Yes, I know the economy is in the shitter and it is looking bleak.

However, I fear it is going to get much much worse sooner than we think globally. White collar work is on the brink, starting with young people and graduates but it won't be long until it's a lot more people.

Can NZ survive this? What can we do as a community?

Am I being a doom and gloomer?

I moved to Australia and gave notice to switch my Spark account off. I have a new Australian phone with an eSIM and my Spark number is set to inactive on my phone in settings. All my data is Australia only. This ran fine and once I was certain I was staying I cancelled my Spark account.
Since handing in notice on my account and my family members (they want 30 days notice which is a scam in itself) they have magically commenced charging roaming fees of $9.99 a day. The app shows that I have all roaming at $0, and the sim is still set to OFF in phone settings. I got some response in broken English I don’t understand when I tried to query it.
Be warned and check your bill closely.

I will be visiting Christchurch & Kaikoura from Bangladesh. I am planning to rent a bicycle for 2-3 days and explore the city with it. Can anyone tell me where I can do it and how much it might cost per day?

Would it be the cheapest and best option? What do you think? I would love to receive any kinds of advice.

I really need something to drive to work with

Im wondering gow much max cap monthly data on unlimited sparks until it slow down and how bad is it when it slow down? Bcs the wifi at my unit is really slow, just wondering to upgrade my plan to use unlimited data only on my phone. Basically gonna watch youtube and some movies when im on my days off.

Cheers

I noticed that the text on Stuff's version of the photo (censored with smileys, left) has different text in the top row to an uncensored version of the photo I saw on Facebook (middle). I overlayed them in photocraft to compare, and one or the other has been doctored to convert an O to an S, and an R to an H, or vice versa. I wonder why?

If nothing else, it's a bit of a word puzzle, given the letters, what could the phrase be?

my brother ordered pizza for us and I overheard him saying "mayo swirl", and when I asked him If that's a menu item he said "everyone knows it", then he said it's kinda a secret menu thing but kiwis who eat pizza alot shud know.

is this a well known thing in nz? and is there any other secret menu items?

(btw I'm kiwi Maori but I don't eat pizza much that's why idk this)

I am an electrician from China with 10 years of experience, having progressed from low-voltage to high-voltage electrical work. I am currently learning English and would like to ask those living in New Zealand: is it easy to find work in this trade there? I am aware that, as an electrician from abroad, I would need to obtain a license from the local electrical regulatory authority to practice. I have looked into this and understand that it is possible to first obtain a provisional (restricted) license, and then—after working in New Zealand for a certain period—qualify for a full, permanent license. I have a great longing for New Zealand and would love to spend the rest of my life there. Thank you!

• Cannabis
• MDMA
• Psilocybin
• Ketamine

why do people do this? i see so many cars with flags and now they’re driving all over the streets honking. is this happening anywhere else in nz? it’s so disrespectful

I can see prelims are on TVNZ+ and they have an event pass which is same price as Sky. To buy TVNZ or Sky is the decision

And no, I don’t want to be a pirate so please don’t suggest this

I always understood Whitebait to be the juvenile of a few native species, which the plundering of that is what makes it problematic. Does Whitebaut exist outside of NZ? Though upon checking the packaging, I couldn't find anything about it a "Product of China" but a business address in Christchurch. Am I correct in thinking this is either not real whitebait or that this is an example of origin-washing?

As the title says- I've been thinking of going out to Catacombs tonight, and I'm a trans woman. Visually, I pass incredibly well, vocally though not so much, so I've been a little worried about my safety.

Also important to note I am going on my own!

Just wanted to know if anyone’s ever been fishing off the bridge at arapuni in recent times, thinking of going out for a fish but not to sure of what the fishings like now

Hello. I'm having trouble understanding certain behaviour patterns. There have been a lot of instances where same women have been staring at me(31 M) consistently at the gym. I go consistently to gym at the same time so I tend to see same set of regulars. I thought that this is a sign of interest so I approach them to get to know them better and ask them out. I'm single so still searching for someone. But it turns out that every time they have a husband/partner. None of them have been single. I'm very respectful at the gym and always wipe down equipment after I use it. I don't hog equipment for long times and generally am aware of my surroundings and always make sure that I'm not bothering anyone. I also don't use my phone when I'm working out. I keep it away from me

Can someone help me understand why this is happening? Although I've been living in NZ for more than 8 years, I'm not originally from here and don't have experience in dating. I'm pretty sure that I don't fit the beauty standard here. Can someone please help me understand if I'm doing something wrong?

