New Zealand joins the space race :)
Courtesy of Slashdot – (news for nerds) and I would just like to pint out that it was hubby who found this and not me.
“Private New Zealand aerospace company Rocket Lab completed its final ground-based test today and is now ready to launch New Zealand into the space race with its Atea-1 launch vehicle. The first high-altitude launch of Atea-1 is scheduled for the end of November this year. Once Atea-1 has successfully concluded the development phase it will be the first privately built rocket launched from the Southern Hemisphere to enter space.”
The funniest thing about this is the comments:
What I do remember well was when the builder was asked if he would fly in it, the answer was along the lines of “hell no”.
But they are on the bottom of the planet – won’t they be firing the wrong way?
Of course not, it’s a huge advantage, they just have to drop the rocket. They’ll save loads of fuel.
Rocket: Oh Noo, Oh Noo, I’m launched Broo. I’m launched es. Satellite: Hey Broo, Hey Broo, what are you doing broo? Rocket: Dude, I’m launched es. Satellite: Ah Haw Shit. Your launched es! Rocket: Tell me something I doo’nt noo. Satellite:…. Broo, you’re heaps launched es! Rocket: Soo launched. Launched es.
We should have never given these people the technology to make movies. They’ve progressed in only one generation from filmmaking to building rockets. Who knows what shenanigans they may be capable of in the next generation.
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Toast Martinborough 2009 – the aftermath.
Bloody hell I ache all over today.
It’s a good ache mind you – it means I had a great time and went dancing – not something you get a lot of chance to do in the back of beyond.
Toast Martinborough is one of the three days a year that the tumbleweed strewn streets of Martinborough become packed with people. In this case, 99% drunken people staggering from vineyard to vineyard in a pretty spectacular “Pub Crawl”. It is a truly brilliant day out, and I think it’s one of the “most do’s” for anyone living in the lower north island.
The Wairarapa is a major wine growing area in New Zealand – and Martinborough is the epicentre (though it has to be said that some of the other wineries in the region are definitely better than some of the Martinborough ones). That being said – it was the town of Martinborough that decided to have the festival – and they do it exceeding well.
11 Wineries this year – we skipped 3 cos the bus drivers went the wrong way or missed stops which was a bit annoying. This year the biggest problem was gale force winds – which made getting around a bit tricky (and was pretty miserable for those not tanked up on masses of alcohol – I was driving). Every time we have been before the biggest issue of the day was getting out of the scorchin sun. Yesterdays issue was finding some space out of the wind.
Elvis at Alana Estate
My favourites of the day:
Best Food:
Salute’s Lamb Croquettes at Palliser winery
Best Band
The Jedi Knights playing at Tirohana, and of course The Beat Girls at Palliser for giving us something to really “boogie-oogie” to (that is NOT my word!)
Best Coffee
Ripe at Martinborough Vineyard – because it was there when I needed defrosting the most.
Most Outrageous food rip-off
The Crayfish at Alana Estate. It is a mark of how sorry hubby felt for me that he (unknown to me) swapped enough Festival Franks for a small piece of seafood to have allowed our group a glass of wine each.
Best Customer Service (in the end).
Ruth Pretty Catering. I ordered a Coq Au Vin pie (had them before – they are delish) and got a steak and kidney. Took it back and they replaced it – with a steak and \Kidney. Took it back again and they finally worked out they had mixed up some trays – so they took a fresh tray our and got me a piping hot Coc Au Vin pie. They were lovely and apologetic and took the time to sort me out even though it was a huge event and they were really busy.
Best Wines (from the general view of the group)
Alana Estate. (Which is up for sale if you have a few million lurking under the sofa cushions).
All in all – as ever it was a great day out. Despite the vast quantities of alcohol consumed – its always a friendly event. No fights, just fun. I do have some tips for people thinking about going though.
- Become a Friend.
Friends get to buy 6 tickets before they go on general release. It’s a must if you really want to go. It costs $120 for the first year, and $75 a year after that. With tickets at about $60 it makes it expensive if there’s only 2 of you, but when you know there’s a group going – it’s worth it.
- Buy Festival Franks in stages.
You cannot get refunds on your Franks. Only franks are taken on the day- you buy them with real cash or EftPOS. Each of the vineyards has “banks” so its best to remember to take out small quantities and then you are not left with unusable money at the end of the day. You can always buy bottles of wine back at the square with any leftover – but why should you?
- End up at Palliser.
This should always be your last stop – its where the Beat Girls play and its the best for a good party atmosphere.
