I couldn’t possibly comment lol.
Edited to add this one in, which came out the next day. Almost as funny.
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Is Credit Scoring changing?
Filed under: Banks, Interest Rates, Credit Cards & Mortgages in NZ
Credit Scoring is the really blunt instrument that banks use to determine whether you are worthy to borrow money from them. They don’t really look at much, but essentially get a “Credit History” on you off a Credit Reference Agency. (Equifax or Experian in the UK, VEDA in New Zealand).
Now, according to an article I came across in the Herald, that might be changing.
It seems the privacy commissioner here in New Zealand is looking at whether or not lenders could be given access to more information about your financial history – so they get a better picture. Now usually, I’m the last person to believe that people should get more info on you than they have already. In fact I can get quite “testy” with people who insist they have a right to private information that they – in fact – don’t have a sodding right to. (Vodafone for example who claimed I was being “rude” when i refused to give them contact details for a “Friend” so I could get a bloody mobile phone.)
In a case like this though – where I’m asking a bank to lend me money – I actually don’t mind them having as much financial information as they want. I’m still not going to give them my friends details though!
The idea is that credit referencing would move to “Positive Reporting” – that is how good you are at paying your bills, what sort of lending you already have, who its with and for how much. Rather than right now where all they can see is if you have defaulted on a payment. Some people in the industry also think its a good idea to be able to see how much of a loan is used – which is great when looking at any credit cards or revolving credit loans you have: the limit may be $20k, but if you only routinely use $2k of it – why should a lender only look at it as a $20k loan.
In its submission to the Privacy Commissioner, finance company GE Money said the number of people being declared bankrupt or approved for the brankruptcy [sic] alternative, the No Asset Procedure regime had been on the rise.
It calculates the “negative” credit reporting system gives only a 10 per cent picture of a person’s true credit risk. The changes proposed so far would provide an additional 20 per cent, it said. Including current account balances and 24 months’ payment history would boost that to 50 per cent.
That’s a bit scary really. You mean to tell me that decisions on giving credit to people are currently made on the basis of 10% of the information???? No wonder the world got so screwed up with a credit crunch and recession. Even with these changes – it doesn’t look really good.
So all in all – I’m in favour of more info going to the lenders - on the proviso that they can’t ask silly questions that have no relevance – like Vodafone insist on.
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Found an interesting comment at the Residence Review Board
While I was looking at the case of the “people smuggler” (and I use the term loosely as while I may have agreed with INZ – I think its a bit OTT to be honest) – I had a quick trawl through some of the other cases at the RRB.
This one caught my eye becuase it was a Adult Sibling residence application, that had been turned down for not having an acceptable offer of employment. In this case, three consecutive offers were obtained and put to INZ, but were each deemed unacceptable becuase when INZ started the Verification process – the offers were withdrawn. The reasons given were things like change in circumstances, less income available – that type of thing.
Not necessarily surprising given that INZ won’t process these applications with any urgency.
The application went in in October 2007.
Verification of the first job offer started in March 2008 4-5 months after a job offer was made. (To be fair, like many people the applicant was told it would be in a “managed queue” and the application would take 12-18 months.) A few days later the offer was withdrawn as work had dried up, and the employer was not aware that INZ would be making “verification checks”.
This rumbled on and on – with the applicant getting new job offers, and INZ running “verification checks” on them, and them not panning out – leading to them eventually declining the application and it going to the RRB.
Which is where it piqued my interest. Because of this:
Submissions on Appeal
[47] On appeal, the representative sets out the chronology of the application, submitting [verbatim]:
“4) The New Zealand employer’s frustration is that they have to wait for a long time before INZ is able to give any indication on the processing of an application and thus living them with no choice but to withdrawn the job offer;”
[48] The [RRB] Board does not accept that the representative’s comments and complaint are legitimate. The appellant was clearly advised that because his application was made under the Family (Sibling and Adult Child) category of policy, it was being placed in a managed queue. This was a result of a general instruction, made under section 13BA of the Act. An approximate timeline for processing was given as 12 to 18 months.
