Despair.com
Well, it’s not looking good. So, while trying to laugh in the face of impending doom – I went shopping on Think Geek ( I just can’t help it – geeky t-shirts make me happy) and found they also sell demotivational posters.
Which reminded me of Despair.com – home of hysterically funny demotivational posters. Here are a few which bizarrely enough really cheered me up.
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A sense of humour is invaluable :)
It’s times like these when you either go loopy – or laugh your head off. Preferably over coffee or wine with good friends as you watch thier jaws drop to the table in awe at just how much trouble one person can attract.
(Thanks to Maggie, Shayne, Pam and Steve for the company and laughs this week).
While it is all very serious, and highly annoying – I cant help but see the funny side of things: whether its the fact that I could possibly be breaking the law – or you somehow have to convince a Kiwi to hold a job open for 18 months - having a sense of humour really does help deal with things.
So – I just roared with laughter when I saw yesterdays Dilbert Cartoon in the Dom Post. Somedays it does feel like Scott Adams is watching over our shoulder.
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Here we go again – Part 2 – Uh Oh!
Filed under: NZIS & Immigration issues, The Family Sponsorship Saga
Well, if anyone was hoping that a second round with Immigration New Zealand couldn’t possibly be as bad as what we faced with my parent’s application – think again.
We have received notification that the application is in and was accepted for processing on (unfortunately I can’t tell you that because the numpty who wrote the standard letter forgot to put the date in – it’s not as if they have to write the letter from scratch.)
We are being told that a case officer will not be allocated for 12 months, as it is a non-urgent case, and that it will then take about 9 months to process.
We were told much the same about my parent’s application but as I’ve said before on a forum or two – this rarely means much in our experience.
However there are a few things in this letter, which really do take the flippin biscuit – and deserve an honorary mention for gross stupidity.
Under the heading: Request for Urgent Processing is the comment:
To be fair to other applicants, waiting for the outcome of their residence applications in New Zealand, we are unable to prioritise your application. (Their underlining).
Only – we haven’t requested urgent processing. We put the application in with the job offer and basically expected it to be dealt with in a timely fashion because there was a job offer involved. The only mention of any timescales is in the job offer letter where the employer has asked for a start date of late August. (It is a requirement of the policy that your job offer has to contain a proposed start date).
It is also noted that extensions to the visitors permit will not necessarily be granted even though an application for residence is pending, as it
“is unlikely that your application can be decided in the next 18 months, you may wish to consider departing New Zealand before the expiry of your permit”. (Their underlining.)
Funnily enough though – despite the fact that INZ claim they will sit on this for a year before they assign a case officer – we have until only the 10th September 2009 to provide them with proof of our income, and a certified copy of my birth certificate (which they already have a gazillion copies of if they bothered to look). Also even funnier is that people sponsoring Adult Siblings don’t actually have to prove a minimum income in order to act as a sponsor. That is only applicable to Parent Sponsorship applications. It’s a bit irritating, as I don’t have an income. Under the parent sponsorship rules however – Hubby’s income was accepted as long as he co-signed the sponsorship forms. I do hope INZ are not going to make a fuss about this – because I am really not in the mood.
Of course – the scariest things about all this – is that before an adult sibling can even put an application in under this policy – they have to have a job offer. Now – would anyone like to hazard a guess as to how the hell you are supposed to be able to keep a potential employer hanging around for over 18 flippin months! And this is after finding one willing to take a chance on a migrant, and put up dealing with immigration issues in the first place. By the time INZ get off their backsides – that offer will be a long and distant memory, at which point – there will be no job contract with which to finalise the residency. What the hell is my brother supposed to say to his potential employer???
I honestly want to throw up with frustration at the sheer idiocy of these people.
For a job offer to be accepted under this policy it has to be (among other things):
current at the time of assessing the application and at the time of issue of the visa or grant of the permit. (taken from the Operation Manual).
But the way INZ claim they will handle this application means that it can’t possibly meet that requirement – no one can. I feel this is an absolute abuse of the system and INZ are deliberatly trying to scupper the chances of adult siblings joining thier families.
