on any next steps. We will continue to publish updates along with information for members on how to avoid scammers who are particularly prevalent at this time of year.
Our registered users’ names, email addresses, GPS coordinates, public forum posts and private messages were within the data which was accessed.
As always, maintaining a careful watch for scammers and unusual phone, email or text communications is important. Scammers are particularly active at this time of year. Some specific ways to do this include:
- Don’t click links in emails. Instead, type the web address directly into your browser. This helps ensure you’re visiting the real site, not a fake one
- Enable two-factor authentication where available as this adds an extra layer of security to your data
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Stay alert for phishing emails. Be cautious of unexpected emails asking for personal information, especially ones that create a sense of urgency.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at helpdesk@neighbourly.co.nz. You can also make a complaint or raise concerns with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner by contacting them at https://www.privacy.org.nz/your-rights/making-a-complaint-to-the-privacy-commissioner/
The best way to contact us is via our customer support team at helpdesk@neighbourly.co.nz. If there is a high volume of member queries there may be a delay in responding, but we are working across the weekend to respond as quickly as possible.
How can I delete my Neighbourly account and the data in it?
You can delete your account by sending a support request to helpdesk@neighbourly.co.nz, alternatively if you have the app go to the Menu > Settings > Delete Account.
How can you be confident you have secured the breach?
Before we restored the site on January 3, we worked with our external data security team and others to ensure the incident was contained and would not be repeated.
Can you confirm that by GPS coordinates you mean my address location? Why are you storing this?
The GPS coordinates we store are a translation of the address members have supplied to Neighbourly. We use these to ensure members are connected with others in their community and are seeing the most relevant posts, questions or advice from members in their neighbourhood.
Do you have sufficient security protocols in place?
We take protecting our members' data extremely seriously and have sought and applied the advice of external security experts in our data security practices. We acknowledge that data security is a constantly evolving field, and we’re actively reviewing what improvements may be appropriate moving forward given this breach.
What are you doing to support members?
Over the past few days we have sought advice on how best to support and protect our members. In line with that advice we have sought a court injunction to prevent the use of the data involved in the breach and have provided information on ways people can protect themselves from scammers. We continue to work with relevant authorities on the issue.
What should I do if I am contacted by a scammer?
We encourage members to be extra cautious of any online contact, particularly any that involve requests for money. If you believe you have been the victim of a scam we encourage you to report this on the National Cyber Security Centre website and/or the New Zealand Police.
What security measures have you put in place to ensure this doesn't happen again?
In order to protect our members' data we are not able to provide detailed information regarding our security protocols. We are, however, confident we have identified and addressed the issue that allowed the theft to occur, and are satisfied that the site is secure for use by all of our members. We are continuing to work closely with our staff and external advisers to ensure we have the most robust processes in place to prevent it from happening again.
When will the site be back up and running?
Neighbourly and its services have now been restored.
(Updated: 08/01/2026)