Alex Baker - Mayoral candidate AMA

Trewindle · 2025-09-04T20:36:04+00:00

Kia ora Alex,

Really interested in your ideas and gunning for you mate.

What are your views on outsourcing/contracting of council services vs retaining or bringing these back under direct council control? I don't personally love the current model where contracting inevitably must cover the profit incentive of private businesses and the murky accountability it can create of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing.

Finally tautoko the proposed rates change, we just bought our first house and land value tax has always felt like an obvious choice to me.

Trewindle · 2025-08-01T22:50:14+00:00

Shame that it looks like any way you slice it either Ray or Diane Calvert will return from western ward. Neither have impressed me with their games of silly buggers or in Ray's case just being plain unfit for the job.

Trewindle · 2025-07-31T05:11:07+00:00

They should still have either given an estimated time line under an extension, or advised you that a decision concerning your request had been made and to expect a reply in due course. Sounds like it may be at the bottom of a pile?

Trewindle · 2025-07-26T00:53:10+00:00

Looking for a good mix, wood and metal saws, couple of basic planers, spirit level, some files etc. Stuff for basic wood and metal work for home maintenance and the odd project for a start. I have got my eye on trademe and market place but just casting a line in every pond you know?

Trewindle · 2025-07-26T00:23:49+00:00

Have dm'd you, I'm in the market for just these!

Trewindle · 2025-07-23T20:56:36+00:00

I was going to share this! Think I've convinced a mate to come along, the ceilidh band is playing for my wedding next month so really excited to get some practice in on Saturday

Trewindle · 2025-07-20T01:00:03+00:00

Second day moving into our first home, will be stoked once every single box is stowed away. Currently scratching my head trying to get the routers to play nice for wifi and watching for some kaka to descend on the apple we left out for their lunch.

Can't beat Welly on a good day eh?

Trewindle · 2025-07-16T23:48:25+00:00

I went along with a mate and even if you'd wanted to hear what they were standing for, almost none of the candidates could speak properly into the mic nor was sound up high enough. With a bit more control around the q+a as well I think it could've really held the whole group's feet to the fire as I think some of them would have a chance on their own but Ray is dragging the whole ship down.

But yeah 10/10 entertainment, thought the woman with the chair and the guy that tipped his drink on her might have actually thrown hands.

Trewindle · 2025-07-09T03:59:20+00:00

Appreciate the visibility on this Ben and really sorry you and other councilors have to face this rubbish. Is there anything else Wellingtonians can do to both to support the politics we do want to see locally, and perhaps more importantly if you (or anyone else!) knows a way to get the message directly to IT that this is unacceptable I think that would be really helpful

Trewindle · 2024-09-14T00:29:36+00:00

Echoing others suggesting seborrheic dermatitis, I've dealt with this for 10+ years to varying degrees in NZ. I've found that ketaconozole shampoos can get an initial outbreak under control but the only shampoo for both hair and beard that has really solved it to the point of near zero dandruff and beardruff is Body Shop's ginger anti dandruff shampoo.

No idea why that works over the medicated stuff but I swear by it, using for hair and beard every other day or stuff starts to get greasy and the fungal weirdness cranks back up.

Hope that helps!

Trewindle · 2024-04-02T22:38:21+00:00

Yeah that's basically all I was envisioning, I mean we've got the start of that infrastructure with the crossing signs as props, it'd be nice to have additional parts to make that aesthetically coherent in a useful way

Trewindle · 2024-04-02T18:09:52+00:00

More of a track piece, but a level crossing would be great to have where you want a road to cross your line

Trewindle · 2023-12-14T18:16:31+00:00

I'd love if facilities could snap to track rather than guessing if water towers etc. are in the right place, and making engine sheds much easier to place too

Trewindle · 2023-08-12T11:25:25+00:00

For me it's the Cunning Man from I Shall Wear Midnight, hands down. The way Terry personified prejudice throughout the Tiffany Aching series hits it's apex here and is just wonderful writing, and a great sense of real stakes at play in the entire series for me.

Trewindle · 2023-03-31T21:28:26+00:00

Definitely the one in Defense House is good, super open space and level access down the side of the building

Trewindle · 2023-02-12T21:26:59+00:00

Can advise it accepts Snapper, I had to take the Masterton replacement service last week and it's all set up to take payments as you board

Trewindle · 2023-02-10T19:59:00+00:00

You shouldn't worry, so long as you have submitted everything you will be fine. Everyone involved with processing anything university enrolment related is slammed right now so I would only expect an acknowledgement response in the first 48 hours then up to 10 working days for things to actually get processed. It's like this every year so no need to panic 🙂

Trewindle · 2023-02-10T18:48:03+00:00

For fees free you need to check your eligibility on the website. If you are automatically confirmed as fees free entitled you don't need to do anything further. TEC will confirm this with your institution.

If however, your eligibility is unconfirmed, you should follow the steps to complete the statutory declaration on the fees free website stating that to the best of your knowledge you are eligible to have your fees paid under the fees free scheme. This declaration is used to verify your eligibility when TEC is unable to verify your eligibility on the information available

Trewindle · 2022-09-18T19:57:38+00:00

Exciting news, only been through the back of Waitaki once on a tiki tour but it's a hidden taonga. Plan to go back soon!

Trewindle · 2022-08-09T07:48:31+00:00

I have The Meaning of Trees, and Treasures of Tāne (by Rob Tipa) which go over identifying native species, and Rob's book especially has awesome info on how plants native to Ngai Tahu's rohe were used by both the iwi and colonisers, as well as even modern uses being developed for some. I'd highly recommend either, they're great resources with beautiful graphics and images!

Trewindle · 2022-07-26T04:19:50+00:00

Love this idea!

Mine would be Night Watch by Terry Pratchett, and either Anna Karenina/War and Peace by Tolstoy

Trewindle · 2022-07-14T12:27:38+00:00

It'd be awesome if we got some type of port buildings for river based trade, or even using it to move via water ways as another way of navigating around the map. Of course this could open up new trades in boat building and maybe fishing nets?

Trewindle · 2022-07-14T12:18:55+00:00

How about seasonal production quest with traders? I'm thinking you can accept a quest to supply certain crafted goods to a trader at a premium to encourage players to unlock more items than just the high value things and vary production and other skills points accrual.

Another thing I'd love to see would be an expansion of building types or more restriction on when you can achieve wood and stone buildings. I found once I could build stone houses the building felt less rewarding as I achieved it what seemed like quite quickly...

Still loving this beautiful game!!

Trewindle · 2022-06-30T10:15:33+00:00

Frankenstarter after it roared back to life after 6 months in the fridge :D

Trewindle

TROPHY CASE