- Don’t be stupid and Drink & Drive.
Drink Driving doesn’t always have the same bad rap here as it does back home – here many people think its acceptable. It’s not. And every road out of town has a breathalyser stop on it. Don’t be an arse. If you are the driver – don’t be tempted just soak up the atmosphere and make notes about the antics of your drunken companions.
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Carterton’s Best Kept Secret Garden.
I actually think its a shame that so many people ignore Carterton as a possible place to move to when they consider living in the Wairarapa. The thinking generally goes like this:
- Ill go to Featherston because the commute to Welly is shorter.
- Ill go to Greytown because its posh.
- Ill go to Masterton because its the only place in the area with a population bigger than 10.
But even though I have unashamedly fallen in love with this place – even after 4 years here – I am still discovering some amazing hidden gems. Carterton’s biggest fault is that it doesn’t really like to show itself off.
Last weekend we went to the Italian Day at Richmond Gardens. This is a private house, that opens its doors once a year to the public (and at other times by appointment.). Once in off the street you would not know you were in New Zealand. And it is at the end of a very normal New Zealand town street. A true secret garden.
You can find contact details here, and they also sell their Topiary Box and bay trees – which I may well buy one of for the herb garden my dad is going to build me real soon.
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KiwiBank Analysts – need to switch thier brains on.
Kiwibank asked their “analyst” to look again at our application for a Credit Card. Which if you think about it is a bit silly as he is hardly going to be admitting to be an idiot.
But the same analyst has said no – because yes – he is still an idiot – and can’t grasp that there’s actually a lot more at stake than a bloody credit card.
The thing which makes me want to scream with frustration is that its actually people like this who caused the collapse of the banking system and the recession in the first place – because they insist that money behaves in a vacuum.
You see money is just a number.
- X amount of debt is too much
- Y amount of debt isn’t enough.
Analysts and Economists tend to forget that it’s Human Beings who spend money, or don’t spend it, and do it in the main for emotional reasons. Analysts don’t tend to look at any other factor. This guy is only interested in the amount of debt. He doesn’t give a toss about excess income, savings, assets, or amount of debt paid off. He looks at one number in isolation and decides whether you are worthy or not.
They also tend to forget that when you piss us off – we can have very long memories, and bad customer service now will be remembered for a very long time.
Its also hugely frustrating that while we obviously can afford a credit card, never having missed a payment in our lives – we can’t get a new one, and yet people who have no hope of being able to pay off the balances will get offered them by the bucket load. And if anyone thinks that’s not the real reason we have been turned down – you could be dreaming.
The fact is people like us don’t actually make money for the banks on our credit cards, because we don’t pay interest. Credit cards only work for the banks if you don’t pay them off. The damage that has been done across the western world by banks insisting on giving credit cards (and mortgages) to people who cannot pay off the balance is staggering.
It should be said that I have been dealing with a very patient and understanding man at Kiwibank (the Analyst wont “front up” to a mere “customer”). It’s a pity that the humans aren’t in charge.
So, thats BNZ and Kiwibank who will never see a cent of our money.
The list of banks who haven’t right royally hacked us off yet is getting smaller. 
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Morning bubbles
We went into Wellington this morning on the train. It’s an early start for me, so once we got in I had to go in search of a reviving coffee.
As we wandered through Borders, there as a woman behind the counter blowing bubbles .
What a cool way to start the morning!
So thank you, whoever you are- you brought a smile to may face and joy to the day.
Banks – why are they all run by idiots?
Following on from the post about trying to get a Kiwibank GoFly card – we got turned down.
Why?
Because we have a lot of lending.
No shit Sherlock – that’s because we own a lot of property – which even with a recession is worth a lot more than the lending on it. Apparently the 30,000 in credit card limits is also a concern – completely ignoring that we have always paid all the balances off in full.
This is what happens when you put a bloody “analyst” in charge – common sense has no place in their limited thinking.
So because this dumb “analyst” can’t think for himself – Kiwibank joins the list of banks that do not “match our criteria”, and will be told where to stick their accounts when things change and they are once again desperate for increased market share.
So ASB still comes out way on top – and even though I may not like some of the things they do – they are still by far the best bank in New Zealand.
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Racism in New Zealand.
[Takes a deep breath]
This is one of those topics that is really hard to write about – because so many migrants wanting to come here just do not want to believe that a place full of such warm and friendly people can also play host to some of the most awful racism you are likely to see. We were told by a friend back in the UK, and like most people – chose to think they were overreacting.
