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Southland Times
Thursday 11/12/2014
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17
General News
Southland, NZ
24209
Provincial
201.00 sq.cms.
press clip
Fairfax gets Neighbourly
Fairfax Media has bought a 22.5
per cent stake in the Kiwi-founded
community engagement website
Neighbourly.co.nz for an undisclosed sum.
Neighbourly.co.nz offers suburbs across New Zealand free, private websites to share local information. It was launched in June
and has more than 60,000 members
in 1400 suburbs.
Fairfax Media New Zealand
managing director Simon Tong
said the company bought the stake
with an option of buying a similar
share in another six to eight
months ‘‘depending on how we
track’’.
Neighbourly.co.nz was founded
by Casey Eden and the founder of
Finda, GrabOne, Pet.co.nz and
ShopHQ, Shane Bradley.
Eden said the business em-
vately funded, primarily by
Bradley, he said.
The partnership with Fairfax
would allow Neighbourly.co.nz to
build stronger communities and
gain increased exposure, Eden
said.
The site is at present active in
45 per cent of suburbs. Members
use the site to exchange recommendations on local services, plan
events, buy, sell and give away
items, ask questions, discuss community issues, find lost pets and
get to know one another.
Fairfax publishes Stuff.co.nz
and Neighbourly.co.nz complemented the digital strategy around
that, Tong said.
ployed 14 staff and did not make
money. ‘‘The short answer is it’s a
long-term game,’’ he said.
The venture so far had been pri-
Fairfax Media New Zealand has bought 22.5 per cent of Neighbourly.co.nz, with
the option to increase its share in six to eight months. From left, Fairfax product
development director Robert Hutchinson, Neighbourly co-founder and managing
director Casey Eden, Neighbourly co-founder Shane Bradley and Fairfax Media NZ
managing director Simon Tong.Photo: FAIRFAX NZ
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