I really strongly disagree with the RRB on this. It’s patently ridiculous to have a policy that requires a job offer when you apply, that still has to be valid in 12-18 months. The only way you can do it is to have friends who are in a position to make these kinds of job offers and are willing to wait out the process and understand what it requires. This is a serious issue with the Adult Sibling category – and it does kinda appall me that the board is as blaze about it as INZ are. It makes absolutely no sense to be whatsoever.
Thankfully in my brother’s case, we had a very understanding employer, who was fully aware of what we were up against.
(And a possible comment that I hope said representative isn’t a licensed immigration advisor with such a poor standard of English – a standard which actually gets worse later on in the file.)
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Seriously though: Attack of the mutant killer cluster flies.
There was supposed to be a load of info and bemoaning of my fate going on in the last blog – but I put up the crying face and felt that was enough. But I guess I really ought to try and be more helpful.
So how are we doing?
Well, so far – looks like we are losing. You can spend a fortune getting “Pest controllers” to come and spay your house with Pyrethrins, but while it will kill the flies – it won’t keep them away, and they will just keep on coming. Then – if a local guy is anything to go by – they have the sodding cheek to try and sell you a service to get rid of the Mice you will now be inundated with cos they failed to stop the flies.
Note of interest – there ain’t one single mouse up in our large tasty-rodent-snack-filled attic – so thhhbbbt – I’m not getting you back in and paying you more money!
Trying to find a way to stop these critters is not hugely unlike bashing your head against the brick wall that is the Immigration Department. Just with even more “Ick” factor. Partly this is because we seem to be the only ones in our area even trying to find a solution to the problem. If no one else tries to sort our their own homes, you are always fighting a losing battle where cluster flies are concerned.
We are however still looking for solutions – and have several prongs of attack.
1. Changing the insulation.
New Zealand’s insistence of using such outdated technology as Pink Batts (RockWool or fiberglass) is even more hellish when you have cluster flies – cos they get stuck in the fibres. So we are looking for a different product. Unfortunately that consists of sheeps wool or polyester blankets, which have the same issue, or Polystyrene – which is a fire hazard.
We have spent weeks trying to find the kind of products that you see on UK home renovation shows like “Grand Designs” – a solid board that can be cut to size. The theory is that while it wont stop the flies – clean up is a whole lot easier. Thanks to a particular show we saw last night – we have a name – Kingspan – and shock-horror – they have an office in New Zealand. I’m calling them next week for a sample and pricing.
Note to Kiwi Insulation makers – sort out your SEO – this does not come up in a Google search of “New Zealand Insulation”.
We found some foil backed blankets (sort of like Bubblewrap with foil on it) in the UK, but the company won’t work out a price for the amount we need.
2. Spraying the garden.
You need to kill the worms that lay the Cluster Fly eggs. Kiwicare sell Lawnprills which are little pellets of poison, but its REALLY expensive, and hard to use. We have found a local guy who has the same chemical in liquid form and will spray the garden and paddock for about $180 – which is a bargain. Because its a liquid its safe for the sheep in the paddock.
3. Spraying the house.
While its not a solution – it does actually kill the flies – so its about time to get the outside of the house sprayed. It can last upto a couple of years inside the house, but on the outside, rain and UV light affects the way the spray works, so it needs to be done more often. I’m not using the guy advertising Rodent Killing on principle!
4. Blocking holes in the attic
Because we have cleared out most of the dead flies, we can now see where they seem to be coming in. So we are also looking at getting some large cans of expanding polyurethane foam to block those gaps. I don’t think it will cure the problem, because to do that you really do need to make the are airtight – which is a problem. But I guess as part of a multi pronged attack it cant hurt.
5. Aromatherapy.
Ok – here I’m going out on a limb and having an experiment. Since no one else is going to try and come up with a permanent solution other than we keep spraying insecticides in our homes that don’t work anyway. Of the main issues with cluster flies is that they secrete a pheromone which attracts other cluster flies. Thats why you have to keep hoovering the dead flies up.
