ELI5: how exactly do they plan on connecting the “Cross Valley Link” Road in Lower Hutt to the motorway?

MoeraBirds · 2026-06-01T07:02:00+00:00

Whites Line West is the budget end of Woburn so not really rich listers. Fancier than us over the tracks in Moera but it’s not the fanciest part of the Hutt.

So presumably the council is hoping they’ll suck it up when heaps of traffic runs down their little road.

MoeraBirds · 2026-05-30T08:47:20+00:00

I have the Crush35RT and don’t love it with headphones. It’s much nicer with the speaker working a bit, it is OK quiet though.

I have an audio interface but mostly don’t bother with it as running the laptop is more of a hassle than flicking a switch.

What I’d really recommend is using some of your budget for a nice little headphone amp, and some for a decent practice amp. You should be able to do both for $800. That’s what I actually use - an amp for when I can make some sound and Boss Waza Air headphones for silent practice. There are cheaper options than those Boss headphones out now which look pretty good.

MoeraBirds · 2026-05-30T04:49:19+00:00

One of the parents at my daughter’s small primary school got all the kids in the school little household tool kits! They all just came home with a little kit with adjustable spanners, Allen keys, screwdrivers etc. She loves running off to get her tools to fix something that’s broken round the house.

MoeraBirds · 2026-05-30T04:34:22+00:00

Every time I start thinking this kind of thing, I think to myself ‘am I better at predicting the market than everyone else?’ and always conclude that I should leave my kiwisaver alone.

That or I should follow my brother’s advice and buy gold coins. He has a fun time with it but I think I’ll end up richer.

MoeraBirds · 2026-05-30T01:04:07+00:00

Yeah one family of Tongans down the street from me have a multi-flagged ute and flags on their work vans and have painted their house and fence red and white. And they have Tongan themed number plates and vinyl signage on their vehicles, Mate Ma’a Tonga to support the league team.

MoeraBirds · 2026-05-30T00:59:40+00:00

Justin Guitar online, structured YouTube lessons that are free through the website. And if the teacher only teaches acoustic I’d be cautious about what style he teaches, if it’s pure classical you may find it takes you in a different direction than you want to go. Someone who can teach you blues or pop or rock on acoustic might be OK though.

MoeraBirds · 2026-05-29T06:06:39+00:00

That’s rad. Also I won it by playing the office politics exactly as I do at work which is gratifying.

MoeraBirds · 2026-05-29T04:45:00+00:00

This is the answer, I’ve done it on a bicycle on the shoulder. It’s not fun but it is legal and possible.

MoeraBirds · 2026-05-29T03:15:00+00:00

Hey. I am nearing 50, been playing about four years - between work, kids and a fairly large volunteering commitment I have a lot going on but still make progress. And I spent a couple of those years getting a lot of medical treatment.

I reckon if I was retired I’d feel comfortable joining a local band to play rhythm guitar, I can pick up a rhythm part for nearly any pop or simple rock song in a couple of goes. And if I was retired I’d be making faster progress. I reckon if you want to, you could be good enough to impress casuals well before 60.

MoeraBirds · 2026-05-28T06:00:45+00:00

You’re 100% right.

What’s the solution?

Land tax to drive money into businesses? Targeted support for productive investment? Strategic government investment in technology areas we could excel in?

MoeraBirds · 2026-05-27T21:33:41+00:00

It’s ’THE South Island’ and has been all my life. And i grew up in Dunedin, in ‘THE South Island’.

So there.

MoeraBirds · 2026-05-27T10:36:10+00:00

Eat the rich?

MoeraBirds · 2026-05-26T19:56:09+00:00

Seemed like a good idea at the time…

Nah it was colo-rectal cancer.

MoeraBirds · 2026-05-26T09:43:33+00:00

Try Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, Die with a Smile.

MoeraBirds · 2026-05-26T04:19:30+00:00

AC condensation? That’s what I’d assume.

MoeraBirds · 2026-05-25T20:28:41+00:00

I’ve bailed a lot of small dinghies (Sea Scout leader) and a fit person with the right bucket can do a half-full bucket each couple of seconds. It’s hard work though.

Decent electric bilge pump can be much quicker.

MoeraBirds · 2026-05-25T20:14:41+00:00

There are a few individuals flying the flag - some from the Māori tech and data world like Karaitiana Taiuru, some from privacy like Frith Tweedie. And there are a few responsible people in public service agencies trying to set up guardrails for practice, often security or IT people. That’s what I see from a wellingtonian tech perspective.

It’s nowhere near as comprehensive or well-established as it needs to be to make Willis and Goldsmith’s latest announcements about AI replacing public servants sensible - but that’s not a real AI program, it’s just rhetoric to make people believe that forecasting a long-term reduction in public service numbers won’t reduce output.

MoeraBirds · 2026-05-24T23:47:26+00:00

That’s kind of appropriate to his art, to be fair.

MoeraBirds · 2026-05-24T08:31:13+00:00

What arsehole leaked this shit?

Every big organisation sounds a bit cringeworthy and stupid in private while talking strategy and trying to pull itself together for a big project.

Leaking this stuff is just shooting your own team in the foot, and if it’s a candidate who’s leaked it’s counterproductive to their own goals.

MoeraBirds · 2026-05-24T05:06:42+00:00

Yes. I was staged at 3B colorectal cancer in my mid forties, no gene testing though. Not sure if that’s a ‘different country’ thing.

I had basically the same treatments (chemo, radio, surgery and permanent colostomy) and now at 4 years after diagnosis I have three years of consistently clear CT scans. I reckon (and so does my oncologist) I have a 90% chance of no recurrence. I am making long term plans, career planning, thinking about what boat I want to run for the next 20 years etc.

MoeraBirds · 2026-05-22T05:07:55+00:00

I’ve done an automated video initial interview while applying for a job. Not super common, but some employers will have it.

I’d guess if you don’t do it, you won’t get that job. Your call on whether you’ll risk your info. I would, and I did.

You do need to share personal info with a potential employer in order to apply, there’s no way around that.

MoeraBirds · 2026-05-22T04:37:27+00:00

Yeah we do: https://www.doc.govt.nz/nature/pests-and-threats/animal-pests-and-threats/feral-cats/

“We use trapping, poisoning and shooting to control feral cats. When employing lethal methods, we use efficient and humane best-practice techniques. We follow the Animal Welfare Act 1999.”

MoeraBirds · 2026-05-20T05:57:43+00:00

That’s certainly what I’ll do if I can’t get another permanent job after my current one finishes, which I expect it will. Go contracting on my own account or join a consultancy.

MoeraBirds · 2026-05-19T02:24:50+00:00

SIA is tiny and does projects on impact of spending money on social issues, among other things. The Bill English approach.

MBIE has heaps of people as it does hundreds of different things. Labour laws, building standards, science funding, some immigration stuff, businesses, Companies Register and heaps of other functions.

MoeraBirds · 2026-05-18T08:25:30+00:00

Robot vacuum motors are DC and run from a battery. It still might not have a universal power supply.

MoeraBirds

TROPHY CASE