How Merhaba works

Who it is for

Any business or community organisation in New Zealand that serves people in Turkish, or has a connection to Türkiye. That includes people whose families come from Türkiye, Cyprus, Azerbaijan, Central Asia, Afghanistan and elsewhere, Kurdish speakers, and New Zealanders who simply love the food. Each business describes itself in its own words.

What we list, and what we never ask

• We list businesses and organisations only. There are no personal profiles, no member lists and no lists of who attends what.
• We never ask anyone about their religion, political views, ethnic background, association membership or visa status, not even as an optional question.
• Places of worship and community associations of every kind are listed on exactly the same terms. No group gets a different category, a better position or a special badge.

Owners are in control

• A listing appears only after its owner has added or approved it. We do not copy businesses from other websites or customer lists.
• Owners can hide or delete their listing at any time. Deleting is immediate and permanent.
• Owners confirm their details once a year, so the directory does not fill up with closed businesses.

What "Checked" means

Before a listing goes live we confirm the business exists, usually on the public NZBN register or by phone. The "Checked" badge means exactly that and nothing more: it is not a recommendation.

Some work needs a licence in New Zealand. Immigration advisers, lawyers, real estate agents, financial advisers, electricians, plumbers and health practitioners can only be listed once we have checked their licence on the official public register. Builders can add a Licensed Building Practitioner number, which we check before showing a badge.

Fair for every business

• No reviews and no star ratings. In a small community, public reviews too easily become personal arguments.
• Search results are shown in a fair order that changes every day. Nobody can pay to appear first.
• A basic listing is free, permanently.

Your contact details stay private

Customers contact a business through a form. We forward the message by email, and the owner replies directly. A phone number is only shown if the owner chooses to show it. Messages are deleted after 30 days.

Who runs it

Merhaba is run by Salix Limited, a New Zealand software company. We are setting up an advisory panel of three to five people from different parts of the community, different regions and different generations. The panel decides disputed listings and removals, so no single person or group decides alone.

Merhaba has no connection to any government, political party, religious movement or association, and accepts no advertising from them.

We never sell or share data, never show third-party advertising, and never use listing contact details for our own marketing. Owners can tick a separate box if they want to hear from Salix about website help.

Something wrong?

Every listing has a "Report" link. We reply within 24 hours and decide within 48. You can also email vakkas@salixtech.co.nz.