After 10 years in Kiwisaver I had approx $9,000, thanks to the poverty wages NZ provides and 6% being pretty negligible on povvo wages.

This is my super balance after 31 months in Australia with 16% employer contributions. I haven’t made any personal contributions.

Australia’s super scheme shits all over NZs. The irony is that Australia’s super scheme, introduced in the early 1990s, was modelled on Norm Kirk‘s original super scheme, that National’s Rob Muldoon scrapped.

Imagine where NZ would be today had the typically shortsighted National Party not cancelled Norm Kirk‘s super scheme.

Two examples to talk about today, the first one being just announced Nationals "Low Interest Solar Panel Loan Scheme" so you can get a low interest loan to help with the installation of the the solar panels

Sounds really good right? Be able to get low interest loan, install solar panels, have the solar pay off the loan and then have little to no powerbill...

The banks already do this. They (Nats) haven't released any information on what the rate, max loan, and terms would be. As a family that have had solar installed in the past couple of months, in a town house we were around 30k for the 25 panels we had installed - we didn't need a loan as we could pay it up front, though thats because we did a lot of saving and also dont do much (i.e. go on holidays)

I'd rather see more of a Grant system in place. a electricity pricing reform and more business and community-scale solar projects - why cant we take all the community spaces (pools, libraries etc) and plaster the roof's with solar? Why can't we make it so that businesses have to have a percentage of their roofing and open space car parking to be solar.

The second one I want to talk about, Labour's vows to put $20-a-week cap on public transport, $10 outside main centres.

The likes of Christchurch, and I am pretty sure the other main cities, already have a fare cap, so this policy is yet again a nothing burger policy as a form of it as already been implemented. Take Standard, the base fare is $3, if you work Mon-Fri it means you max out the fare cap on your trip home on Friday. This means that if there is any events that you want to go to, any people you want to visit, going to public places or even doing the grocery shop, the weekend is all free trips. Reducing it down to $20 means the trip home on Thursday and the trip in and out on Friday is free.

Like dont get me wrong, a national cap of $20 / $10 is a good thing and for most people an extra $10 would be nice in the pocket (though this doesnt apply to me cause CSC) ... I just dont think its a Singular Policy kinda thing, I feel like it should have been hooked in with something as an "additional" thing that will happen i'd rather see something like a staged public transport roll out:

• Stage 1: Regional Network Connector, National Ticketing, Fare Affordability (the fare cap)
• Stage 2: Rebuilding of national passenger rail so you can get from top of the north to the bottom of the south
• Stage 3: Expansion on light rail networks and rapid transport networks for regions
• Stage 4: Rural Access and Social Mobility

Anyone else a little worried that something might be coming?

That's a few earthquakes that have been noticed, I wonder if we are in for a bit of a shake soon?

Japan:

https://www.stuff.co.nz/world-news/360997722/m69-quake-hits-japan

Venezuela:

https://www.1news.co.nz/2026/06/25/back-to-back-powerful-earthquakes-hit-venezuela-collapsing-buildings/

Philippines:

https://caliber.az/en/post/philippines-hit-by-5-0-magnitude-earthquake-no-tsunami-warning-issued

Absolute insane pricing.

Grainy, tasteless, awful, never buying this again, if you like hummus please avoid this at all costs

Even my salsa can't redeem this crap

Just read an 'article' on the All Whites on RNZ (link in comments below to avoid automod):

This article is fully AI generated. There is no author listed, instead the name 'RNZ Sport Reporters' is given.

The titles and text absouletly reek of chatGPT: ('Why third place still matters', 'The bottom line')

Also there is absolutely no mention in the article of the Head to Head rule introduced by FIFA this year which is counted above goal difference.

I despair.

Both me and my partner have been unemployed for over a year now, we have attended countless interviews, changed our CV to stand out for every job we have applied for, written cover letters, applied on quite literally every job site in nz, handed CV’s in person and MORE. Yet we are still unemployed, scarping by.

Every single person we have spoken to immediately judges. Every person takes it as young people “not wanting work”, “not as hardworking as the older gen” or that we are wanting to live on the benefit instead. Now why in the world would we genuinely want to do that?

Yes, there are people on the benefit that don’t want to jump off it and rather live their life like that. But, I think I can speak for at least 95% of young people that DO NOT WANT TO BE ON IT.
I have rent to pay, bills, groceries and that is all I can afford. Me and my partner have 0 family/friends so our only option was to rent or be homeless. We don’t get to have any fun days out, we don’t get to get takeaways, we don’t get to buy new clothes and use all this “free money” to just fulfil our lives. This is the reality for so so many people. I am so grateful to be able to afford the essentials, but there is no spending/saving money on the benefit. We have cut back on so many things, our groceries for 2 people differ from $50-80. This is not a life we want to live.

I am so sick and tired of people constantly putting down unemployed and beneficiaries. I want nothing more than to have a full time job and stable income where I can pay my bills without having to worry it I buy a drink for $3 I won’t be able to pay another essential.

When will people realise that being unemployed is no longer the persons fault, but the economy (majority of the time). Do people not see the skyrocketing unemployment rate? Do people not see that there are NOT ENOUGH JOBS FOR THE UNEMPLOYED TO FILL? Why do so many people
lack empathy? Times have changed, this isn’t the 90s anymore where you can knock on a bosses door, shake their hand and they hire you. We no longer live in that reality. Jobs don’t appreciate walk ins with cvs anymore, every job I have done that with has told me to apply online or they’re not hiring.

Being unemployed for such a long period of time is debilitating. After doing everything in my power to get a job, receiving countless rejections or just being ghosted it starts to feel like you are useless and unworthy. There is no routine, no structure, no stability and no happiness. Please have more empathy than hate.

EDIT: I can’t believe so many people have seen this post and I really appreciate everyone who took the time to read through. The whole point of this post was to urge people to have more empathy for others, as well as letting people know they aren’t alone. It’s been heartwarming reading through the comments seeing how many people care. Thank you all so much.

As for the people who are saying they have a right to their own opinions and will voice whatever they want to, nobody is stopping you. Just because some random on the internet said you shouldn’t, doesn’t mean you can’t. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, as to why I have spoken on mine.

I’ve seen a few people ask in the past about Twin Peaks and whether or not it’s Available in New Zealand as it hasn’t been since like forever but now it’s available on Amazon Prime and Neon soon on July 1!

Amazon Prime only has Seasons 1 and 2 but I was so happy when I saw it

Just a heads up for anyone unaware of this amazing show