I also had a look at the objective of the family policy (and yes – I know this is the kind of thing that will get me into trouble – but I need the information for myself anyway). I seemed to remember that the whole point of this policy was to reunite families and allow us to live as a family unit and thus be more successful as migrants if that is what was needed. (It’s fair to say that for many migrants the key to successful settlement is the exact opposite). However what I found was that the current objective is to :
- strengthen families and communities, while reinforcing the Government’s overall objectives in immigration policy; and
- contribute to New Zealand’s economic transformation and social development.
Although in 1999 that changed from:
- The objective of Family Category Policy is to allow individuals to maintain and be part of a family unit, while reinforcing the Government’s overall objectives in immigration policy.
Nice one! Suddenly being part of a family unit wasn’t anywhere near as important as the contribution to the economy.
I just do not know how we are supposed to go through all of this again.
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ASB Interest rate changes – humph!
I’ve been tracking interest rate changes at ASB for a while, because I needed to decide on when to fix my personal morgtae rates. I set that up a few months ago, but noticed at the weekend that the rates had gone up again. Today it seems that other banks have followed the lead, and mortgages are now firmly going up again. This is even though the Offical Cash Rate is stable and has been for months, at 2.5%.
So I’m afraid that mortgeages in New Zealand are still going to be ridiculously high and unless you intend to buy a house here in cash – you are still going to be paying an awful lot of money to buy a house here.
ASB INTEREST RATES
As at 11:56:19 a.m., Tuesday 14 April 2009
Interest rates are subject to change at any time without notice. However, once you draw down a housing fixed loan its rate is will not change during the term you selected. Term Rate
Housing Variable 6.40 % p.a.
Housing Fixed (6 Month) 5.50 % p.a.
Housing Fixed (12 Month) 5.70 % p.a.
Housing Fixed (18 Month) 6.00 % p.a.
Housing Fixed (24 Month) 6.25 % p.a.
Housing Fixed (36 Month) 6.75 % p.a.
Housing Fixed (48 Month) 7.25 % p.a.
Housing Fixed (60 Month) 7.50 % p.a.
ORBIT Home Loan 6.40 % p.a.
Societies Clubs and Churches 7.40 % p.a.
Second Mortgage 9.40 % p.a.
Flexible Finance Facility 6.90 % p.a.
As at 09:54:59 a.m., Tuesday 26 May 2009
Interest rates are subject to change at any time without notice. However, once you draw down a housing fixed loan its rate is will not change during the term you selected. Term Rate
Housing Variable 6.40 % p.a.
Housing Fixed (6 Month) 5.50 % p.a.
Housing Fixed (12 Month) 5.50 % p.a.
Housing Fixed (18 Month) 6.00 % p.a.
Housing Fixed (24 Month) 6.25 % p.a.
Housing Fixed (36 Month) 6.75 % p.a.
Housing Fixed (48 Month) 7.25 % p.a.
Housing Fixed (60 Month) 7.50 % p.a.
ORBIT Home Loan 6.40 % p.a.
Societies Clubs and Churches 7.40 % p.a.
Second Mortgage 9.40 % p.a.
Flexible Finance Facility 6.90 % p.a.
As at 02:10:44 p.m., Friday 5 June 2009
Interest rates are subject to change at any time without notice. However, once you draw down a housing fixed loan its rate is will not change during the term you selected. Term Rate
Housing Variable 6.40 % p.a.
Housing Fixed (6 Month) 5.50 % p.a.
Housing Fixed (12 Month) 5.50 % p.a.
Housing Fixed (18 Month) 6.00 % p.a.
Housing Fixed (24 Month) 6.25 % p.a.
Housing Fixed (36 Month) 6.95 % p.a.
Housing Fixed (48 Month) 7.55 % p.a.
Housing Fixed (60 Month) 8.00 % p.a.
ORBIT Home Loan 6.40 % p.a.
Societies Clubs and Churches 7.40 % p.a.
Second Mortgage 9.40 % p.a.
Flexible Finance Facility 6.90 % p.a.
As at 03:14:43 p.m., Friday 7 August 2009
Interest rates are subject to change at any time without notice. However, once you draw down a housing fixed loan its rate is will not change during the term you selected. Term Rate
Housing Variable 6.40 % p.a.
Housing Fixed (6 Month) 5.50 % p.a.
