I’ve had to call an ambulance a few times in my life, usually they turn up promptly. This time I have a flatmate in absolute on-stop agony, possibly related to another serious condition that she has had to live with for years because, well you know how it is here in NZ.

Anyway, they can’t tell us when an ambulance can turn up. Under massive strain. It’s ridiculous to read about our health system’s strain, but it’s quite another to actually experience it.
I think it’s been 2 hours so far.
This is the country we now live in.

I fell in love with Aotearoa 12 years ago while backpacking and I am now finally a resident.
My partner and I have lived here since 2022 and our path to residency was neither quick nor easy but I am elated and grateful that the day has come and we’re officially residents now.
People who never had to endure the immigration process struggle to understand the trauma and the suffering it involves. They often are only confronted with their own worries and fears when it comes to the topic of immigration. I know immigration is often made into a polarising topping and I know it is very difficult to empathise with other people if you struggle to feed your family or are worried about loosing your job.
But I hope some of you can share my happiness today. I love Aotearoa and the people here with all my heart. This is home. My partner and I have made an effort from day one to be an asset to our community and we will keep the good mahi up of course.
I’m excited to be officially allowed now to spend the rest of my life in the most beautiful country on earth.
Ngā mihi 🙏🏻

The egg
The discount

Such theatre.
Just when I think there is nothing a supermarket could do to disappoint me further, I spot this in the wild.

Naming and shaming NW Browns Bay

They always seem to be the last thing left at shared morning teas

Omg, I must be socially delayed to not know how to address this. Ive just moved into a new flat, new to area completely so flatty (not head tenant or person who interviewed me for the room) is overly friendly and wants to hang, and planning events to go to. But I'm genuinely not interested and she seems like she smokes Crack.

How do I decline and pretty much say im literally never keen to hang without saying, that? Because she'll know i haven't got other plans as she lives with me and I legit don't know anyone else here lel

What will Warkworth to Te Hana cost us? And other burning questions. Greater Auckland. August 3, 2026. Post.

Warkworth To Te Hana PPP Signed. Press Release: New Zealand Government. 30 July 2026. Scoop.

I recently found out that my 'secure' job is being disestablished - there is quite a few of us out of work. We are being replaced by AI and off-shore cheap labor.

I feel sick heading into the current job market - I've read so many posts of people applying for jobs and getting no interviews. I've applied for over 20 jobs in the last few days.

I'm having suicidal thoughts and I don't know how I will survive this. I'm scared, I'm angry. Where do I go from here?

Asian male late 20s .
When I was younger it was fine but as I just get older maybe it’s a societal pressure or judgement I’m not sure but yes I’ve made some taboo mistakes and a lot of awkward mistakes such as the ones that stays in your memory where you think you’re such a weirdo yourself.
Whoever answers can relate to what I’m saying that’s a plus. Either way it does seem like I’m answering for myself but I still need some things that I cannot answer myself and that is holding eye contact makes me shake in my lips my nose makes my eyes close my nose clenches, I mean it’s really weird and unusual for me but it’s just getting worse as I get older.
Is anybody aware of why this happens why I get insecure or socially anxious? When they hold high contact I cannot hold a conversation I don’t know what to say but this is only certain people.

Usually it’s people who look more intimidating or more mature or someone that I feel like is cooler than me or better than me in certain ways.

I grew up being judged a lot. One thing for sure is I wasn’t like this when I was doing MMA when I was younger but that’s because I was younger. Can anybody relate to this? Possibly Tall poppy also? Because when I imagine myself in a different country I can’t imagine myself being socially anxious.

As per the title, I am a female gym-goer really needing some advice.

I have been going to the same gym for years and in general, I love my gym. It’s convenient, people are friendly enough, and has pretty good equipment and amenities. However, a frustrating situation has arisen over the last few months or so and I feel very stuck with what to do about it.

There is the one male who makes me feel incredibly uncomfortable and I believe he is doing it intentionally. He is constantly using the equipment right next to me or directly facing me and I will often only complete one set before getting uncomfortable and moving to the other side of the gym and then surprise surprise, he follows. Alternatively, he might be using a piece of equipment a bit further away but in between sets he will get up and walk directly past where I am and then turn around and go back. Sometimes he will do these loops multiple times between his sets. I know I sound crazy for saying this and I tried to convince myself I was also just being crazy and paranoid, but as I said, I started testing it by completing only one set before moving, or sometimes not even doing any reps or sets at all and just moving and he follows. He also gives me these really creepy smirks and stares at me.