I decided in the end to write this post because racism is in the news this week after some highly unpleasant comments were made in an email by a sitting MP – Hone Harawira – of the Maori party. A (kiwi) friend made a comment to the effect that this was funny. Now it has to be said that reading comments on news sites suggests that most people in New Zealand are appalled at these comments – and this included many, many Maori who are ashamed that someone this ignorant claims to speak for them. But it also shows that there are plenty of people in New Zealand who think racism is acceptable. One comment I saw says, “Racism is in the eye of the beholder”.
OK then. Nice to know. I’m assuming that this also applies to the injustices Hone believes were done to his people? Possibly they are supposed to just get over it and stop stealing land back? I don’t think so. You see this is often a comment I have heard and seen by otherwise sensible people. They don’t think their comments are racist – so they aren’t. If you are offended – then there’s something wrong with you and you need to get a life.
The daftest thing about these particular comments from Hone Harawira – is that you cannot tell someone if Maori (or not) by the colour of their skin. There is no longer any such things as a “pure” Maori, so this racial hatred really is quite pathetic. What are people supposed to do – chop their arms off if it’s the “white bit”???
And its not just some low-life MP who feels whites are scum. Asian, Mexican, Black friends – get just as much hatred poured on them by white and Maori New Zealanders alike. From “F Off you Asian bastards” to appalling abuse from healthcare “professionals” given to a Mexican friend (who lets face it must have married her Kiwi Husband just to get out of the third world nightmare that was Mexico to come and fleece off the wonderful first world NZ healthcare system where she has been treated worse than a dog.) To Black teachers from the UK who have been hounded out of their jobs because they are not the “nice white brits” that the school expected. (You can’t see someone’s skin colour when you hire from abroad – apparently it came as a shock to the school that people from Birmingham are not all white.)
You may end up hearing racist comments the way people talk about the weather. So many times when we have talked about our Immigration Problems we get comments about why are pacific islanders are let in? – they are all lazy, fat and stupid. Or comments about how Maori all fleece the benefits system, so why is such a fuss being made about letting in the “good” people? (That would be us).
Seriously – sometimes I can’t help but wonder why people in New Zealand hate so many other people based on prejudice, skin colour and ignorance. Generally speaking if you are white – you are actually immune from most of it. You will probably at some point face the stupid phrase “Your lot did (insert historical injustice of choice that had bugger all to do with “your lot” but hey – why let the truth get in the way of a good grudge). Except that you have to watch seeming sensible people spout crap about non-whites. But occasionally the shoe is on the other foot – and we get to see quite clearly what our friends of other colours have to go through almost all the time in this “friendly”country.
The comments made by Hone Harawira can be seen here.
Hone Harawira’s apology can be seen here.
I think it’s worth noting that he did not use taxpayers money to fund his trip to paris (well know bastion of white culture), what he did wrong was to bunk off work and take a sightseeing trip while he was supposed to be representing “his people” in brussels.
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Happy Birthday – Avalon’s Blog is a Year Old.
I made it! One whole year of managing to write blogs, get people to read them, and as it happens – stay out of jail.
Not bad really.
I’ve written 309 posts (this will be 310). Which is not bad I think – given that I’m not Kiwiblog (which posts several a day – and is a hotbed of activity and political argument.) We have also had 544 comments – almost none of which have been nasty, and not all of them have been ours.
We have also blocked a staggering 3558 spam comments. The mind boggles.
The blog has indeed taken on a bit of a life of it’s own. When I started this – it was just going to be a part of a website where I would have my book for sale – and I refused to call it a blog. But before long I had to accept that I was in fact “Blogging” and figured I may as well try and give in with some grace. It was also not the intention to make the blog about the struggle for my parent’s residency. But as the head of INZ refused to accept any responsibility – it became a way of making them responsible, by showing people what they are up to and what they are capable of. I’m rather proud of the fact that this blog comes first in a Google search under “NZIS Complaints”. I can only say it serves them right!
And I certainly never intended to get into politics and start fighting for the right to free speech! But again – who else will do it, and what else could I have done? And I do think it is important that people wanting to move to New Zealand get to see what is really going on – rather than the fluffy advertising – which is often so misleading.
But to be honest – that’s my life all over since coming here. Our lives are not at all what we thought they would be. We never intended to become investors, we never intended to own any property other than the one we lived in, and we never thought we would do so many wacky things – like walking on fire. And writing a book? Well – it’s certainly never been a dream of mine – I can tell you.