So I thought – why don’t we try and mask the pheromones?
Worth a try I figured – as we are losing anyway. So I’ve made a mix of equal parts Lavender, Eucalyptus, Lemongrass, Citronella and Peppermint, then Ive just sprinkled drops all over the attic, and soaked some rags in a mix of the oil diluted with water, and put those in jars spaced round the attic.
The house smells very fresh now.
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The cluster flies are back :(
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One I agree with INZ on.
Immigration New Zealand have turned down a residency application from a UK man on the basis that he lied on his application and was refused entry in the post to the USA for “people smuggling”. He was declined on the basis that he did not meet Good Character Requirements, and was not granted a character waiver.
The case went to the Residence Review board, who agreed with INZ’s decision, but because this man had very strong family ties to New Zealand, sent the case to the Minister. They declined as well.
Note: WordPress was so utterly flummoxed that I agreed with INZ that it trashed the rest of what I had written, and I’ve had to re-write everything below. 
The issue here is that a UK man applied for residency under the partnership category, and has a Kiwi wife, a child with that that wife, 2 step-children and other members of his own family who already have residency in New Zealand. He answered NO to the following question on his residency application:
“Have you or any of your family members included in your application ever been:
Refused entry to any country, including New Zealand.”
when in fact he had previously been refused entry to the USA. Now the gent claims he misunderstood the question, and thought you only had to say YES if the reason for the refusal is that you had done something wrong, or broken a law and been refused entry on that basis. I happen to agree with INZ that you cant misunderstand the question – it’s clear as bloody daylight, especially when English is your first language.
Unfortunately for this guy, INZ then found out that he had been refused entry to the US (cos – like – border agencies tend to have that kind of useful info available), and questioned him about it. At this point he seems to have claimed that it was because of Identity Theft, and his passport had been duplicated. But then INZ got hold of the transcripts from the US of his interview with the Border Security officers, where he clearly says he sold his passport 9 years ago to one of three Sri Lankans for $500(USD).
He then claims that he signed the transcript as being a true and fair representation only under duress, but had also said to INZ that “The guys were really nice to me …” So INZ (and the Residence Review Board) weren’t having any of that either.
So the problem here is that he lied on the form, then kept on lying when the issue was discovered. I really don’t think that INZ can be blamed for thinking that this shows a lack of good character – not to say a lack of common sense. The only way to deal with an issue like this is total openness as far as I can see. Yep – it looks bad on your application if you have to answer yes to that question – but it looks a whole lot worse if you try to hide it and get found out.
The really sad thing is that when it got to the RRB, they really did not want to have to refuse him the permit, because of his strong family ties here, and in particular the effect it would have on the 2 stepchildren – who would have to leave New Zealand and therefore miss out on contact with their biological father. This guy had a lot of support from all sorts of people, and is clearly well liked. But they could not overlook his continuing lack of honesty and his lack of responsibility for selling his passport. So they passed the decision on to the Ministers office – who also agreed that this was too big an issue to overlook.
Don’t lie on your application form. If you make a mistake, front up to it, because reading the RRB decision, I am left with the impression that had he done so, the RRB would have let the guys family connections and support override what he did. INZ have to work on the principle that if you do write something on the form that isn’t true – that you did so as a genuine mistake.
I’ve written 3 blogs on the topic of Good Character requirements, and the character waiver process. If you do make any false statements on your application forms, you are automatically considered not to have good character, so it really pays to get this right.
I think this also goes to show that not every “NO” decision is the wrong one.
The RRB complete transcript can be read here.
Note 2: WordPress crashed twice more while writing this lol.
