CONTRIBUTE

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280 thoughts on “CONTRIBUTE”

  2. Idyllic lifestyle in a small community, NZ ??

    Squatters with alleged gang connections have Waitara beach community residents living in fear

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/71838176/squatters-with-alleged-gang-connections-have-waitara-beach-community-residents-living-in-fear

    Residents of a quiet seaside community say they are living in fear behind locked doors after a group of squatters they claim have gang connections illegally moved into their neighbourhood.

    Locals at East Beach, a small community in the town of Waitara near New Plymouth, claim the squatters on the piece of land known as the Rohutu Block, are dealing drugs, building illegally and threatening and intimidating people walking their dogs along the beach.

    Some say they have had confrontations with the group but have been too afraid to make complaints to authorities for fear of violent retribution.

    “We feel bloody terrible, we want to get them out. The sooner they go the better, we will have peace then,” said one resident, who would only speak on condition of anonymity out of concern for their safety.

    Gangs out of control….

    Police Association president Greg O’Connor this week said gangs were out of control in New Zealand and they were not being policed as heavily as they should be.

    Grant Coward, the former detective senior sergeant in charge of New Plymouth’s Criminal Investigation Bureau, agreed with O’Connor and said the removal of police gang liaison officers had not helped.

    • Waitara is a crap hole. The place has a notorious reputation in Taranaki for having a high incidence of lowlifes and degenerates.

  3. P/Meth in NZ – probably something the tourism industry doesn’t want you to know about.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/71932131/nzs-meth-legacy-may-affect-motels-baches-and-even-cars

    ‘But there are those who say that methamphetamine or P contamination of properties has become a major hidden health issue in New Zealand. And it is not simply the pop-up meth labs where cooking has occurred that are the worry. Meth smoking itself will coat any room with its toxic residue.

    Dr Nicholas Powell of Forensic and Industrial Science, whose Auckland laboratory has almost been given over to meth testing, says any time you now rent a house or book a weekend bach, you need to wonder who might have used the place before you.

    It makes him sound a bit of a nerd, Powell admits, but he routinely swabs his motel whenever he travels, then analyses the results when he gets back to the lab. “It’s a busman’s holiday I guess.”

    Powell mentions a particular motor camp in Christchurch where he was staying with his family. The tourist cabin was not just freshly painted but also varnish-sealed. That was a wee bit suspicious, says Powell.

    “I thought this is nicely spruced up. Then I couldn’t sleep. I was very restless all night. My little girl had a bad night’s sleep as well.” Powell says meth is a potent stimulant and even trace amounts can produce an effect, especially on non-users, the young, and the elderly.

    It was worse than he thought. “I was quite shocked. From the chemical signature, it was clear there’d been actual meth manufacture undertaken in the unit.”

    Powell says merely finding evidence of meth smoking would hardly surprise him anymore. “I find traces in about half of all North Island motels where I stay. About a third in the South Island.”‘

  4. Every now and again, something happens that absolutely floors you:

    We went to the Warehouse to purchase my son some essentials, undergarments.
    We walked down the aisle, selected the products he wanted [always look at the price, which we didn’t] and walked to the checkout.
    When I got the bill of $45 for 4 pairs [2packs of 2] of underpants, I was astonished. That is $11.25 EACH.
    As I recall, you’d get a pack of 3 for that same price of one pair. Who would have thought that you’d have to budget for underpants?

    This is only one in a long series of barely believable [daily] occurrences of how expensive NZ is.
    NOT good value for money.
    I had recounted previously on the cost of changing the oil in my vehicle. Motor oil was fully 3X the cost [in NZ] as exactly the same product available in the States.
    There is a constant barrage on your finances, and anyone coming from [almost] anywhere else will be shocked by the outrageously high costs of everyday products.

    • @Carpentaro: I now live in Switzerland, which is a relatively expensive country and I continue to marvel at how much more expensive/shoddier the quality is in New Zealand. Groceries in Switzerland cost around the same as in New Zealand, but households have three times the income as in New Zealand and pay significantly lower taxes. If I were to go across to Germany, the groceries are 30% cheaper than in New Zealand/Switzerland.

      Interestingly, I saw a help wanted sign when I was at Aldi (a German discount grocery store) in Germany. The starting wage is 13.75 Euros per hour (plus contributions to the social insurances) or NZ $24.75 per hour, which is significantly higher than the wages people earn at Countdown. Somehow, Aldi in Germany can sell at a profit paying people significantly more than in New Zealand and charging customers significantly less.

      The other factor is that people working these jobs in Germany do not need the same overheads to live as in New Zealand. They have access to excellent public transport for next to nothing compared to having the expenses of running a car in New Zealand. Their housing has central heating and is not full of mould in winter. Their children have access to a far better education system. Electricity costs much less as do groceries and clothing.

      Thank God that I left that rotten place and thanks E2NZ for your great public service.

      • Top of the line tradesmen and office administrators [if you can find work in NZ] don’t make what an entry level grocery employees make? I am not surprised. Goods and services 2-4X and wages about 1/2. Sums it up.

  5. I am delighted to have found this website some six months ago and have recently shared it with friends – I thought I was the only person going out of my mind in this isolated parochial little country. I grew up in Auckland and was lucky enough to travel around in my childhood and teens, it was always an extremely grey and boring return to NZ. Having made a decision to travel I have popped in and out of the country for the last ten years (including five years working in SE Asia). I returned to NZ in 2013 with piles of optimism and thought the soul of the place is in the bearer – wrong! This place will wear you down. Without going into detail as to what has been so adeptly covered by others; it’s a socially and emotionally cut-off backwater, deluded by idealisations of lifestyle and uniqueness. In fact, it is a one dimensional society and seems to attract a certain ‘drone’ conformist type that would bother to embrace it here, either that or established with / without choice. I have not seen any mention of the fact NZ has a very depleted ozone layer, 3 x the solar radiation of Europe to be exact which is being perpetuated by small volumes of CVC daily globally – obviously NZ does not care about the fact you get burnt to a cinder no matter what your skin tone. New Zealand seems more concerned about petty politics and inquisitions into bugger all. I usually find myself driving in silence or put on a CD to avoid the commentary. People in New Zealand seem to get some sort of pleasure from dressing down and ‘not bothering’. I have some good friends that are ‘kiwi women’ who I respect, however, I have never encountered such a volume of women (‘kiwi women’) whose attitude far outweighs their lack of feminine attributes. Whether from ‘Anglo-saxon’ origin or a variety of backgrounds I find the quintessential ‘kiwi woman’ to resemble that of a ‘bush-pig’ in terms of attitude and the way they carry themselves. Auckland is very expensive now, I hope it keeps going up too, so I can sell up and buy somewhere else. I will look forward to an exit rant before I leave here soon.

    • Your comment about clothing reminded me of return flights to NZ. It was laughable how I could identify the NZ flight departure gate simply by looking at the state of the people waiting at the gate. Dressing like a tramp is carried out at a competitive heroic scale. I don’t think it is down to the price of clothing as the travellers could afford overseas travel but the fact that they wanted to look like c**p! We lived there for 8 dull hard years but left several months ago and returned to our homeland. We really tried to make NZ our new homeland but it successfully resisted us.

      • “but it successfully resisted us.” Funny, that.
        But why the resistance? This has me baffled.

        The clothing: when we went back to the States several years ago, we went with empty bags anticipating purchasing clothing there. Even the mail order [with FREE shipping] and second hand stores sell better quality clothing [at a HUGE savings] than can be had in NZ, new. Most of the clothing that we bought in the States is still in good repair, unlike the cheap crap available in NZ that falls apart quickly.

      • Hah I just posted a similiar experience ,you don’t need to know where the gate is for the N.Z flights ,just look for the slobs lying on furniture with no personal hygiene and bare feet,it’ll be obvious.

    • Your comment gave me a good chuckle, it’s cringe worthy how folks in general behave. Part of my job involves cleaning and the amount of mud and crap that gets tracked through the shop is ridiculous, people don’t have the manners to at the very least wipe off their shoes before entering. It’s like living in a land of slobs, you can spot immigrants and tourists a mile off because they’re looking far tidier and generally have far better manners than the Kiwis and like you say New Zealanders shouldn’t be proud of being this rude and slovenly but they’re so proud that it has become an important cultural thing for them. My parents went to a few doos and weddings and though they were here for 19 years they never ceased to be amazed by how everyone dressed and behaved; raggy jeans and a t-shirt and then they’d get plastered and be twice as rude as usual which for a lot of people didn’t seem possible, but miraculously they managed. Oh dear. Not just the women either, it’s everyone. Yet if you’re polite and neat and tidy then you’re the weirdo, mind, blown. All the best for getting out.