Housing Fixed (12 Month) 5.50 % p.a.
Housing Fixed (18 Month) 6.10 % p.a.
Housing Fixed (24 Month) 6.55 % p.a.
Housing Fixed (36 Month) 7.45 % p.a.
Housing Fixed (48 Month) 7.95 % p.a.
Housing Fixed (60 Month) 8.30 % p.a.
ORBIT Home Loan 6.40 % p.a.
Societies Clubs and Churches 7.40 % p.a.
Second Mortgage 9.40 % p.a.
Flexible Finance Facility 6.90 % p.a.
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Here’s to the crazy ones.
Filed under: Immigration Advisers, NZIS & Immigration issues
This, I think, says everything about why I make a fuss. I think sometimes you have to stick your head above the parapet even if you risk getting your head blown off for the privaledge (and I’ve certainly had that happen a number of times!)
I’ve always though that in migrating – we are all “crazy ones”, so I guess this is for everyone.
I have no idea if I will get anywhere with this IAA stuff – but I feel as strongly about it as I did about the complaints process, and I feel it harms migrants just as much. So I’m going to give it a try and see where we get to – hopefully without ending up in jail for seven years or getting my head blown off.
And because I’m such a geek – here’s an even better version.
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Blog Roundup 9th August 2009
This New Zealand life asks the question:
Comment: If NZ only commits to a 15% reduction in carbon dioxide while Britain pays for 34%, why should UK consumers purchase NZ goods and support an economy subsidised by inaction?
Climate change is a frequent visitor in the letters page of the Dom Post with opinions unsurprisingly polarised. TNZL summarises the problem with emission reduction really well, and there are also some really good comments. (including some from Hubby that I dont quite understadn – but that’s what you get for marrying a cleverclogs). I personally think its important from a migration point of view to realise that “100% Pure” is a marketing slogan, and often bears little relation to the reality of life in New Zealand.
The Dawes Family have written a heartrending post about the hardship of dealing with relaitives going home after a visit. I personally feel blessed that I was able to bring my family out with me – even though it has been a struggle. I would not have made a success of this move if I had to deal with the pain of constantly saying goodbye to them. Hankies may be required.
Domestic Executive has a post about muffins. Ok – I know it’s not about the perils of immigration – but what the hell – it’s muffins. I can feel the sugar rush from here. She also talks about a trip to the beach, as we are having the most glorious sunny weather here right now and winter has hidden from us for a few days. Anyway – pictures of beaches always cheer me up!
Again – not exactly anything to do with immigration, but I was sent a link though LinkedIn to a blog post at Ask Kalena about good and bad customer service in new Zealand. The win goes to BestBlooms and Hornby Florist in Christchurch. We have had some shocking service lately, specifically from the Intercontinental Hotel in Wellington, and due to a similar arrogant attitude to that shown by the loser in this article, Issac Theatre Royal in Christchurch, they have lost an awful lot of money that we will no longer be spending with them.
And for sheer unadulterated silliness – have a look over at Moon Over Martinborough and learn the perils of getting sheep in your fields. It had me rolling with laughter.
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Not getting far with the IAA I’m afraid.
Well it was looking hopeful – and I haven’t given up entirely – but the bad news is that the IAA are really just repeating the same things with regard to what constitutes “immigration advice” and whether blogs and forums are in trouble.
So – where have we got to?
Well, if I am reading the last email correctly – then we still have an issue as to what constitutes “systematically”.
So – as the IAA refuse to define the word – here’s what I am going with:
sys·tem·at·ic (sst-mtk) also sys·tem·at·i·cal (–kl)
adj.
1. Of, characterized by, based on, or constituting a system.
2. Carried on using step-by-step procedures.
3. Purposefully regular; methodical. See Synonyms at orderly.
4. Of or relating to classification or taxonomy.
Right – so if you don’t have a set system for writing advice, or answering questions – then you are not breaking the law.
Also, as far as the IAA is concerned – most people on forums are acting informally – so do not break the law.