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Immigration have now noticed the Christchurch Earthquake ;)
Filed under: Getting to New Zealand, NZIS & Immigration issues
As of Wednesday 8th Sept, there is now a notification in the INZ Website:
Immigration New Zealand’s Response to the Canterbury Earthquake
Wednesday, 8 September 2010
As part of its response to the Canterbury earthquake, Immigration New Zealand is working closely with other Government agencies to identify occupations where skill shortages may occur, for example, in the infrastructure or construction sectors to ensure that where an immigration response is required we are able to respond in a timely manner. For instance, this may result in changes being made to the Essential Skills in Demand Lists before our next review which is due for completion in mid 2011.
So, part way there – this is undoubtedly something that needs to happen, but also someone in Immigration also needs to think about people with Work Visas who may not have jobs to go to anymore. But the good news is – if you have skills that could be useful in re-building – keep a very close eye on the skills shortage lists.
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QuakeMap
Boffins at Canterbury Uni have come up with an ingenious Quake Map which shows a Time Lapse picture of the last 24 hours of local quakes. Its rather cool. And for those of us who just cannot comprehend the effect of constant aftershocks – sobering.
The 5.1 magnitude at 8.02 am Wednesday morning has caused further damage to the area.
Hat tip to Scott, Christine and Sharon for sharing on facebook.
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Are you emigrating to Christchurch?
Filed under: Getting to New Zealand, NZIS & Immigration issues
Ok – I have no idea how this earthquake situation is going to pan out – no-one does right now. But it occurs to me that if you were planning on emigrating to New Zealand, and in particular Christchurch (which is the 2nd most popular destination) then you need to be thinking about certain things. So I’m going to run through the things I think you might need to be aware of, and any info that I can find which is more specific to migrants.
Most of the travel info in here is sourced from the Canterbury Tourist Info site – which seems to be updating regularly – and providing a lot of useful info.
Airport
The international airport is open, and flights are still arriving – including from Australia and Singapore – so there don’t appear to be any issues there.
Christchurch International Airport is fully operational. Runways, car park building and terminals have been fully assessed. Runways are undamaged. Terminals are structurally sound, but there is some superficial damage.
Hotels
Currently, Hotels in the city and surrounding areas have rooms available. Some in the CBD cannot be accessed as the center is cordoned off and no one can get in. This is while the work crews go in and assess the damage and make sure the buildings are safe.
The advice is to check with your planned hotel BEFORE you leave to go to Christchurch, and make sure they still have room, and are still OK to take guests.
Immigration
Earthquake? What Earthquake? You mean there’s been a major disastrous earthquake in one of the major destinations for immigrants to New Zealand??? Oh.
So basically – bugger all information on what to do if you say – have a work visa for a job in Christchurch that no longer exists. Not a peep in the latest news section, and all they say on the home page is that the Christchurch office is closed and ring the contact centre. Helpful. Unless you need to retrieve a passport from the Christchurch office. They have a q&a for that.
Rentals
Well – this is the bit that could get messy. A lot of houses have significant damage, and at this stage its hard to tell from the news thats coming out what the long tern or even short term effects on rentals is going to be. Property Talk has a thread about the earthquakes – with some input from Landlords and Property managers in the area and whats going on. Theres also a fascinating comment on this post on Interest.co.nz from a landlord (1st Comment) who went out to inspect his properties on Saturday. I think this illustrates really well the problems that will be faced by all property owners in the areas affected.
The Herald has a map of the worst affected areas showing where all the aftershocks are, and you can zoom in to see if where you were thinking of moving too is affected.
Buying Houses
Way too early to say what the hell is going to happen here, but a lot of houses will be demolished, and I would hazard a guess that it may be tricky to get insurance on any houses you do buy in certain areas. But thats going to take a while to work through the system. I don’t think its going to be great news for house values in the area though.
This though is when you get your head around understanding why New Zealand houses look so lightweight and flimsy compared to UK 2ft-thick-stone-walls style homes.