  6. In contemplating on why migrants seem to have difficulty [finding jobs/working in NZ, adjusting to life in NZ], I have come to conclude that the primary difference is in the way that things are viewed.

    Results define process.
    Most 1st world countries view their way of life as results based. Your worth to the society is based on results or doing things that have a positive effect in general. Results are valued, regardless of process. Unique, inventive, and creative solutions are valued.

    Process regardless of results.
    NZ seems to be based on a process based model. You are judged on the process [or conformity to the accepted process] by which things are done, regardless of outcome. This is why you see the same bit of road being repaired, over and over and over, the same bit of road with signs up [for years] warning of problems with the road, and never getting fixed [just came back from a road trip]. Outsiders [with fresh perspective and NEW processes] are seen as threats to the way things are done therefore acceptance is slow or non-existent.
    Rejection of results and acceptance of process [regardless of results] seems to be the most comfortable situation. “That is just the way it is done here”. I’ve heard that so many times that it makes me shake my head in disbelief.

    So, if you think that you are “good in your field” [innovative, progressive, modern] and can come to NZ to contribute [with a good and positive attitude] to the overall productivity, you may be disappointed, because unless your contribution conforms to the NZ process, it and you will likely be rejected. New [people, methods…] is scary for most, in NZ.

    • “This is why you see the same bit of road being repaired, over and over and over, the same bit of road with signs up [for years] warning of problems with the road, and never getting fixed [just came back from a road trip].”

      Can’t agree enough on that one! It took 3 months for the Council to “repair” (a fairly good looking 400 odd meters long road) on Te Atatu Peninsula, 15 days to just dig it all up, then 70 odd days of literally nothing which only spoiled my car tires and then finally 3 days of final sealing. One of our neighbor said that council was waiting for a machine through those 70 days and I wonder what kind of resource management do they people even do before digging out functional roads. There is another activity these days along wild wild west, there are people who spend over 3 hours to put up cones for a roughly 1 hour actual construction job.

      If anyone has been to Carlton Gore road (Newmarket), the whole road was constructed for about 15 months then a brand new road was laid out only to be dug up again (after barely 1 month of finishing the road) for adding cycle lanes…trust me this is just about 800 meters road and there will be plenty of such examples from whole of NZ.

      • The process by which many of the roads are “paved” is actually not paving. The road bed is graded, then left to be compacted by traffic, then sprayed with tar, then sprinkled with gravel. The “open” time of the graded road [driving over gravel sub-grade] bed is a an integral part of the way roads are constructed in NZ.
        Most roads [in other parts of the world] are graded, compacted [by rollers, not traffic], then paved via a asphalt paving machine, then the asphalt is compacted, lines painted…
        I have seen 2 asphalt paving machines since being in NZ, they don’t use them much here. So a less effective [cheaper] alternate method has been adopted for building roads in NZ. And the proof is in the quality and durability of the product.

  7. The following may shed some light on the apparent decline in crime statistics.

    Cops do deals with crims: Dixon
    http://www.scene.co.nz/cops-do-deals-with-crims-dixon/324807a1.page

    A bungled Queenstown drugs case shows police are using pre-charge warnings to do deals with potential criminals, Tindallgate bouncer Jonathan Dixon claims.

    ‘Dixon says the pre-charge warning “deal” could be the tip of the iceberg within the Queenstown police.

    The referred to case [see below] doesn’t exactly place a positive light on ‘Queenstown’s finest’

    Analysis of a botched drugs case
    http://www.scene.co.nz/analysis-of-a-botched-drugs-case/324802a1.page

    When a Queenstown constable took the court stand in a drugs trial last month, it took only minutes for serious cracks to appear in the case – with implications for other previous cases. Scene editor David Williams reports.

    Judge Bernadette Farnan had only been sworn in this April. Before that she had extensive experience in the criminal court as a defence lawyer. The scale of mistakes and missteps turned from a trickle into a torrent that she simply could not ignore.
    In her judgment, Farnan accuses Reid of being “reckless” and her exchanges with him during the hearing are telling. At one point she says of Reid’s language in a search warrant “it’s either laziness, sloppiness or dishonesty”.

    http://www.police.govt.nz/about-us/publication/pre-charge-warnings-fact-sheet/key-points

  8. Socially Regressive NZ – sexist / homophobic attitudes persist in the land of the long white cloud.

    Maurice Williamson (National MP) yesterday apologised for telling sexist jokes at an Auckland dinner where he was the MC.

    ‘Susan Jones, an Auckland IT consultant who was at the event, said she was gobsmacked by Mr Williamson’s presentation and described it as shockingly crude pub talk.
    She said it included sexual references, images of scantily clad women and a sexually explicit audio advertisement with homophobic references.
    She said many people were groaning and some even walked out of the event.’

    • Would be so much more fun if she had actually recorded it, unless she was afraid of the repercussions … towards her own job.

      In this day and age of youtube and reputation handling, it is good to have a return to public shaming, lost in the interim years of increasing population density and anonymity from the days of small tribes and close-knit populations.

      So many wrongdoers get away … because the righteous huffers … are afraid.

    • That’s what they call their “sense of humour”, it’s basically just them walking around being racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic, bigoted and generally disgusting and thinking it’s absolutely hilarious. If you speak up they come down on you like a ton of bricks as well. For instance there was a guy at my old job who was creepy, he even came into work drunk quite often, the bosses and 2IC and such knew this but he always got to stay while everyone else left and when they employed new women they were just warned to avoid him, this was because some people thought he was funny. If I had a dollar for every disgusting rape joke I’d heard I’d have enough money to get out of here with my cat and my partner with a nice holiday somewhere on the way out.

  9. Tourists fall 8m as bridge cable fails
    http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/regional/283284/tourists-fall-8m-as-bridge-cable-fails

    ‘Four tourists escaped major injury after they fell 8 metres when a cable on a bridge on the Lake Waikaremoana Track at Te Urewera gave way yesterday.
    The three women and one man, who the Department of Conservation (DoC) said were all French, plunged into the river below.’

    ‘Mr Slater said there could be implications for other structures in national parks, but DoC would not be checking the safety of all 524 cable bridges throughout the country until this priority investigation was completed.
    He said the department was responsible for 13,000 structures around the country but he was not sure how many of those were bridges.’

    Hardly inspiring confidence in safety.

  12. I m not sure if this is the right place to include this. I assume the site admin will take the decision what to do with this.
    I am a Sri Lankan, came to New Zealand for IT studies after getting fooled by the study abroad agents in our country. They are promoting NZ studies saying that students are able to get in to jobs as soon as they are out from the university/college with the one year graduate job search visa. Then when they find the study related job in Skill shortage list they can get PR and settle in New Zealand etc etc.

    If any student from Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Philippine reading this, who are planning to come to NZ for studies aiming for PR or finding a job in NZ after studies, please think twice thrice and more….. more…… It is not simple as they say. Do not waste your or your parents’ hard earned money go waste.