“However, regular contributors to these forums may also not fall into the exempt category if they are providing immigration advice and guidance systematically— even if such immigration advice is given free of charge”
Now here is where I can’t help but get angry. First of all- “regular contributors” suggest that people who post often will be deemed to be breaking the law – but there is again no definition of how many posts / blogs you have to write to be considered regular. Also, is that regular posting – or regular posting answers on immigration questions? Does it include posts you may write about shipping your cat if it happens to be on an immigration forum?
But then – it gets stuffed up by adding the old catch-all “if they are providing immigration advice and guidance systematically”, which means we are back (again) at square one needing a definition of systematically.
This is a clear case of circular logic – and is daft, frustrating and bloody idiotic. You are giving advice systematically if you give advice systematically. Who writes this stuff for crying out loud?
Also, it appears that I am breaking the law myself in a few instances:
“This means that some of the more specialized articles previously published on sites like yours dealing in detail with such technical immigration topics as “How to Sponsor your parents” can now only be published if they are authored by a licensed immigration adviser and this is clearly stated in the article credits. This does not, however, preclude you from publishing general commentary on immigration issues or public interest guides on such topics as “How to make a complaint about Immigration New Zealand.”
So – I can’t publish a blog where I take information supplied by NZIS on their website and rewrite it into plain English – without any personal embellishments – but I can write an article about how to make a complaint about INZ even though that information was not published by INZ in the first place and is solely using my own personal experience and expertise. Oddly enough – my own reading of the law (not being a lawyer) is 100% the opposite of the above – Ie: I am allowed to rewrite stuff from the INZ website – but am not allowed to give my own experience – which is what I did with ”What is the NZIS complaint procedure”.
Clearly – daft!
“You have mentioned to me that you have in the past researched information from Immigration New Zealand Operations Manual and Residence Review Board cases and have rewritten these. From what you have told me this would appear to be ‘immigration advice’ as it is your interpretation of publicly available information.”
Ok, so this suggests that as long as I just write what I feel like, when I feel like it, and it happens to be about migrating to New Zealand – then I am not breaking the law – but If I actually do some research, read stuff from the RRB and NZIS (even though these are published sources and the act says we can direct or copy information form these sources) – I am breaking the law because I am making out that I am an immigration advisor. To be clear – I am NOT an immigration advisor or an agent and I have never pretended to be one. I am a migrant who has been crapped on severely by Immigration New Zealand and learned a helluva a lot in the process. That is it.
So basically – if you want to just spout a load of nonsense about immigration issues (not unlike our Exempt MP Mr John Hayes) you will not be breaking the law. But if you want to check your facts first and make sure that what you are saying to a migrant is the truth then you are – frankly – stuffed. (Hmmm – sounds familiar – I sure I’ve been gagged before for doing research and finding out the truth of a situation before I comment – seems to be going around!)
So – what do we do about it?
Well, I’m sorry to say that right now there really isn’t much I can do alone. I am drawing up a letter to the Immigration Minister about this – but I am slightly embarrassed to say that I will not send it until my brother has his residency approved. If we have to fight again – we will need to go directly to the minister, and thus I do not want to write to him about this just yet. I think it’s an appalling state of affairs when we are afraid to exercise our rights – but I’ve been through the immigration mill already – and am loathe to do so again.
That being said – as soon as the residency is done – I will be taking this further, and I encourage others to do so as well. I know that many migrants are scared to post on forums and answer questions because of this law, and I know it must annoy readers who are emailing me that I cannot answer their questions. It is only by us all speaking out and writing to the IAA and minister that we can hope to get it changed.
I have written back to the IAA stating that – according to my definition I am not giving advise systematically and that I do not therefore consider that I am breaking the law, and that I feel that this law removes our freedom of speech. I have explained what I see as the silliness in the way the law is being interpreted and the need for clear and unambiguous definitions. I have also said that I recognise the situation that the IAA have been placed in by having to deal with a complete balls up of a law!
I have asked the IAA to confirm who would be the best person to address our concerns to.
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Rimutaka Upgrade is on the way (apparently).
Well – what do you know. Apparently we are going to get the next upgrade on the road starting anytime now. It will be a pain with the roadworks, but after the last lot of upgrades, and how much better it has made the journey into Wellington – I am personally more than happy to put with the delays for a few years to get a straighter road.
Just take a look at the plan!
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ASB has a new toy.
