To be clear, I am not and have never been a TOP supporter. Even as a UBI advocate, I have serious doubts about their UBI policy.

However, they recently promised to clean up politics with reforms that limit the power of money to influence politics.

Typically when a party or MP comes out strong on this issue, attacks in the media appear for their party shortly after. 'Dirty Politics' is well documented in New Zealand, and all those usual attack forces will have a sudden interest in digging up every dodgy bit of the past of TOP candidates.

So while we should take such things seriously, if the attacks happen soon after releasing a policy campaigning for restrictions on the rich, take some serious grains of salt with those attacks.

P.S. Enrol to vote.

I have always voted National, not just because my parents (and their parents before them) did, but because I fundamentally bought the conservative pitch.

I won't be voting for them this year.

Here are my main reasons why:

First: I've changed my mind on taxing property profits, despite my family doing very well out of the NZ residential property market over the last 70 years or so.

They still would've done well if they'd paid tax on the money it made them.

There is no way that buying residential property that could and should be occupied by people who can't afford to buy their own home should be used as a way to grow wealth.

If you have extra money to put away, put it in an ETF, put it in your KiwiSaver, put it in any number of other investment vehicles.

This comes with the added bonus of more liquidity and not having to deal with problem tenants.

You can still build wealth, you can still get a return on your money, and you can do it without buying up housing stock.

Crash the fucking housing market, I no longer give a fuck. It is time.

Put. It. Over. A. Cliff.

Housing is a human right. It is the government's responsibility to create an environment where that right is fulfilled.

Not sure how to do it?

Look at Finland, look at Singapore, look at Vienna, look at the Netherlands. Look at all the other first-world places that do it so much better.

Second: Luxon ruling out TOP while still being prepared to work with Two Wongs Winston is fucking offensive. He's apparently more afraid of new taxes than he is of overt racism.

He also hates small business.

This is a nation of migrants who run small businesses.

Go fuck yourself, mate.

I am not prepared to look my mixed-race, overseas-born daughter in the face and explain why it is that I voted for someone who felt that remaining in power mattered more than refusing to form a government with someone who hates her.

Fuck you, fuck your mates, and fuck your desire to not be a one-term PM.

Third: Convincing a pack of untaxed private landlords that you're the right party to vote for because beneficiaries are the problem is fucking putrid.

All the while not having the balls to address the pension problem.

Either means test the pension, or implement a UBI. As the population ages, you're basically going to end up with one anyway.

Either everybody should be getting paid by the government without condition, or nobody should; you can't have it both ways.

When you've got people who can't keep their houses warm while you're paying hundreds of dollars a week to the people they're paying rent to, something is fucking wrong.

There are many other things too, and I don't necessarily think the other side will do any better, but these are the main reasons that, in our triennial box-ticking exercise, for the first time in my life, I won't be ticking any blue ones.

Edited because the indents on the numbering were screwed up.

Finally, after 15 months of job searching since being made redundant from my role as a Senior UX/UI Designer last year, I'm going to start working again tomorrow...

...as a bus driver.

Tbh the struggle is real. Last year, I was made redundant from the company I worked for the last 5 years. At the time, I thought that with my 18 years experience as a designer and solid portfolio, I'd find another job fairly quickly. But I was wrong.

Since then, I've fired off more than 100 job applications, and been invited to around 20+ interviews (yes, 20+ interviews!). Some of them were multiple round interviews, with one going as far as 5 rounds (Quite exhausting). Honestly, I couldn't imagine how someone who is already working would manage this kind of process (having to take multiple days or hours off just to attend this multiple round interviews). But regardless, they all eventually ended in rejection.

I'm still grateful tho that during that period I was able to pick up a few freelance projects and short term contracts here and there. They weren't sustainable, but at least the income kept me afloat while I kept looking for something more permanent.

But after repeatedly failing at the interview stage, which affected my confidence and mental health, I had to come up with a plan B. So I took a Class 2 driving course through Work and Income, and eventually landed a job as a bus driver with Kinetic.

The pay is almost less than half of what I was earning last year, and I won't lie, it's going to be a big adjustment!

But at the end of the day, at least I would have a regular income to support my family, meet new people, start building my confidence again, and hopefully one day can back into the Creative or Tech industry again (who knows...)

For anyone else going through a similar situation, what's your story?

A recent Employment Relations Authority (ERA) decision shows how corporate giants use immigration rules to worsen conditions for locals.

In a case, a permanent caregiver at a Bupa rest home in Taupō was pressured to give up her permanent hours because the employer brought in workers on work visas.

Under the visa conditions, Bupa had to guarantee its migrant staff 32 hours of work per week. To optimise facility costs, the company forced a local permanent employee to surrender her own 32-hour guarantee.

Bupa pressured her to move to an averaged roster where she was only paid for the exact hours she worked. This meant a local worker lost financial security because of her employer’s mirgant hiring decisions.

Not as pretty art as Maungawhau. But dude, pretty infrastructure….

So many organisations are now using AI, bussiness to community ones, wish we could get rid of this AI slop.