    I am on my graduate job search visa after level 7 IT Graduate Diploma. I have my IT degree from Sri Lanka and have more than 6 years of experience in IT as a Systems Administrator and Network Engineer. I am on my 9th month on graduate job search visa and it is almost going to end in 3 months. I have applied for more than 680 jobs and had several phone interviews, skype interviews, face to face interviews and interviews with job agents. As far as I know most of the interviews went well. I managed to answer the technical questions well and had good conversations during the interview. But for some reason they do not offer the job. Some give the feedback saying you don’t have NZ experience. Some say we found a better candidate but I could see the vacancy still exist in the job website for many more weeks after that. Basically they are looking for a suitable Kiwi candidate for the job. I have tried most popular job search method here “door knocking” in most IT or IT related companies in the city I’m staying. No luck. I have almost given up looking for jobs and planning to pack my bags to go back. Especially during the last 3 months of job search visa the employers and job agents don’t even look at our CVs because they know the visa extension is doubtful. I wasted almost NZ$ 35,000-40,000 which I got from Sri Lanka + about NZ$ 15,000 which I earned in NZ, doing cleaning jobs and pick packing jobs.
    We had 11 Asian students in our batch and only one Indian student managed to get a decent IT job through one of his relatives who was working here in an IT company and through his reference. Two guys started working in a farm as fruit pickers and one Nepali student went to work in a cattle farm because he did not have any other way of paying back his loan which he has taken to come to NZ. One other got in to a driving job as a Truck driver. One got into a contract job for 3 months in a telecom call centre because she had some call centre experience previously and she was good in talking all rubbish but not work. She was scoring the lowest marks during studies and from others help she passed the exams and assignments. The guy who was the batch top with lots of IT skills and experience went to work in a farm and girl who was talkative got at least a job for 3 months. This is New Zealand. One other batch mate was determined to get out of this laid back country and got admission with a scholarship in a university in European country for master’s studies. I think he was the luckiest to escape from NZ. The rest is like me doing odd jobs in odd timings to survive. With odd jobs you can earn money to survive but saving is far from reach with rent, food and tax.
    I am taking my time to write this thinking that this might be helpful to take a wise decision if anyone is planning to come to NZ thinking of getting to a study related job after studies. If you have money you can throw then it is not a problem to try NZ. I know most of us from Asian countries work hard to earn and save money. Some students have taken loans to come to NZ for studies thinking a future here. Please do not waste that hard earned money giving to NZ colleges and agents to get rich. Especially I heard that some agents are taking money from students to send them to NZ. Actually agents should not take any fee from the student as they get a certain percentage from the college or university for introducing a student. Please read NZ immigration website for information.

    Do some homework to learn about the job market and life in NZ. This is not a paradise. Even for Kiwis there are no jobs. I know a work mate who is Kiwi, qualified and rained as a high school teacher working as a pick packer in the same warehouse house that I am working. Unemployment rate in NZ is higher than Sri Lanka. Tax rate is very high especially if you are earning a higher salary. There are lots of problems which you will not see from outside. I have met Asian’s got married to Maori, Fiji Indian’s or Asian’s with refugee status to get PR here and living lives in hell. Once I met an Indian guy his mother was very sick in India but could not even send money because he has to give his daily earnings from the farm to his Maori partner for her drinks. He was literally crying. Some students have tried committing suicide because they could not payback the loans in their home country and there is no hope here either.

    If you really want to study in NZ get admission in a University. There are colleges coming up and going down like mushrooms, they just want your money. Even if you pass out, the qualification is not recognized. If you really want to study and go back to your own country then NZ is a good country as they are more focus on practical rather than theory. Do not come to NZ thinking of staying here. Especially for Asians, this is not a good country to stay with all the racism issues, drug problems, and very high unemployment rate.

    There are brain surgeons’ driving taxis. Qualified accountants doing motel cleaning. IT engineers working as container loaders/unloaders and as construction labours. Veterinary surgeons’ working as cattle farm assistants. Pilots doing caregiving jobs in rest homes. They all are with NZ qualifications not anywhere else.

    NZ needs blue collar workers and not skilled professionals. NZ Immigration should encourage farmers, construction labours, carpenters, masons and cleaners if they don’t have Kiwi people to do this kind of jobs. It is waste of knowledge and professional skills of these graduates that they have to work as blue collar workers after finishing their higher degrees. A person who has experience working as a farmer will work much efficiently and effectively in a farming job than a graduate. Milking a cow does not need a degree! Simple!

    Please do not listen to the agent thinking what they say is 100% true. Think about the situation after your studies if you don’t get a job in the related field. There are so many student have retuned back to their own country after one year graduate job search visa failing to find a job. People who come with PR can’t find jobs. Finding a study related job in one year is not an easy task. It is almost impossible. There is no skill shortage in IT actually in New Zealand. There are so many IT graduates looking for jobs both local and international students. The shortage could be in qualified people with 10-12 years experience. But for this kind of positions they do not hire foreigners. They want a Kiwi for this type of a senior jobs. At least a native speaker, even if they can’t do the job properly.

    I can write pages and pages about this. Simply my advise is do a lot of research before you take the decision to come to NZ. Talk to at least 10 people who has studied in NZ. Go through the immigration NZ website in detail. Contact people from social media websites who are already in NZ or who has gone back to their home country after studies. Do not listen only to the agents for NZ colleges.

    Hope this will be of some help.

    • Note: Your example, about a 1 year diploma … is way cheaper than a 3 year degree.
      You spent between NZD50,000 (35,000 + 15,000) and NZD60,000 (45,000 + 15,000) on a … 1 year course.

      Any international student not on a scholarship of any sort and pursuing university study in New Zealand, will find the numbers below very useful.
      A degree in a New Zealand university (usually) comprises papers worth 360 points, with 4 papers per semester for 3 years (2 semesters in a year) = 8 x 3 = 24 papers.
      Each paper will cost between NZD3,500 – NZD7,500.
      Not including accommodation, transport, food, utilities, insurance and emergencies, the (basic) lowest amount you would be spending is: NZD3,500 x 8 x 3 (assuming your papers are grandfathered, e.g. the cost of the papers do not increase as long as you are enrolled and didn’t change your specialisation or faculty) = NZD84,000.

      The highest you would be spending is NZD7,500 x 8 x 3 = NZD180,000. Remember, this doesn’t include accommodation, transport, food, utilities, insurance, emergencies.

      Also remember that people in New Zealand think that international students “don’t have to pay back their university fees to the people who extend that money to them” (too much interaction with students from Germany or the United States perhaps – that only stay for a semester and not 3 years), which is another justification for their actions in under-employing MANY of them.

      Remember, if “the work environment in companies is challenging and unlike anything you went through in university” and “university doesn’t teach you anything” according to many “school of life/university dropouts” old-timers,
      why do they want “qualified people with degrees” to work for them?

      • The other abject reminders that International Students “should only pay and not be seen or heard” are:
        1. lack of international student representation when students demonstrate in New Zealand universities over the cost of education
        2. lack of international student representation in the nightlife photos of on-campus magazines
        3. lack of international student representation on the university student union.

        Looks to me like more of the same “we want your money … we don’t want YOU (unless you’ve got the “right” pigmentation and name)”.

    • I am a kiwi by birth. I left NZ to study overseas (Europe) and have been in Europe for the last 20 years. I recently returned to NZ (a huge mistake) and would like to share my experience. I think it is highly valuable for returning kiwis – in addition to migrants – to share their observations, so those people who are reading this site as a means to help them in their decision making process about whether to migrate to NZ will also get the perspective of kiwis themselves – kiwis who have lived significant parts of their lives overseas and can therefore make informed comparisons.

      EMPLOYMENT
      First let me endorse what is a common theme on this site and join in the warnings posted about the NZ job market. Do NOT, for one minute, if you are thinking of coming to NZ for employment reasons, believe you will find a job easily. If you are not a NZ’er – and even if you are kiwi like myself – and if you do not have ‘NZ experience’ – you will not find work. I repeat: you will NOT find work. And if you do, in all likelihood be prepared to both a) work in a job far below your skill level and b) take a huge drop in salary.

      The fact is, unless you KNOW someone here who can ‘get you in the door’, you will not find a job. I have applied for so many jobs since my return – I have lost count – jobs I met all the criteria for and beyond – and….nothing. I cannot even get to the INTERVIEW stage. I repeat: not even one interview. And I am a kiwi. (and just to be clear, this post is from someone who: 1) has a PhD from one of the best universities in the world, 2) has lived in several European countries working for top multinationals and 3) has now applied for everything from receptionist work (i.e. answering phones) to precisely the work I was doing overseas). I am at my wits’ end. The money I brought back to NZ is being burned through rapidly (see below for my comments of costs in NZ) and the job market is absolutely closed without a ‘connection’ here. Moving back here was a mistake of immense gravity.

      The fact is, NZ is backwards, inefficient, unprofessional (there is a reason why the best and brightest of NZ go overseas and stay there. Ask yourself why so many NZ’ers live overseas) and HIGHLY parochial. i.e. if you are a foreigner or have international experience you will not find work here. Excellence/foreign know-how is unwanted. That is why the country is in the sate it is. I could write in detail about the job situation in NZ but I will resist in this post because I want to make some other observations.But please be aware that NZ does NOT offer the job prospects that it misleadingly promotes itself overseas as doing. Think long and hard – and have a LOT of money – if you are coming to NZ without a definite offer of a job. Also, do not even consider coming here unless you are offered a very good salary – because you will need it.