ASB, who I do most of my banking with, has created an online Money Tracking toy that you can play with to keep a track of your spending. I have to say – it’s a damn good start – and not a bad idea if you are looking at working out why you have no money at the end of the month. I had a play with it.
Basically – you tell it which of your accounts you want to look at to start with. I have a lot of bank accounts with ASB, because in addition to the personal ones, I have trust and business accounts as well. But for the purposes of this blog – I stuck to my personal cheque account, and my personal credit card – which is where all our non-business spending goes.
Then you tell it what month you want to track. For ease – I chose July, so we get a full month.
Then you get a list of all the transactions on each account for the month, and you have to “code” the transactions using the drop down menu.
Once you have told the program what all the transactions are for – you can then click on the Dashboard tab and look at a pretty graph showing where all your money went.
Pros and Cons of using this widget.
On the plus side – this is not a bad way to start tracking your money. It’s easy to use (though because its ASB it does have an annoying tendency to kick you out of the system if you are too slow, but it does save where you got to). It took me 10 minutes to get set up and code a months transactions.
You will easily be able to get a quick snapshot of what you spent, using the bank records.
It gives you a nice friendly colourful graph.
On the not-so-plus side:
It’s just not detailed enough. I break my food costs down into 6 different categories, rather than 2, and have about three times the number of main headings as are available on Track My Money. I firmly believe that with so few budget categories – you do not get enough detail to really make significant changes to your spending habits. Bear in mind that it is often the smaller amounts – the odd $ here and there – which quickly add up to be big amounts. You need to know what you are spending those small amounts on.
It also can’t be personalised to your needs. I think any accounting or bookkeeping system has to be able to be tailored to your needs. A good example is the $610 uncoded in the ASB graph. This is the application fee for NZIS – but there just isn’t a heading it will fit under. I also had to “cheat” and put items under headings that don’t really cover what they are for, because it doesn’t have the right headings. And you cant split a transaction: shopping at a supermarket for example will not always just be for groceries, but may include toilet rolls, knickers, cutlery, TV’s – anything really these days.
Also, this system means you rely on the banks to have got everything right – and they don’t always – as we know.
So, basically – it’s a good toy, and a good start – but it is never going to be anywhere near as good as using a proper accounts package and tailoring it to your own needs. But if you are looking for some enthusiasm to get you going – it is worth a look. I think anyway that out of the New Zealand Bank online systems, ASB has the best by far. It’s not perfect – but it’s a helluva lot better than Westpac or ANZ.
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Bribery and Corruption is doing pretty well in New Zealand actually.
Filed under: Life in New Zealand, NZIS & Immigration issues
When we first moved here, I was pretty shocked when quite a few Kiwis we spoke to thought the New Zealand Government was corrupt. Having come from the UK and despising everything our own present government had stood for and allowed to happen – I was just gobsmacked.
Then – the Phillip Field story broke. Basically he was a labour MP who was accused of accepting bribes (in the form of free work form illegal Thai overstayers on his investment properties), in return for help with their Visas.
The case has just been through the courts, and Mr Field was found guilty on 11 counts of bribery, and 15 counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice.
It’s a pretty sordid tale. And I felt the whole thing showed Mr Field as being a person who was willing to exploit foreign immigrants who may not have realised that they were being used and abused. A lot of stuff about “culture” was involved, both Thai culture and Samoan Culture (Mr Field is originally from Samoa) – where these things are apparently accepted practice. I have no idea of the truth of that – but what I do know, and Mr Field knew full well as a member of the NZ parliament – is that you do not accept any form of bribe for parliamentary favours in THIS culture – the one he was elected to work in. I also know that in THIS culture – forcing people to work you for you nothing is one step up from slavery – and there is no getting away from that in my opinion.
The labour party are getting a bit of a kicking over this it seems – but from my point of view I actually thought that Helen Clark dealt with the situation very well, and very professionally. She ordered an enquiry and Field was forced to leave the Labour party, and lose his ministerial position. I would rather he had been sacked immediately – but hey – the outcome was the same. He tried to fight the next election as an independent but lost to labour.
I sometimes wonder if this is where we went wrong when we tried to get MPs to help – we actually expected them to represent us because we thought it was their job to do so.
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