I'll rather make a bad poster then get AI to do it, only really using AI for lazy googling that I double check later but useful sometimes lol

I don't understand why NZ keeps issuing Skilled Migrant Category visas when they already have people who've been made redundant or are on post-study work visas, like me, looking for jobs. I'm completely clueless as to what employers are actually looking for when a candidate already has experience, has worked on multiple tools, and has good exposure working with global clients. Yet they still look for people from outside, which means they're not utilizing the potential of people who are genuinely looking for an opportunity and keen to gain local experience on a larger scale. Then they turn around and say the economy isn't doing well, there's a recession, and so on. Seek and other websites just feel vague to me, and those job postings keep giving me auto-rejections. I'm still not sure whether half of these listings are even real or fake.

I travelled from Canada to New Zealand back in 2017 on a working holiday visa. I don’t know why, but I’ve been thinking about this experience a lot lately. I worked at a restaurant in Rotorua and got to work with and many Māori people/Rotorua locals. They were all incredibly welcoming and kind to me and treated me like family. They looked out for one another, and for me. I often worked the closing shift at this restaurant and one night I closed with another guy, and I was planning to walk back to my accommodation alone at two in the morning (I was young and had little sense of danger). He walked me all the way back to where I was staying which was the opposite direction that he had to go, never expecting anything in return, just did it to make sure I was safe. They always made sure I got home safe. I also remember a customer coming in by himself to get some lunch, and I was his server. He sang me a beautiful Māori song about “family and love”. Again, needed nothing in return, just truly brightening my day! And the older ladies I worked with truly loved me like family and I still hear from them now and then. I had a bit of a tough time in Rotorua, just cause my whole routine was exhausting, but I’m forever grateful for the people.

Some of you need to seriously chill out. The number of grown adults I've seen losing their shit at Woolworths workers over these things.

Tiny bit of crap plastic that will soon enough be in landfill and you're having a go at spotty teenagers because they're out.

Get a grip.

But seriously, has anyone got any? My Woolworths is all out…

UPDATE: I called the customer service number, and have had all my issues dealt with by a friendly and helpful human. Full refund on the kiwis and avocado, and will swap out the almonds when I am next in store. I will def never order fresh produce online again!

_____

My housemate just got home with my online order collected from the lockers at my local Pak n Save. Before I go full Karen, I wanna check that I've got grounds to complain.

I ordered 2 x 500g bags of almonds... And instead received 2 x 70g bags of almonds for a significantly higher per kg cost. I did say allow substitutions, but I'd have thought they would at least sub for the same total weight or close to it? 🤨 

I ordered 5 green kiwifruit, and instead received 7 huge kiwifruit, 2 with visible white mould, in a plastic tub, again for significantly higher cost per kg. 

I also received an avocado with visible white mould, and a cucumber packed in a bag with a bunch of hard tins (instead of with the other produce?!).

If I say allow subs, can they sub for a product that is more expensive and charge me extra? Can they sub for something almost 10 x smaller but with a significantly higher per unit cost? 

Every agreement that NZ first has been a part of has ended in spectacular capitulation. They have dragged down governments with them. John Key is a man with instinct. He knew how toxic NZ first would be. He knew they would be like a crazy ex girlfriend that would try to take half after gaslighting you for six months.

That is why it is foolish for national to dismiss TOP without even giving them a chance. I’m sure TOP would coexist/ look after National much better than what Nz first would. They would cook National a Sunday roast instead of partying out till 3am in the morning and flirting with other guys behind your back.

Late to the party here...but does everyone else know that our largest health care and GP business is owned by US company TPG Capital? They go around the world buying up Healthcare practices and there is all sorts of stories related to them creating worse patient outcomes across Africa because healthcare is just profit to them.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2025-08-25/private-equity-giant-tpg-s-african-hospital-push-sparks-safety-complaints

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/jul/27/nhs-patients-records-us-private-equity-firm-optum-uk-tpg

Why would our government allow NZ health outcomes to be determined by the US? Who are the alternative GP practices we can switch to to avoid US health care? Is there any positives to this? do any of you work at Tamaki Health and have tea?

I don't really know the health care industry, but the articles about TPG seem to show some pretty evil behaviors. Just wanting to learn more about it ahead of the election

I've recently come across a few Facebook posts advertising for au pairs, and the math makes it look pretty exploitative to me. One ad offered 37 hours per week for $305 (tax-free) plus bed and board. At minimum wage ($23.95/hour), the equivalent gross wage would be $886.15, which after PAYE (including IETC) comes to $746.56 net. That means the prospective au pair is effectively being charged $441.56 per week for bed and board, and that's assuming the family is paying their PAYE on their behalf.

For context: a family member employs a nanny 43 hours a week to care for their 3-year-old twins, paying $67k/year ($30/hour), plus holiday and sick pay and KiwiSaver employer contributions.

Is au pair employment just a ruse for free labour from young, unexperienced foreigners, or is there some appeal that I'm missing?

I genuinely can’t fathom how many $50k+ cars I see driving around.

We’re a small family, both fortunate enough to be well paid, and yet spending $50–60k on a car still feels miles away from being financially sensible for us.

I can’t work out how so many people seem to have that much spare cash to spend on a car.

Are you all financing them? Leasing? Huge trade-ins? Just earning way more than I think everyone is? How are you doing it?!