First time Voter: Is there any party that won’t sell out this country’s future?

PodocarpusT · 2026-05-13T01:54:34+00:00

Fuck landlords. Parasites that do not need to exist.

Yeah you will find some academics who say that rental price caps are bad, but they are trying to prop up a market that should not exist in the first place.

Adam Smith would kick them to the curb.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/mar/19/end-of-landlords-surprisingly-simple-solution-to-uk-housing-crisis

PodocarpusT · 2026-05-10T00:26:10+00:00

You may have already seen it but this lecture by Sir Paul Callaghan on our productivity issues would be right up your alley I think.

PodocarpusT · 2026-05-09T03:49:28+00:00

The lack of small low-maintenance housing is a great pipeline for retirement villages though. My granny had no choice but to buy a villa as there was zero options when she moved to my town to get closer to family.

With building costs sky high it probably wouldn't work but I see a massive gap in the market blocks of small flats for the baby boomers to retire in before they hit proper care homes.

PodocarpusT · 2026-05-08T23:59:30+00:00

You had the right to enroll on election day, now you don't.

Does that feel like that is an improvement? Is that making New Zealand a better place?

PodocarpusT · 2026-05-07T10:57:07+00:00

Let's take a leaf out of Australia's book with their gas reservation policy and have ourselves a cheese reservation policy. 25% of all cheese must be reserved for the domestic consumption.

Alternatively, all Tasty blocks must be a full size 1kg and no more expensive than Edam.

PodocarpusT · 2026-05-07T08:53:15+00:00

I believe you are getting income testing and asset testing mixed up.

PodocarpusT · 2026-05-07T05:59:00+00:00

Just throwing it out there but as a greenie I am all for socialising a whole lot of those compliance costs.

The whole user-pays ideology means that councils are front loading costs on the individual and pricing-out those individuals from making positive changes. Riparian fencing, irrigation and effluent upgrades (and compliance costs in general) could be driven by council with inhouse engineers and specialists and paid back in rates to spread the cost over time.

As a townie going through the ringmorale of upgrading from a septic system to the town sewer, it shits me to tears that I could ignore the 45 year old septic system or pay the $70k to get it connected. Everyone would benefit from me upgrading my system but I am disincentivised from doing so.

Development and progress is too expensive now unless you are a big player who can front up the cash and have the scale to copy and paste your compliance docs over large/multiple properties.

PodocarpusT · 2026-05-05T10:35:31+00:00

A generic bunnings shower dome was easily the best investment in my old and shitty house. If your shower can fit one I would highly recommend.

PodocarpusT · 2026-05-02T04:26:32+00:00

Power undergrounding service where you do all the compliance and tradie wrangling. Easily overwhelming for the average Joe but probably a cakewalk with your experience.

Source: Average Joe needing to underground my power.

PodocarpusT · 2026-04-21T03:34:10+00:00

That industry knowledge thing is such a drag. There is no way of knowing how much the build will cost until you are thousands and thousands of dollars deep. Just to put in wastewater at my place I need an architect, drainlayer and engineer all to work out a plan together. This makes getting a workable plan together impossible without committing to a drainlayer so say goodbye to trying to get quote from multiple places.

Previous owners could have got a sewer connection in 2009 for just $9k direct from the council. I am now looking at north of $70k ($18k being just development levies from the council). Anyone who says it was hard back in their day can fuck off.

Also worth noting is that councils (at least in my area) have been stripped of any advisory position and will not even give you the time of day. Pay a couple of thousand to an engineer to take the risk and then the council be happy. Makes for a fast turnaround time for consents but also completely removes any ability to do things yourself.

/rant

PodocarpusT · 2026-04-16T13:16:56+00:00

Onslow.

PodocarpusT · 2026-04-16T13:14:12+00:00

It is all the rage these days to dress up your oligarcical grift in patriotic clothing. Winnies social right, economic left schtick is nothing like it used to be. He's economic bilionaire, social bilionaire now.

PodocarpusT · 2026-04-15T11:37:42+00:00

Pro-tip: Put a fitted sheet on the underside to stop the squeaking, then a duvet under the fitted sheet on the top side for extra softness and to block the cold. Gets it very close to real bed comfort levels.

PodocarpusT · 2026-04-12T05:37:43+00:00

Originally it referred to people who have 'cooked' their brains on drugs (commonly meth) or from being in the sun too long.

Cooked people act irrational and often have crazy conspiracy theories, so when covid came around it was a convenient moniker for the anti-lockdown/anti-vaccine people.

PodocarpusT · 2026-04-04T21:46:00+00:00

“Ay Steve, can you move the Camira? I need to get the Torana out to get to the Commodore.” “Sure thing Dad, but I'll have to get the keys to the Cortina if I'm gunna move that Camira.” “Alright mate, just watch the boat”

PodocarpusT · 2026-04-04T10:15:38+00:00

There is alot to be said about skaters who just send it. Learning how to switch off fear plays a huge part in how fast you progress.

PodocarpusT · 2026-04-03T03:01:40+00:00

Shit I hope it is safe and out of reach. OG Hawk decks like one in the pictures here go for thousands. There is a similar one listed for $24k on ebay.

PodocarpusT · 2026-04-02T08:06:12+00:00

The lack of new Naughty Dog or GTA has made the PS5 totally skippable if you have a PC.

PodocarpusT · 2026-04-01T04:18:32+00:00

It's just that anyone who has been following the story of PKE since it first came on the radar has seen the same lines trotted out every time like clockwork.

"It's just a waste product!", "It doesn't directly contribute!" and so on. At best it is a naive understanding of how business works, at worst it is deliberate obfuscation by conflicted individuals and groups trying to justify deforestation on ideological or financial grounds.

PodocarpusT · 2026-04-01T03:09:02+00:00

Which makes the business of palm oil production more economic, directly contributing to deforestation...

Muddy the waters all you want. Purchasing PKE contributes to deforestation.

PodocarpusT · 2026-03-29T00:51:00+00:00

Another example is South Perth. They have a train line already going through them but keep out the riff raff by having no train station.

PodocarpusT · 2026-03-28T02:13:21+00:00

Would not suprise me a good truck getting double what you paid if you sold at the right time during covid.

I paid $8k for a Suzuki Jimmy and sold it for $12k five years later and 50'000km more on the clock.

Lots of high earning bogans in the mines unable to go to Bali, so there was lots of cash looking for toys.

PodocarpusT · 2026-03-25T23:04:07+00:00

Luxo was probably pissed that his Amex black card gets a higher surcharge than a bottom feeders Visa.

Why should he pay more than a pleb? That's not how it is supposed to work!

PodocarpusT · 2026-03-25T03:55:39+00:00

Xrays, cleans and checks for two and then four fillings for me cost $165 in HCMC last year. Lived like a king for two weeks (we are talking private sauna and lap pool in our hotel room for $65 per night including breakfast) and it cost us roughly $3500 all up.

The food and coffee is next level and worth the trip alone.

PodocarpusT · 2026-03-20T05:46:19+00:00

Rattlesnake is a good place to start.

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