      EXPENSE
      Be prepared for a very, VERY unpleasant shock. Cost of living in NZ is so outrageously expensive it will literally have you burning with anger. Everything from electricity costs to supermarket food to rent costs are eye-wateringly expensive. Unless you are earning very good money here you will not have a good lifestyle. It is as simple as that. For example, in Europe, fruit and vegetables are staples of the diet and incredibly cheap. In NZ you have to be rich to afford to eat these basic foods. Example: ONE tomato can cost $2. ONE tiny courgette/zucchini $2.30. Tiny pieces of cheese can cost from $10-$30. Also (and here is the thing that will really have any European incredulous), the price of goods change not just by the DAY but by the HOUR. Yes, you read that correctly. In the morning you can go into a supermarket and the price of tomatoes be $9.90/kg. You can go back a couple of hours later and they will be $10.90/kg. And there is no rhyme or reason for the prices. Every single day they fluctuate wildly. BE PREPARED.

      Petrol, housing, eating out, council rates, everything you can think of – will be more than you thought. Another example: electricity costs. One month in winter one of my relation’s bill for the month (yes, 4 weeks only) was $3,000. NZ houses have no central heating (and many NZers, because they simply cannot afford to pay for electricity, spend the winters literally huddled in blankets as NZ houses have no insulation whatsoever. Again. Make sure you do your research because NZ houses are among the WORST in the world for comfort. Mold and freezing cold temperatures are the norm in almost all houses here). My relation, who lives in a cold alpine part of NZ put his underfloor heating on that month because it was so cold. The reward? $3,000 for 4 weeks of underfloor heating being on for a few hours each day.

      Every good and service is overpriced in NZ. But it is only foreigners who understand this. And this, in my opinion, is exactly the genius of the government in NZ: it has got the entire population believing that costs here are normal. Be prepared that all NZers have been brainwashed into happily accepting the fact that they are being overcharged for everything. Without EXCEPTION, every kiwi will tell you that the reason NZ is expensive is ‘because the country is so isolated. We have to be charged more for things because we have a small population/we are at the end of the world’. In a way, I must congratulate the government that they have fooled my countrymen into believing this/dumbed down the population here so much that no one can think anymore. e.g. Despite the fact that ARTICLES in national magazines (e.g. North & South) by top economists have been published here stating VERY clearly that this is a LIE. i.e. that small population and isolation are NOT the reason for the insane overpricing in NZ – that New Zealanders are being ripped off, it’s that simple – 99.9% of kiwis do not understand this.

      Indeed, kiwis become VERY aggressive if you dare to point this – or anything else – out about NZ that is anything other than complimentary. I have been on the receiving end of wrath so many times for pointing out what I see as some problems in NZ that I now keep my mouth closed and only talk to other foreigners about the situation. You see, you can NOT criticise anything about NZ to a kiwi. All kiwis have (again) been brainwashed into believing that they are living in ‘paradise’, that NZ is one of the ‘safest, cleanest, etc etc countries on earth’ that they become very angry if you say anything to the contrary. Get used to hearing comments like the following every day: (e.g. on radio station ‘the view coming down motorway (A) to see harbour (B) is the BEST VIEW IN THE WORLD. Nothing like it. It really is the best stretch of sea in the world’. You will not know whether to laugh or cry because said view is equivalent to a below average stretch of coast on the Med. But NZ’ers are told every day through the various media outlets that they are living in THE BEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD)

      LIFESTYLE
      I read on this site one of the best summaries of what NZ society has become and I will paraphrase it here: One poster said ‘in what other country do the ad breaks on TV consist of advertisements urging people not to hit their children/ not to drive drunk/ that beating up their wives is not ok/to be kind to depressed people/to feed your kids rather than buy alcohol,etc etc etc.’ .

      This observation is brilliant and should tell anyone thinking of coming to NZ very, VERY clearly what our society is (TRAGICALLY) like.

      NZ is now a highly violent country. It is NOT safe. Be very aware of this fact if you are thinking of coming here with your family. We also have a number of other savoury statistics: among the worst child suicide rates in the world, the worst child violence rates, worst domestic abuse rates. Drug use is rampant, Alcohol is the way of life here. Half the country it seems is on the dole. Depression here is a REAL problem. (it is no wonder to anyone coming to this country WHY this is the case – e.g. one big reason: there is no such thing as community and ‘life’ here. The streets are deserted once darkness hit. Cafes can close at 4pm. After 6pm everyone is at home. You can’t get a restaurant meal after 8.30/9pm. Understand that it is a very lonely existence in NZ. The sense of ‘life’ on the street of Europe and Asia day and night is not present in NZ. Unless of course you go to where the pubs in town are and mix with the people getting ‘wasted’ – the ‘kiwi form of social entertainment’ – getting high and/or drunk).

      NZ is a highly dysfunctional society.. Be aware of these things BEFORE you decide to come here. Also, be VERY cognisant of the fact that you will NOT get any intellectual stimulation in NZ. Understand this very clearly because you will not realise how important it is until you are in a country where life is ‘anti-intellectual’. NZ may have green spaces – but unless green space is enough to satisfy you – you will feel very unfulfilled here. TV here is dumbed down – national ‘news’ consists of 50% talk about the All Blacks (yes, you cannot escape sport here on every radio station, tv channel, newspaper – again, another of the government’s brilliant strategies to dumb down the population – give the population entertainment , fill their minds with sport and they won’t worry about what matters) , 50% news stories such as cats stealing socks from neighbourhoods. Yes. THESE stories constitute ‘news’ in NZ. If you come from overseas understand that you will very quickly not read ONE newspaper here, listen to one radio station or watch TV. Instead, you will say a silent THANK YOU everyday for the internet – that you are able to access international news websites and keep up with what is actually going on in the world; get intellectual and insightful analysis from overseas.

      MISCELLANEOUS:
      As others have said, the population of NZ – on the whole – dresses like the homeless you see in Europe. Women and men alike are unkempt, walk around shoeless, makeup-free in the case of women, and look like their clothes have been obtained after rummaging through a trash can. There is casual.. and there is NZ casual. Again, you will get a shock.

      The weather – do NOT think NZ is, as most overseas people do, a sunny warm country. NZ has cold winters, a lot of rain, and in the case of Wellington EXTREME wind all year round. Climate is a consideration for many people as it DOES affect lifestyle, so be very aware that NZ does not have good weather. Think northern England weather – but with the added hardship of having bitterly cold, mold-ridden houses during winter.

      It is a travesty what has happened to my country in the two decades I have been away. Socially, economically, culturally, lifestyle-wise etc NZ has fallen way down the international scale – which is perhaps why you will hear hundreds of times every month how ‘beautiful NZ is’. Because beauty is ALL NZ has to offer. So this is why it is marketed this way internationally – and at home. You just have to ask yourself ‘Is beauty enough?’. If it is for you, consider coming here (although, dare I say it, there are hundreds of other countries that are beautiful in the world): you will have your green spaces. But if you need more than beauty – if you need things like community, culture, affordability, access to world-class education, an informed populace, etc etc – think again.

  13. I think I would like to bring to attention to this community about the rampant bullying and racism that medical students face in NZ hospitals, and the lack of motivation of the DHBs to take action. The news have been brewing and finally erupted this month.

  14. Father of three young children resolves to file criminal charges against New Zealand Police Detective and Government Ministries ~

    A Visiting Japanese/American family is made destitute by corrupt New Zealand Police and corrupt New Zealand Government Agents

    Please refer to the more extensive discussion and disclosure found at http://goolsbee.net

    A 56 year old, father of three, Henry Alfred Goolsbee, has decided to file criminal claims against a New Zealand Police Detective and several related Ministerial Departments (including but not limited to) “Perjury,” “Obstruction of Justice,” “Perverting the Course of Justice,” “Preventing the Course of Justice,” “Unlawful Discrimination” and “Obtaining Pecuniary Advantage and Causing Loss by Deceit,” within the New Zealand Government. There are currently several cases filed by Goolsbee which are currently actrive in the High Courts of New Zealand the name and shame many of the culprits with the New Zealand government.

    The US born father has decided to file criminal charges against the police on behalf of his three young children who, at the time of the offending by the Police and Ministries, were ages 10, 12 and14 and he has also filed for damages on behalf of their mother, a Japanese national, all of whom are innocent victims of an ongoing legal fiasco that resulted in Mr Goolsbee being falsely accused, illegally arrested, was denied his right to justice and was wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for two years and three months.

    The family was made destitute and made homeless in New Zealand, because the father was unable to make payment to various utilities providers and rental agents as a direct result of the misconduct and criminal behaviour of the police and various Government agencies. Eviction notices were served and their mobile and landline telephones were cut off. When Goolsbee was wrongfully imprisoned he lost over $800,000 worth of remedial soil amendments that were ready to packed and sold into the agricultural arena.

