Editorial: Insular Kiwis live up to their name

Getting to know your neighbours used to be a given in New Zealand but that's no longer the case.

As Dawn Picken reports in 48 Hours today, a recent study called the Sovereign Wellbeing Index places New Zealand last in social connections and community compared with 29 European countries in the same survey.

The study found only 4 per cent of New Zealanders "strongly agree" they feel close to people in their local area.

Lead researcher Dr Grant Schofield, professor of public health at AUT University, says the proportion of respondents who say they feel close to people in their area is greater among people in the Bay of Plenty compared with the rest of New Zealand: around 31 per cent for the Bay of Plenty, compared with 26 per cent nationally.

But "in an absolute sense, it's still not that great, because two-thirds of people still don't feel close. We used the European social survey and the top country was Iceland. When you ask the same question, you get about 88 per cent of people agreeing with the local neighbourhood stuff. We can do better with our neighbours and local communities", he says.

Kiwis pride themselves on their reputation for friendliness and the findings will come as a surprise to many.

But it is a global phenomenon in developed economies.

Community disconnection is a long-term trend. Contributing factors include an increase in the female labour force (which means suburbs sit mostly empty during the day) and growth in rental accommodation.

One interesting point to be raised is that while the internet might be bringing people together at a macro level, it is also pushing us apart.

The rise in social media sites like Facebook might allow us to connect with long-lost friends living half-way across the world but is not so good at helping us to get to know our neighbours.

Websites like Neighbourly provide a point of connection but they're no replacement for meeting face to face.

I have little doubt that the concept of "neighbourliness" is strong in rural areas but in urban areas people often feel the need for greater privacy and the need for solitude after a hectic day in the office.

This coupled with the growth of virtual networks through social media and a change in leisure activities, where more people engage in individual, rather than team sports is eroding our sense of community.

Despite these forces, the benefits knowing your neighbours stretch beyond the ability to borrow a cup of sugar.

As Papamoa Police Sergeant Phil Gillbanks points out: it is comforting to know that people have someone close at hand to call on in their time in need.

The Wellbeing Index also shows people who feel people in their local area help one another a great deal were three times more likely to report high levels of wellbeing.

It suggests that getting to know your neighbours is still worth the effort.