I sometimes think that something happens when you emigrate – it’s as if you have proved you can do anything – so you get the chance to do even more.
Anyway – here’s to many more blogs!
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Applying for a new credit card.
Well, it was easy enough to apply – just fill in an online form at Kiwibank.
If only.
So first off – why on earth would I want a new credit card? I’m not a fan of them, and yet I already have three. The problem is the major rip-off that is most reward schemes in New Zealand. The misleading “Flybuys” that so many people go to great lengths to accumulate will only let you actually transfer points into Air New Zealand Airdollars if you own a BNZ global plus credit card. As we had to give ours up – due to BNZ allowing other people to use our credit card details with impunity, and then getting shitty with us when we dared to object to their incompetence –we are no longer able to use “Fly”buys to – well – fly anywhere. (And the other things you can buy with them are a waste of time anyway.)
However we did quite well with our ASB cards. ASB run a rewards program, which costs $10 ever six months, for each person on each card (so with 3 joint cards that’s $60 every 6 months). Because all our spending goes on Credit cards – we were making enough points for that to be worth it.
Except ASB, in the way that only banks can be stupid enough to do – keep altering the scheme to make it less attractive. First – they stopped allowing you to use your points to pay your bank fees – which is something I thought was brilliant. (I really don’t want a bleedin’ toaster – but a cut in bank fees is worth real money). Then, just recently – they have decided that we can no longer change our True Rewards in Airpoints Dollars at Air New Zealand. So we have arranged with our manager that next time our TR fees becomes payable – we are removing it for two of the cards as we don’t do enough business on them to make it worth the cost.
Step in Kiwibank.
They are now offering a GoFly Credit card – where for every $150 spent you get $1 in Airpoints dollars. With a platinum card – you get $1 for every $90 spent.
Magic.
And the best bit – although the card fees are slightly higher – you don’t pay extra to join the reward scheme (they can set up an Airdollars account for free – saving the $50 that Air New Zealand want to scam you for). So we are going to pay a whole dollar more ever 6 months on our fees. I think I can live with that.
Really – the only downside was the application process. I filled in the online form, but it won’t let you apply for joint accounts online. So I applied in Hubby’s name (as he is the one with the income), and then phoned to add some details to let them know this would be a replacement card rather than an application for extra credit. Only Kiwibank at this point need Hubby’s Permission to speak to me.
WHAT???
I’ve just applied for a credit card for him – and now he needs to give permission? Because it’s HIS account – not a joint account. Well – can we make it a joint account I asked – since that’s what we really want in the first place? No – not without his permission.
Thankfully Hubby was here – so I threw the phone at him and asked acidly if he would give Kiwibank “permission” to speak to such a lowlife as myself. When he stopped laughing – we managed to get the account application converted to a joint one – where now I am considered eligible to be spoken to.
Sheesh – banks. Hate them all.
We should know by the end of the week if Kiwibank consider us worthy to have an account with them. If they have any brains they will – because we are looking at alternative banks for our mortgages all the time – and this is a way of showing us that they are a bank worth doing business with. It never ceases to amaze me how much the New Zealand banks see their customers and potential customers as if they are something they have just stepped in – rather than the source of their much needed income.
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Update from the ombudsman.
It’s been some months now since we batted our complaint about INZ back to the ombudsman because of the “don’t give a shit” attitude of Andrew Annakin the head of INZ.
So in October, we sent a letter asking for an update. Not that I don’t trust the Office of the Ombudsman, because I think they are actually quite wonderful people, but because there is just so much paperwork involved I wanted to check that I hadn’t overwhelmed them.
We got a reply back about a week later, and it seems the hold-up is – wait for it – with the Department of Labour and INZ.
They have a “backlog” complaints.
Now while that could be seen as irritating – in that we have to wait – I actually think its bloody brilliant. More people are refusing to take the crap that INZ dole out, and are fighting back. So I’m ok with waiting. To be honest – once my parents got their visas, the complaint became less urgent. It’s still vitally important – but we can afford to be patient about getting the result. As long as INZ don’t think we are ever going to go away.
Interestingly, the Ombudsman says
” The delays occasioned by the backlog have impeded (our) ability to progress the investigation we have commenced”.
Hmmm – INZ “Impeding” investigation into their behaviour?
Whatever next.
Once again – whether or not they agree with our point of view in the end, I cannot but have immense gratitude to the Office of the Ombudsman for the way they deal with these issues, and the way they deal with complainants.
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