Posts by RaggedJoe
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This clickbait nonsense in the Herald and Stuff is infuriating. No doubt, the current tax regime and demand vs supply absolutely favours property investment. We have been trying to guide our daughter into a first home in Auckland, she has $30k saved, achieved by living at home until recently.
It simply doesn’t make sense to buy in the areas she can safely (that takes out Clendon) and logistically (bye bye Pokeno) live. 750k for a very tired weatherboard ex statehouse in Panmure which has already been subdivided - badly? No thanks.
We are better to buy a leveraged investment property, sit on it for 10 years and then borrow against that equity while she keeps saving up her deposit. Unless the immigration tide is turned off, or the tax rules are changed, I cant see the situation changing.
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I have a 30km each way commute. I would happily ride it 2 or 3 times a week, I have done quite a bit of road cycling for fun, round Taupo etc, But I simply do not feel safe. Pakuranga highway in particular is a death trap for cyclists. Then Remuera road with school traffic...
Interesting from Russell's post above, I may actually be safe, but feel unsafe, however that logic will not win over the instinctive fear. I have given up all road cycling for the same reason. Trucks and cars towing trailers on country roads, the feeling that a big crash is inevitable if I spend enough time taking chances. I miss it, but not enough to get back out there.
I am sure that more cyclists on the road will eventually change attitudes an behaviour, and applaud all the infrastructure improvements. Here's hoping we will see quick improvements, so I can regain my nerve.
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Uber's behaviour here is appalling, hopefully NZTA will harden up and take them on soon. Good work Ben.
FWIW in Melbourne last weekend the three Uber drivers we had were pretty happy with life. None were full time, all happy with income for hours, and busy. When quizzed they were similarly non committal about licensing and registrations. Felt pretty loose, like what we have ended up with here....
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Could it be more an indicator of good design taste, rather than social conservatism per se?
Talking to my 20 something y/o children and cohort, its more lack of engagement. Why change it? No good reason? Okay move along nothing to see here, leave it alone. Voting papers will go unopened I suspect, as they did first time round.
For me, absolutely torn, no love for the old flag, but no excitement for the Lockwood. No new flag will ever get universal uptake, symbols take a long time to adopt, but it does happen after time. I could have voted for Red Peak but the Lockwood, sorry, cant bring myself to. So its another few decades of a confused colonial symbol for me/us is expect.
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Home - 6th generation pakeha, parents from Timaru, , I was born in Wellington when they moved there for (father's) work. To Auckland after 18 months, London from 6 yrs old to 9, six months in Sydney, then back to Auckland. School in Auckland, then off to Taranaki to farm as 16 yr old, then Brisbane for the sun and surf (milking cows 7 days a week for $83/week was too tough), back to Auckland, then Christchurch for further education at Lincoln college, as it was called in those days
All by 23, and I have been in Auckland ever since.
We live in a house my wife's parents built on land they bought around the time I was born. We have been there about 24 years now, watched the kids enter the world, grow and leave home (kind of). Watched the trees my mother in law planted grow so large that we are now in the thinning process. And have learnt that if they get too big it is very expensive!
Plenty of people, including posters here, have moved much more than me, but I do feel my years of moving early, especially changing primary schools including to different countries in formative years, has made me yearn for "home" and not to move again. My Auckland childhood home has gone, replaced by a new house by my sister and her family, it's cool but it is not my home in any way.
What does home mean to me? It's where the memories are, kids heights on the kitchen door post, parties, friends, garden, music and the rest. My kids have never moved house apart from going flatting, my wife has lived in our house all but a few of her years. We have travelled a fair bit and never seen anything we would give up our home for.
I am happy to pass my time on this piece of land, and would like my children to have it always as home. In time it will be sold I guess, and they will make their own homes. But right now neither I nor they are ready for that.
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First 40 years trying to kill ourselves and second 40 trying to save ourselves has some resonance for me. In early my 50's now, career ok, (not stellar but fine) kids independent, more or less, we are eating better, drinking less, feeling sore for no reason, enjoying walking the dog, still getting the odd surf in, learning to live as a couple again, mortality reminder from one aging parent (all we have left), to be honest its a ball!
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Never played the game, did soccer, basketball, surfed, skied, water skied all as part of growing up in NZ. My son never played rugby, did soccer and now accomplished sailor. I never had peer pressure to play, at school or otherwise. Dad died when I was 10, maybe I would have felt pressure if he had survived..? I was happy my son had no interest, but would have supported if he had.
But I love watching a big rugby game. No idea why really, just enjoy the game as a spectator / spectacle. National psyche? go figure..
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It's all in the variety. I have listened since I stumbled across the b in the late 80's. The one thing that keeps me coming back year after year is that you never know what is up next.
My kids are in their 20's and cant stand it. They simply refuse to listen to a single track they don't like, so it's channel switching time. (Same with recorded music, always switching tracks. The ease of doing this with electronic formats, compared with changing records and fast forwarding tapes in the olden days has changed behaviour for sure.)
But the good old b will deliver some gems and some things (one track on Artbank last Sunday springs to mind) that seem specifically designed to make me turn it off!
Next thing you know its the jazz show and everything is right with the world again. Thanks to the b and all who have sailed her!
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Thank you David Tong for taking time to make your points. It has certainly helped me understand the issue(s) better.
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Moonrise over the Alderman's behind my favourite, dune supporting much abused pohutukawa.