    “It’s a miracle that we have survived this long…” says Goolsbee.

    “…, if the detective had her way, I would have spent the past one year and eight months in prison whilst awaiting trial for charges that have no merit or basis in reality. I am innocent of the charges and have the evidence to prove it… Fortunately, the Judge disagreed with the Detective’s recommendation to deny bail.”

    In fact, in the earlier round of administrative hearings, “…the Judge appears to have decided that the allegations are absurd, and for good reason.”

    The elderly gentleman and his family have been unable to access medical services that would ordinarily have been available to them, had they been able to return to Japan, where the father had been a permanent resident for almost twenty years. The mother and children are all very traumatized and are suffering as well, but are not entitled to medical care either, according to the decisions made by the Ministry of Immigration, the Ministry of Social Development and Ministry of Education who refused to allow the children to attend school whilst awaiting trial as potential wiynesses.

    “They’re trying to force me to become insolvent and mentally exhausted, so that we can’t afford to tell the world what they’re doing: and so that we can’t afford to hire legal counsel capable of bringing civil and criminal proceedings against the police and the government ministries who are complicit in this abusive process.,” said Goolsbee.

    “We need urgently help from organizations like Amnesty International, Change.org and Indiegogo and other such social and political action networks before it’s too late. Who knows how many other innocent people may have been arrested and incarcerated by this same, rogue, police agent and her colleagues at Crown Law? If they’ll do it our family, they’ll do it to others and this simply isn’t acceptable in these days and times. After all, New Zealand is supposed to be a civilized and democratic society.”

    “How the New Zealand Government can treat a perfectly innocent father, his wife and young children in this manner, is beyond our comprehension.”

    “We thought we were visiting a civilized country; but we don’t know what to think now. We have lost hundreds of thousands of dollars as a direct result of this absurd situation and we now find ourselves on the brink of being homeless in a foreign country. They have caused us to become destitute.”

    The police seized all of the family’s digital communication equipment, computers and data-storage devices, as well as all of the father’s ID and bankcards, jewellery and other valuables, just one week prior to the expiration of their visas; and thus the police prevented the father from applying for their visa extensions in a timely manner, despite the fact that he had made extensive and adequate preparations to do so. The mother had to sell the few pieces of jewelry that had handed down to her from her mother. “It’s not very valuable, but they were priceless to me as tokens of remembrance of my mother. They had great sentimental value as I wanted to pass them on to my daughters and grandchildren,” she said.

    The mother went on to say that, “We have been uncommonly patient with the due process of law and the Detective in charge. We assumed that the misunderstanding would be cleared up in a matter of days, but the detective in charge has been behaving in a most unprofessional and belligerent manner. We have also been exceedingly patient with the Ministries who are complicit in this negligence, thus causing my family to become destitute.”

    Mr. Goolsbee continued, “My wife and children have been gravely traumatized by the events of the past several years, including but not limited to our being forced to live under house-arrest without the right to work and provide for our family. I finally succeeded in convincing the Ministry of Immigration to give me a work permit after five months, but because my visa says that the visa is issued “pending the outcome of judicial proceedings against” me, it is near impossible to find work based on my skill sets. They wouldn’t allow my wife to work at all. Also my passport wasn’t returned to me for over three and a half years.”

    “I was held incommunicado in a jail cell for almost a week, was not allowed to call a lawyer, nor to contact the US Embassy, I was not allowed to talk to my wife and children, and I was not allowed to communicate with a religious minster representing the church of my choice.”

    “We have all the evidence required to disprove the assumptions made by the police detective; however the detective repeatedly refused to meet with my attorneys for the period leading up to the trial and discuss the matter in a civil and amicable manner. I’d made numerous attempts to talk to her, and two separate attorneys have invited her to review the evidence, all of which proves without doubt my innocence.”

    “In fact, if the detective had her way, I would have spent the past 10 months in prison awaiting trial, despite the fact that I am innocent of the charges and have been able to prove my innocence since the very onset of the false accusations and summary arrest, which was based on nothing more than hearsay, utterly erroneous assumptions and false pretexts.”

    “The hard-evidence which proves my innocence has been available since day-one of the false arrest.”

    “The detective seized my children’s computer, which they use for their schooling and distance learning programs. They seized other computers and equipment which I use to manage my extensive international business interests which are focused on sustainable agriculture and sustainable environments and not-for-profit organizations.”

    “To date, we have sustained loss and damages that exceed several hundred thousand dollars, and depending on the extent of the domino effect and the accounting methods employed, it is arguable that damages may exceed several million dollars to date. More importantly, the trauma and emotional damage has been compounded by being denied access to proper medical care for three years and counting.”

    “The detective seized all of my identification, including passport, driver’s license, and bank cards, etc. which forced the suspension of all business and creative process. The detective refused to allow the Japanese Embassy to renew my Permanent Residence status and my hard-won status as a Permanent Resident of Japan was lost. This was especially disconcerting as it took meany years to establish the status of permanent resident of Japan.”

    “The computer equipment and hard drives were withheld for many months, during which time, all of my business interests fell into disarray and ruin. I was not able to finish writing the books that I was working on; and activity which was vital to my family’s fundamental well-being.”

    “We were forced to borrow thousands of dollars from our extended family members, which created considerable additional stress for all concerned.”

    “We were made destitute and my wife and I still suffering from extreme nervous exhaustion, as we often don’t know how to pay our bills; such as rent, power, telephone, internet, food, clothing, etc. On numerous occasions whilst we were still in New Zealand our service providers found it necessary to send final notices of eviction and termination of services; and our telephones were been shut.” As a direct result of this extensive ongoing damage to our financial balance we were reduced to applying for welfare in New Zealand, Japan and the United States to try to survive during the past six years. Salvation Army saved us in New Zealand by providing us with a residence and food during the period of the trial, and thereafter my wife and children were forced to return to Japan in a destitute circumstance.

    “I am making a final effort to make the world aware of what the New Zealand Police force and the associated Ministries and Ministries of New Zealand have done and are continuing to do to us. We are victims of both Human Rights Abuse and Civil Rights Abuse. My children and wife and I were all denied our fundamental right to justice. The New Zealand Police and the (some not all) associated Judges Ministers and Ministries have contravened their own Bill of Rights, their own Criminal Code (particularly Section 116), the United Nations ICCPR (International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights) an have violated our Human Rights both as individuals and as a family.”

    Please refer to the more extensive discussion and disclosure found at http://goolsbee.net .

    • IMPORTANT NOTE* this is a work in progress about the false arrest, wrongful conviction and wrongful imprisonment of the author Henry Alfred Goolsbee.

      Goolsbee’s outspoken position against GMO’s, Monsanto, Government Corruption and Religious Tyranny has resulted in his being subjected to a CHARACTER ASSASSINATION CAMPAIGN and 2.25 years of wrongful imprisonment.

      When Part Two and Three (of a series of books) were nearing completion the New Zealand police decided he should be punished for writing these books; hence the Police INVENTED a LIE and IMAGINED that a crime had occurred; thus making Goolsbee the target of a modern-day WITCH-HUNT.

      His computers and hard drives, several boxes of research papers and ALL of his I.D. were seized illegally and withheld for over 4 months. Thus preventing him from publishing the books on time as scheduled.

      The INQUISITION is alive and well in New Zealand.

      Whilst wrongfully imprisoned, he lead a successful Civil Rights and Human Rights campaign (under the auspices of the ICCPR – United Nations) and triggered numerous ongoing investigations into New Zealand Government corruption at the highest levels.

      Alfred Goolsbee has been an environmental activist and peace-loving, civil rights activist and human rights activist for over 45 years…

  15. Absolute shocker

    No responsibility on Fletcher EQR for shoddy quake repairs, contract suggests

    ‘The Earthquake Commission’s (EQC) home repair programme project manager can not be held responsible for shoddy quake repairs, its contract suggests.

    The project management office (PMO) agreement between EQC and Fletcher Construction, signed in 2011 by the then respective chief executives Ian Simpson and Mark Binns, states Fletcher is not responsible for the design of any works, the construction of any works or work of any contractor or consultant.

    Fletcher EQR manages quake repairs for EQC where the damage falls between $15,000 to $100,000.

    “Fletcher does not warrant that any contractor or consultant accredited under the accreditation process is capable,” the contract states.