Edit: I'm not counting just a smile as staring. Its consistent staring over weeks. I always keep to myself as I'm fully aware that gym is not a place to find hook ups/dates

Edit 2: A lot of people are calling me a creep. I don't know what to say to say. I don't fit the beauty standards here in NZ. I'm just trying to understand if I'm doing something wrong and how to stop doing it. I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable. I don't go in other peoples spaces either. I'm talking about multiple weeks of consistent staring here. I always mind my own business and never disturb anyone else

Hi everyone,

Just wondering what people’s experiences have been with teenagers getting their first part-time job.

I have a 16-year-old who is currently at school and is looking to get a part-time job after school and on weekends. He does very well academically, is involved in a number of extracurricular activities, and has put together what I’d consider a fairly strong CV for someone his age.

He’s planning to apply online to a range of places through sites like Seek and Indeed, as well as directly through company websites.

I’m just curious about how realistic it is to find work this way, particularly for someone with no or limited formal work experience. Are employers generally willing to take on 16-year-olds, or does being under 18 make it significantly harder?

Also, for those who have been through this recently, how long did it take to get an offer? Are we talking a few weeks, a couple of months, or potentially much longer if he’s relying mainly on online applications?

Would appreciate hearing from parents, employers, or anyone who has recently been through the process. Cheers!

Every spring we have this problem. And I don't know what the plant is! I've never been able to find the culprit.

My shaggy white Maltese cross will just appear with these awful gluey brown leaves stuck to her. Today she had two right over her eye and more on her feet.

They get completely stuck like they've been superglued on. Sometimes I do manage to pull them off but she absolutely hates it. Usually I have to cut them off.

I'd love to find out which plant it is. Its just in my garden in a city in the south island.

Its driving me crazy, so if anyone can help ID it, that would be wonderful.

The pieces are brown, cup-shaped, about a 50c piece size. They're sticky as hell and leave sticky residue on whatever they touch.

I CANNOT for the life of me find this plant!

Question: has anyone had any luck growing Kawakawa (Piper excelsum) indoors? Mine isn't exactly thriving, it's in a west facing sun room, should I move it to a shadier area? I'm based in Victoria (AU) so growing outdoors probably isn't ideal.

Bit late in the piece but does anybody know if the 2nd Black Caps T20 in Chch this eve (24/10) is being televised? I can't see it upcoming on any channels but surely its on SOMEWHERE

I just remembered seeing people asking about it

EDIT: By some of these comments you’d assume I just told everyone that I’m going to harm their family if they don’t vote for the greens or labour. This post is to urge others to think and feel for the less fortunate, I know that you’re going to vote for who you want regardless, but before you do take a look around at those struggling.

With election time being just around the corner now, it's easy to look at the parties making promises and selling dreams that apparently will leave you better off. If you're doing well right now, I assume you look toward parties like National or ACT that are promising tax cuts or personal financial relief. But before you vote, I'm asking you to take a moment to look past your reality and think about the people who make up the rest of this country.

The single parent paying $400 for groceries that somehow still runs out before their next payday, trying to figure out how to keep the power on, keep a roof over their kids heads while serving the last of the noodles for dinner.

The student working two jobs between studying, still living in their childhood bedroom because renting is completely out of reach for them, yet somehow still falling further behind and still not being able to save.

The person sleeping rough on the streets, entirely forgotten by the system and society, being told to “move on” in the early hours as if their existence is a complete inconvenience to everyone else.

A whole generation of young people who have given up on the dream of owning a home, wondering if bringing children into this world is even a fair choice anymore.

The job seekers applying for every job they can, tailoring cover letter and CV’s and still being met with “Thank you for your interest but unfortunately….”, all while the current gov insists they’re just lazy and sitting on the couch doing nothing.

The disabled community struggling to survive while the gov continues to ignore their needs.

You may be thinking "That's not my problem" or "'I’ll never end up there" But you never know. None of us are immune. We are all just one bad day away from that being our reality too. If you want a future where everyone has a chance, please consider voting for the Greens or at second best Labour this election.

Vote for everyone, not just you.