Areas in Trouble
The Central city was really badly affected – it seems because of the sheer number of heritage buildings which were not earthquake strengthened. (I bet Wellington City Building owners will now not complain so loudly that the council is insisting on improved Earthquake Strengthening). As of now about 79% of buildings in the CBD have been given a green sticker – which means they are safe. 5% of the buildings have a Red Sticker – which means they are to be demolished.
The news today was focusing on a area north of the city called Kaiapoi, which has been really badly effected by Liquefaction and damage to water and sewer lines. New Brighton is also particularly badly effected by liquefaction from what I can tell.
The absolute best website Ive found so far for information an specific areas is canterburyearthquake.org, particularly the Incident Map which shows an amazing amount of detailed info about the kind of damage in an area.
Jobs
Well, the economy in the area is going to take a hit – so if you have a job lined up in Christchurch – you will obviously need to be in contact with your potential employer to find out what is happening. Just be aware that some areas are still without power or phones, and it may take some time to get through or for people to get back to you.
If the news reports are anything to go by – there is still a feeling of shock in the area – and they are still getting frequent aftershocks – so don’t panic if you don’t hear anything. I do however think it’s important to be prepared for the fact that the job situation may change drastically, and if Immigration New Zealand aren’t being flexible, this could cause all sorts of issues. Be especially careful if you are in possession of Work Visas, or you have a residence visa with a Section 18a Clause on it – as these do not allow for flexibility. Only INZ can say what to do in this situation I’m afraid, so you need to be in contact with your case officer as a matter of priority.
On the plus side – any tradespeople may be seen as absolute godsends right now. Assuming that Immigration New Zealand actually notices theres been an earthquake.
OK, thats all for now. As I said, I’m not really sure how useful that will be in the long run, or even for people arriving in the short term, but I guess if it gives even one person a bit of info they didn’t have before and were worrying about then thats all good.
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Earthquake kit.
Reproduced with Kind Permission – this is Smiler’s Earthquake kit (or emergency kit)- which is actually the best I’ve seen, and what we based ours on.
Earthquake Kit
1 portable gas BBQ in a case with peizzo ignition
4 x gas cylinders
Matches
1 x saucepan
1 x sharp knife
Can opener
Cups
Plastic disposable cutlery
Plastic disposable bowls
Full First aid kit with bandages, tape, painkillers, sterilised stuff.
Scissors
Latex gloves
Face masks
Heavy duty gloves
Biohazard bags for waste disposal
2 x torches
Spare batteries
Warm layers of old clothing, fleeces & change of underwear
Sleeping bag
Heavy duty boots for both of us
Thick socks
Photocopies of passports, birth certs, insurance and other important docs.
Print out of important names, address, phone numbers etc.
Some money (Note – or Fags which could be worth more than money if you have to barter!)
Toilet rolls
Radio
Towels (big bath ones that can be used for warmth too)
Tooth brushes and paste
Baby wipes
Toilet roll
Waterless sanitizer
Leather man tool
Water & Food. (soup, beans, etc stuff that doesn’t need hydrating, no sardines though)
Portable amateur radios (One at home or car, one with OH at work)
Generator
Axe
Comfort food (sweets, chocolate or whatever floats your boat)
A book (or something to do else to do to pass time)
A toy or games for the kids
Pet food
Hand pump water filter (camping one)
Candles (I’m banned from having them after small incident hence the torches instead)
Added: A supply of any prescrition medicines you may need.
This forms a really good kit. It’s not a bad idea to have the bulk of it in a large suitcase or a plastic box with wheels on so you can lug it round if the worst happens. Re-reading through the list – we have some holes in our kit – so need to improve it. Now is as good a time as any.
The biggest issue facing Christchurch seems to be Lack of water. This is because a lot of mains have burst, and the sewage system is damaged, so there is contamination. Many rural homes are on Tank water – so should be a lot more secure – but the tanks could crack. We have some really large water bottles that we really need to get filled from the tank now – that will keep us going for a while. But even if you don’t have those – the supermarkets here all sell 10l bottles of water.
You can get more info at Get Thru and EQ-IQ
Many thanks to Smiler 
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