    Lane Neave insurance lawyer Duncan Webb said it seemed “extraordinary” that EQC agreed to such a clause.

    “It’s exactly the clause you want [as the PMO]. There’s absolutely no responsibility for the things that other people [working under your supervision] do wrong.”

    This meant responsibility for the repairs fell back on the builder and EQC, he said.’

    I guess this is the moneyshot

    ‘Fletcher does not warrant that any contractor or consultant accredited under the accreditation process is capable,” the contract states’ – Seriously, WTF!!!

    • I live in Porirua.. have for 25 years.. never been robbed or burgled.Where do you live!!??!

      • Make sure you lock your door at night and take care who you answer the door to, there’s all sorts of maniacs on the loose and things are turning to custard around here:

        “Police say 65-year-old woman subjected to ‘prolonged sexual assault’ in her Porirua home. Police are appealing for help from the public after a 65-year-old woman was sexually assaulted for several hours in her Porirua home. The woman was home alone on Waihemo St, Waitangirua, when she answered the door to a man who claimed to be looking for his daughter shortly after 6am on Friday.

        He subsequently subjected her to a prolonged sexual assault, police say” http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/81309892/police-say-65yearold-woman-subjected-to-prolonged-sexual-assault-in-her-porirua-home

      • The “low wage/high cost” calculation can not be denied. NZ wages lag and the cost of living in NZ is high. On a cost/benefit basis, NZ is not a good deal.
        Now, there are some mitigating factors, intangibles, but these too must be adjusted as far as expectations.
        When told of a “stunning feature” that could be viewed/enjoyed, the first thing that I do is discount it by approximately 50% and this usually matches my expectations. Having been recently told of a really great natural feature, the first reaction was to think back on similar features that I have seen in other parts of the world, discount the claimed “really great” and was still disappointed. And this was referring to one of the most often trotted out “natural beauty” aspects of NZ.
        Unless there is some very compelling, “I don’t care how much it costs” reason for being in NZ, it is really not worth it.

        • It’s not just the overrating of natural attractions – it’s the relative difficulty / time / expense to get to them – 5 hours on crap roads through green desert (pine tree plantations) to get from Auckland to Bay of Islands – attractions there are not exactly mind blowing.

          Seriously, when you have older current working pubs in the UK /Ireland than the oldest stone house http://www.heritage.org.nz/places/places-to-visit/northland-region/kerikeri-mission-station !!

          They could have improved things by more emphasis on the maori connection – sadly, they didn’t.

          Always remember (in South Island) the swiss backpackers bemoaning the fact that they had travelled half way round the world to encounter scenery less impressive than back home.

          tomatoes – currently NZ$ 12 / KG at the local supermarket – WTF

          • Its August- Winter- tomatoes are not a winter food….
            As for the ‘boring’ attractions, you know the UK has a much older settlement than NZ so why even mention those things?
            No ones making you stay there.

          • perhaps down to the grocery duopoly in these unfair isles but consider ..

            holland one of the largest exporters of tomatoes
            http://www.hollandtrade.com/sector-information/horticulture/?bstnum=5351

            The effectiveness of hydroponics over soil culture

            Click to access pls217nbCH5_1.pdf

            Perhaps NZ’s thermal generating plants (electricity) i.e. coal, gas,geo-thermal could make better use of the waste hot water CURRENTLY discharged into Kiwi streams.

            Though I guess hydroponics is more profitably used in growing weed in NZ at present.

          • Don’t get started on the export quality cheese I mistakenly bought 🙂

            Export quality in NZ terms seems to be substantially different from the rest of the world.

          • The last sack of potatoes that I bought had some that had a dark brown mass that went half way through the potato. These should never have made it into the bag [should have been rejected as being defective]. I had NEVER had to inspect produce as closely as I have had to do here. Lax inspection process or irresistible opportunity to make $ on defective product?

  23. I left New Zealand to teach English in Asia. I had spent $4000 on a post-grad paper but didn’t enjoy the programme which consisted of learning about New Zealand’s Neo-liberalist political stance, and the selling off of Goverment assets, called ‘Privatization.” This has left the average New Zealander without a job, between jobs or dreading the loss of a job. Chidren are going hungry and some live in caravans or in Auckland 4 families may share a single 3 or 4 bedroom house. You can only imagine the awful comments those students say in class, to each other and the teacher. It is not the envirnoment you want to be in at all, so I left early and went back to what I know, students who want to succeed, and study hard to gain good grades. There had been a shift in education, where teachers tell the student a list of things to do, then they can exit the classroom and go and sit on the balcony or MLE: Modern Learning Envirnoment/Moronic learning envirnoment. If they are good they may paint their fingernails in class time. But don’t tell them about “overseas.” I mean what school prohibits discussion about countries? I was born and bred in New Zealand. When I left high school there were no jobs in the newspaper, because it was 1984. Once there were 2 jobs, one for a scientist and one for a farmer. People went on the dole, and decided they could get a little more money on the sickness benefit. There were quite a lot of jobs going in Auckland but less in the smaller cities. I had a few office jobs, but due to constant re-structuring, I was made redundant like many others, and didn’t recieve ample redundancy pay. The Social Security Service took the redundancy pay of $300 and used it as “social security payments.” It was at that time I decided that if companies and stores were going under, then education would always be there. The teaching jobs were in undesirable places with racism between the pakeha and Maori. I was in a place where a marae had been burnt down, the students had big fights at lunch, they picked off teachers which left, and I was told that the students had Wicca meetings at lunch time. The last teacher before me cried in the hair-dressers. The students were very unruly, would run out of class, and screw exam papers into snowballs and throw them. Some were dope heads and there was a lack of follow-up. I sought advice and was told in the old days he kicked them up the behind. The students were out of control and I left after 10 weeks. One teacher came home to find the heads cut off his pets. I was advised to go to Japan. I did find an office job at one time but the bullying was very intense, including introducing me to the work team, This is (name) and I see her all alone, standing over me at the desk and laughing an evil laugh. I left that place and went back to Asia to teach ESL. When I returned back to NZ, the recruiter said “Are you ready for a grilling?” I thought he was joking but wanted me to recount why I had left certain jobs (redundancy or bullying) and made me feel like I was the guilty one when the situation was the product of much larger factors such as “Neo-liberalist” economic policies, ones which I had never had anything to do with. As I had taught in Asia for some years, it was hard to get a recent reference, so I did some volunteering. At that place we were viewed as inferior beings, because we are not paid staff.
    I did get some home-help work just before I left New Zealand and was paid less that the minimum wage and I have a 4 year degree. I was forced to live at home with an elderly parent because I would not be able to make ends meet on such a pathetic wage. In that job, I would drive 30 minutes to find the client out, then drive back another 30 minutes, and used up my petrol money. When I was back home I was astounded how many people I had to help do basic things like “how to put money in a parking meter” and how to get petrol out of the petrol machines at Pac n’ Save. OMG. I noticed how many coffee shops closed after 3 p.m. Almost nothing is open at night. It’s boring and hopeless. I was so excited to leave. It was like a dream come true to get out of it and I hope I never go back. The other lady on my flight was also excited to leave. I had sought an ESL job at a university, but was asked to do work for free.

  24. I was reading a news article about an elderly patient who died in hospital from malnutrition. While disgusting, that’s not what I’m going to talk about here. I read the comments and found that same woman who I mentioned in the comments section who hates Filipinos (and foreigners in general it seems) and her she was again ranting about the state of hospital care and made it about foreign nurses. I tell you, I’ve had hospital care (which was far better than what kiwis provide) and know people with elderly family members in rest homes and such, who are well taken care of by foreigners. They seem to do a much better job, especially those who come from cultures where taking care of parents is paramount.

    This was that woman who abused me and claimed my wife is a scammer and a fraud. I was surprised to find tone of this psycho’s posts on this very site too going on about how her father was scammed and no one did anything. She should be banned for her views, though I guess as long as she hasn’t visibly broken a rule here that won’t happen. I haven’t seen her on here anywhere else though I haven’t read every article, so maybe it doesn’t matter. She just goes about the internet, posting on news articles relating to foreigners and ranting to anyone who will listen.

  26. Featherston eco-house dream stymied by illegal dump

    ‘They planned to build their dream home, but instead found stolen cars and piles of rubbish on their new section.

    Wellington couple David and Marion Pawson bought the 1.5 hectare section near Featherston in 2013, planning to build an eco-friendly dream-house. They had inspected the property in the Tararua Range foothills before buying it but could not cover every corner of the bush-covered block beside the Tauherenikau River.

    Exploring further after the sale, they found that for decades, people had been driving out of Featherston to dump cars, household rubbish, garden waste, unwanted appliances and even offal and carcasses off Bucks Rd, down a rocky cliff and out of sight – onto their land.’

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/wairarapa/70254313/featherston-ecohouse-dream-stymied-by-illegal-dump

  27. New Zealand Housing – what an absolute mess!!

    Cost of rental WOFs too much for Government
    http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/278493/cost-of-rental-wofs-too-high-for-govt

    ‘A survey of 400 Housing New Zealand homes carried out in April 2014 found only 4 percent passed the WOF with flying colours, while 80 percent needed urgent or high priority repairs.’

    Typical Auckland house build wastes $100k
    http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/278472/typical-auckland-house-build-wastes-$100k

    ‘The Centre for the Urban Built Environment, or Cube, at the Auckland University of Technology, said that is the price of wasted materials and delays on site.
    Cube’s figures are based on the average Auckland house price including the section $828,000.
    Senior research fellow, Jeff Seadon, said building the average house would see $31,000 worth of materials being dumped, and $74,000 in wasted labour.
    He said the worst part is that the builder makes $7500 profit on that waste because the project runs over time.
    Dr Seadon said the Auckland housing boom would see those figures worsen because more unskilled staff will be on site, leading to more mistakes.’

    Compared with what you could build in Northern Ireland on a considerably less budget – outrageous.

    prices from 2011 so probably 20% up from that – but even so.

    Click to access 2020-eco-home-brochure.pdf

  28. Coastal Erosion – think before you buy that seaside house!!

    Considering the majority of people live near the coast and the associated road and rail infrastructure – this will become a major financial millstone in the years ahead.

    http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/348622/time-take-action-and-solve-erosion-issue-resident

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/70009059/colac-bays-foreshore-rd-closed-as-high-tides-hit

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/276351/coastal-properties-under-threat-scientist

    http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/coastal-erosion/page-3

  30. Man spared jail for his part in brutal robbery

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503450&objectid=11479018

    ‘His young age and moving back with his parents has saved a man from jail for his involvement in a premeditated robbery that put the victim in hospital.

    Luke Stowers, 19, was sentenced in Whangarei District Court this week after admitting aggravated robbery, theft and wilful damage.

    Stowers and two associates attacked a man in Forum North carpark on June 3. The trio kicked and punched the man as he lay on the ground before running off with what they thought was cash from the victim’s pockets. The paper turned out to be bank statements.

    The victim was in hospital for two nights.’

    FFS – Obviously no law but plenty of disorder in the lawless north.

  33. Kiwis have obviously been taken in wholesale by the propaganda. The reason that wood burners are increasingly banned is not pollution, even if it can be true in certain small restricted areas. It is coal that is polluting, not wood. The reason is that the government can not tax and cream the wood burners, as the can and do with the electricity. With creating accounting they can cream each stage from the electricity generation to your heater, and they do. In China a family typically pay 30 dollars a month for electricity in a place with similar climate as New Zealand, they run the heat pumps in the winter and the air conditioning in the summer. It is the same equipment and technology that generates and distributes the electricity as in New Zealand, but in New Zealand the family pays average 600 dollars a month. Very sad.

    • We had a bill for $600 for two weeks when we first moved to NZ (five months ago)!! We didn’t realise how expensive electricity was, and as we had come here from Queensland we were feeling the cold. Husband nearly had a coronary when he saw the bill 😦 We still had to wear our coast in doors as it was freezing despite having underfloor central heating. Not spending another winter here…it’s back to Old Blighty once our tenancy is due up 😦

  34. Some of the “energy code” factors [accepted in other 1st world countries] are glazed area per wall area. This is unheard of in NZ. Double pane windows are [even now] only required in certain areas [per code].
    This situation equates to an era when energy was cheap and with few restrictions [emissions for wood burners], but now, with the ” clean green” image that NZ is wanting to project, energy [electricity] is expensive and the restrictions on wood stoves is increasing, how are you to heat a home in a cost effective way ? Answer: Not possible. Energy bill [electricity] easily doubles in the winter, and this is with only turning on the heater when you can see your breath [inside the house]. So, you are never really comfortable in the winter [though I’ve not lived with a wood stove,here, I’m sure I could make that work].

    So far behind, yet not quite wanting to catch up. NZ in a nutshell.

  35. Blankets in demand as families turn off heaters

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/69956670/blankets-in-demand-as-families-turn-off-heaters

    ‘The most recent case to shock Baxendell was a family who moved into a house with no curtains or carpets and had to live in one room due to rotten floors.

    “People are still living out there in broken homes. They are coming to us for blankets saying ‘I really can’t afford to turn on the heating’,” she said.

    Bed sharing was common.

    “With the housing crisis, there is significant overcrowding – all the kids in a double bed. It’s like the 1950s,” she said.’

  36. Hi,
    Dont be a fool to leave the comforts of your country and immigrate to new Zealand.
    There are no jobs. Theres no law and order.You can easily get robbed if you go for a walk at night.Police will do nothing to help you.
    New zealand economy is getting its support from the new immigrants. Every immigrant brings foriegn investment with him. The immigration is making a fool of people by telling them about “Skill shortage “.
    I hope the nz immigration tell the truth to the immigrants before they leave everything and get stuck here

  38. .. let me add a few. Boy racer mentality on the roads. School yard jokes that pass for “humor”. TV adverts for complete morons “yeah bro init!”. Competitiveness in everything they do, from driving (worth a second mention, as it really is that bad) to getting in front of you at the checkout. Saying the word “Kiwi” at every opportunity. Walking bare footed through the dirty streets and thinking its “cool”. Having their kids walk bare footed in winter and seeing it as toughening them up. Condemning “foreigners” when they come with better, more enlightened ways, ideas or products. And last, but certainly not least, being blasé about the rest of the worlds fight on terrorism, as “it doesn’t effect us!” I had to save the best for last.

    • You are right Ken. This beautiful country is insecure to the point of paranoia. I blame rigid and frightened news media – papers and TV in particular, with investigative journalists cramped by their own leftie obsessions – too hidebound to address the countries real problems; violent crime, child abuse and welfare dependency. But try to cope with that…and its wonderful qualities shine through. Among the best of those qualities – marvellous holidays with the locals on their terms, enjoying inexpensive luxury. Move to NZ ? Sure; but if you’re in any way inclined towards libertarian thinking be prepared to keep quiet.

  40. I was just notified of yet another Kiwi who hates Americans. I am an American and have lived in NZ for over a decade and will be moving back shortly. I have had it with the vitriol from local people who have never been there, but sit in their homes HERE and make such huge sweeping generalizations and judgements. This person’s comments are below…

    “I often get emails and such from people who accuse me of being anti-American and that I ought to turn my attention to a critique of my own country. Firstly, I don’t give my own country a pass for our stupid – and don’t get me started on how dumb our electorate is in voting those Tory tools in for yet another term.

    But the reality is, we don’t summarily invade sovereign territories in order to secure oil reserves claiming that these nations are a terror. The US has a history of of creating the very terrorists they are pursuing.

    We don’t have ridiculously liberal gun laws wherein a lone white shooter can carry without question and then mow down innocent people as they study the scriptures, or young children as they learn to read.

    We don’t have recurrent cases of police brutality. Sure our police can get heavy handed but they don’t tend to shoot first and think later.

    We don’t have an unacknowledged history that implicates colonists in a morally abject grab for indigenous resources. It happened in New Zealand but we continue to talk about it.

    We don’t have a practice of racialized slavery that was supported in law because this forced labour provided the basis for a nation’s wealth.

    We don’t gather around flags and with our eyes half shut make pronouncements about the greatness of our nation such that we brook no criticism.

    We’ve never claimed ourselves to be a global police with the moral authority to rule and reign and to take our armies and navies to the far corners of the earth.

    We’ve never started wars – we’ve had wars, but never initiated them as a country.

    We don’t bail out bankers when they hock the money of the least of us.

    We don’t call free medical care ‘communism’ – we see free health care as a right.

    We don’t transport our ideals around the world in a spew of media products.

    Don’t get me wrong, the US is an audacious nation and I do see shadows of its potential and greatness, but right now, on the day following yet another brutal attack on innocent people I see it as a nation in deep, deep crisis.”

    I never came to NZ looking for perfection. I try to improve myself…and my “bubble” around me. I’m so sick of being attacked and my homeland attacked…CONSTANTLY…if this person wants to get into a hissing match…I’ll start…”central heating”.

  44. Northland making the news for all the wrong reasons yet again.

    Thieves raid visiting volunteers’ van
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503450&objectid=11456625

    Bullet holes in workers’ smoko shed
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503450&objectid=11456983

    Unfiltered Northland water dispute boiling over
    http://www.3news.co.nz/tvshows/campbelllive/unfiltered-northland-water-dispute-boiling-over-2015052818#axzz3bXAbPhMQ

    Sadly campbell live was just sacrificed on the altar of reality tv.

  45. Pleased to see that a recent St John’s bullying story has escalated to social media and now gathering pace with many more coming forward to speak out about feeling ‘bullied and suicidal’ by this charitable organisation – an organisation that is after all in the business of “caring” and should know better.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/68708613/Ex-staff-allege-bullying-culture-at-St-John

    https://www.facebook.com/pages/Culturesafe-NZ-Ltd/238970829620740?fref=ts

    • I’ve just finished reading the UK Guardian. UK , what a dump. You think NZ has problems? And what about that joke Trump in the USA? Im embarrassed for Americans.

  46. New Zealand – the only country that doubles (completely) as a movie-set for the likes of wrong turn, deliverance etc !!! – unfortunately the locals are not acting!!

  47. The real problem is different. In New Zealand it is the law that you are not allowed to defend yourself, not even carrying a defe3insive stick to protect yourself, you can not defend anyone else either. Then you go to prison as the attacker. Nobody gets involved, because if the do, judges convict them for assault.

  49. When I saw the footage of the attack on a web news site, of a young girl by another girl at a bus stop in Kaikohe, I was absolutely horrified.

    I don’t know where to begin, as my condemnation is not just for the attacker, but for those callous individuals who thought it would be fun to video the event as opposed to helping the victim.

    The attack itself was beyond brutal. The poor girl who suffered at the hands of her female attacker, wasn’t just slapped, or even punched, but she was savagely beaten over and over, kicked, forcefully punched while her attacker held her hair with one hand, and pummeled her face with her fist, over and over.

    I have no idea what the attack was about, but whatever it was, whatever the grievance of the attacker, nothing, I repeat NOTHING could have warranted such physical abuse.
    I hope that the authorities make an example of this vicious thug, and make her pay to the full extent of what the law can throw at her. This was a brutal brutal assault, which went far beyond any tit for tat school kid playground tiff. It was fierce, it was sickening.

    There will be no doubt as to the fact that this will be viewed internationally, which not only will this cause further damage to the victim I am sure, but it will surely be a cause for embarrassment as far as New Zealand is concerned, as if we don’t have enough of those when it comes to violence, abuse, attacks on tourists etc.

    Furthermore, those who decided it would be funny to record the incident, and to egg-on the attacker, well they have played a part in this too, as maybe without a cheering crowd, the attacker would have seen fit to not have been so brutal, or prolonged in the attack. Bully’s love an audience, as without one, they don’t usually see the need to attack.
    The one positive thing that may come out of the footage, is that it should serve to offer damming evidence on the part of the attacker, and of course those who helped sustain it!

    As a matter of interest, my brother (who lives overseas) has already contacted me regarding this, as in fact it was HE who brought it to my attention. So it goes to show, it is going viral on the net, and we are in fact being scrutinised already! My family are coming to stay with us at the end of this year, and it will be the first time they have all been here. I have been asked “do we need to worry about the violence, as we know New Zealand has a problem”… Obviously I told them not to be concerned, but at the same time, it goes to show just what sort of reputation NZ is carving out for itself.

    I will be watching the proceedings with interest, and I hope, I sincerely hope, that this vicious thug is given as harsh a penalty as possible, and a permanent record that will follow her for the rest of her life, as a reminder of what she did that day.

  50. The story of John Doe and Kimiko Suzuki

    I am retired as a writer now, but there are just some stories you never told, and they just won’t go away. This is one, and it is not a pleasant one. I have seen all the papers, from the New Zealand family court, from the banks, the letters and emails. I can not pass that on, but I can tell the story, I feel I have to.

    Let’s call them John Doe and Kimiko Suzuki, not their real names, I just plucked them off the web and made sure they do not easily associate to the real people.

    Now, let’s roll the clock back some 30 years. John, had just finished his university studies overseas and was backpacking around Asia. There he met a pretty 19 year old, and a certain bond developed. Kimiko was honest about that she was looking for a foreigner to marry to escape her overcrowded home country. They had a lot of fun together, and finally got married. For the most it became a very happy marriage, but they had no children.

    John was ambitious and successful, worked long hours and made it to real high flying positions. Kimiko was happy and lived a leisure life in luxury. They jetsetted the world together. John’s parents passed away, and he invested his own money and his inheritance, money the family earned through hard backbreaking work during generations in the farm industry, in a very nice country home in New Zealand.

    They never got any children but had a maid who cared for the house, and Kimiko took the odd job she enjoyed. She worked less that half the time of marriage. She drove luxury special edition cars, enjoyed good wines and food, bought the most expensive clothes, and had lots of friends and an active social life. John worked, and drove a 10 year old 4WD, but he choose to do that.

    Then disaster struck, John ended up in hospital for a long time, and had a very long, difficult and slow recovery. His career was destroyed and the money flow stopped. Kimiko complained. This was not the life she had been used to.

    After a couple of years Kimiko wanted a divorce. They nearly negotiated a settlement, but then a New Zealand lawyer got hold of her and convinced her she could get much more, after all the had no higher education, had no career, John had given her a good life and she now had acquired a right to the lawyer said, and surely John could be made to pay – a lot.

    It ended in the secret family court. John, who had a legal training, represented himself and could not believe what he experienced, the judge openly assisted Kimiko’s lawyer by making suggestions and constantly interrupted John to stop him putting his case foreward. John asked the judge to present his case, but the judge ordered him to sit in the whiteness box and ask himself the questions his lawyer would have asked. John asked to make a final address to the court, the judge denied it. The judge was openly biased and openly unfair.

    Since John’s inheritance was invested in the home, the judge considered that it all should be regarded as matrimonial property and divided equally, plus that he ordered John to pay much of Kimiko’s divorce expenses and a few “extras”.

    When John received the protocol from the court, of course written by the judge, it was right out falsified. Judges are supposed to be fair and impartial, but this judge was anything but that. The Family court is a secret court, so no public scrutiny is possible.

    Johns life was destroyed. His dream family home was sold under him for a song. Most of his family inheritance was gone. A New Zealand accountant calling himself “investment expert” pretended to take pity on John and made friends with him. John did not want to live in New Zealand any longer, so the accountant offered to assist with an investment in China, and then John could live and work there. John accepted.

    When the financial crises came 2008, the Chinese company John and others invested in went broke, and all the money was gone. Other investors tried to retrieve their funds, but nothing was left, as was the New Zealand accountant who quickly vanished.

    John has given up on life now. He has become what he describes as a PT, Permanent Traveller. He drifts around the poorest areas of Asia volunteering as an English teacher. He say it gives him reason to live another day. He is receiving Super, but zealous bureaucrats at WINZ trolled through his records and found that he had lived overseas for his studies and some work, and they decided he was not entitled to full Super, so they reduced it. That he, or rather his family, paid for his education at no cost to New Zealand, and that he carried with him half a million of personal assets to New Zealand does not count at all.

    John has glued in an extra page in his New Zealand passport. In several languages it asks that he is not to be given any life prolonging medical treatment if he gets sick, when he passes away his few remaining belongings to be given to the nearest school, his body is to be cremated and the ashes scattered in the nearest river. “That will bring me back to where I really belong, the oceans” he says.

    I am sure New Zealand will gladly welcome more people like John.

    Is it not time to update the laws of New Zealand? In the “good old days” when a woman got married she could be called to the boss and asked to resign her job so it could be given to a man who better needed it to support his family. Time have changed, but the New Zealand law has not.

    Rick Harriss
    Retired writer.

    • New Zealand law has changed, a lot. What you are describing, if true, is a typical scenario of a separating couple. You cannot blame a lawyer for correctly advising the wife. She would have approached him, not the other way around. The family home would not have been sold “for a song” unless he had failed to co-operate with the sale. If “John” lost all of his money he should perhaps accept some responsibility for “investing” it in China. I have never heard of such a silly investment.

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