I have tried my best to just avoid it for months and pretend to ignore it but it’s gotten to the point where I feel uncomfortable wearing my usual gym clothes because of the staring and going to the gym now gives me a lot of anxiety when it used to relieve my anxiety and that was one of my main reasons for going. Because I am so anxious and a very non confrontational person, I physically cannot speak up and say anything to him about it. I have tried to make it very clear by giving him clear looks that demonstrate my frustration and discomfort, but I honestly think that may just be fuelling the fire because I think that he wants to make me uncomfortable. I have tried adjusting my gym schedule but somehow he is always there regardless or arrives while I am there.

I have considered speaking to the staff about it but he seems to be very friendly with them and is frequently chatting to them, so I don’t think that would work in my favour. As I mentioned previously, I am also a very anxious person and can’t deal with confrontation. I don’t know that I’d even be able to talk to the staff if I wanted to. Plus, it is one of those situations where I feel I have no leg to stand on. Even if they were to speak to him, he could easily just deny it and claim it‘s just a coincidence that he wants to use the equipment right near me. I would just be painted as a crazy female trying to cause trouble. I worry that either nothing would get done and it might even make it worse, or the staff might turn on me for complaining about it and revoke my membership.

I really don’t want to have to move gyms because of this. I have been going there longer than he has and I don’t want to be driven out and for him to feel like he has won. I also think that he would probably just start doing it to another female and I wouldn’t want them to have to deal with it. There also aren’t really any other gyms that are particularly convenient for me and the ones that would be feasible are either much more expensive or just don’t have the right amenities for me. I feel very stuck because otherwise I can just see this continuing to get worse and then I will probably stop going anyway. I feel like I have almost reached that point.

Any advice from other females who have dealt with similar would be amazing. Also if anyone here either owns a gym or works at one, if you have any advice or input if you have dealt with any similar situations or if you have any ideas about what you would do in this situation. Just any advice at all from anyone would be great really!

Please be kind. I know I sound crazy but this is very real for me. I obviously don’t want to name the gym or location because my purpose with this post isn’t to out them or cause drama. I genuinely just want to be able to feel safe and enjoy the gym again :(

Before everyone jumps on me, I know NZ has a genuine affordability problem. Housing, groceries, insurance, power etc. are all expensive and have risen faster than incomes for quite a while now.

But I also think we're avoiding the fact that a lot of people are just not very good at managing their money.

The best example of this is with Buy Now Pay Later.

MBIE did a survey in 2021 and found that 78% of BNPL users said they used it because they couldn't afford the full price upfront. https://www.mbie.govt.nz/have-your-say/bnpl

Now fair enough, that's basically what BNPL is for. But the most common things people were buying were clothes/shoes (87%), technology (53%), health/beauty (44%) and leisure/toys (37%).

Using this I find it pretty hard to justify outside of specific situations how we can say that people don't have enough money because basic living is unaffordable. I understand that there will be parts of the data that cover essential clothing and technology for education but outside of these specific scenarios 78% of purchases using BNPL are for luxuries that we can't afford.

Additionally, a survey by the Retirement Commission found that 31% of people know how much they spend in a week and 27% check every single transaction. Basically 70% of the population have no idea how much they are actually spending and I'm willing to bet that a portion of the 31% don't actually have an accurate understanding of their expenses. https://assets.retirement.govt.nz/public/Uploads/Research/TAAO-RC-NZ-FinCap-Survey-Report.pdf

Now, I am not saying that all spending is unnecessary and I'm not saying someone who is struggling to buy groceries just needs to spend hours budgeting.

But I do think that people need to start taking their finances more serious and ask themselves "Do I really understand where my money goes?". Because I think people find it easier to pass the blame on rather than look in the mirror.

There is no excuse for being bad with your money and there is no reason why you should ignore how much you spend.

Whether you like it or not, money is important. It might not solve all your issues but I don't think anyone would regret having a better understanding of the money we work so hard for and give up so much of our time for.

I have been tracking my money for 5 years now so if anyone wants some tips feel free to DM me. Obviously its not financial advice but it might help give you an idea on what you can do to manage your money.

It seems like Labour are struggling to resonate with men and even younger men. According to Roy Morgan only 14% of men under 50 intend on voting labour. This is similar to what TOP is polling with this demographic and lower than Greens and ACT. I know Roy Morgan pole isn't gospel but we can't discount it either as a similar trend appears in other poles as well, where men have for some reason generally moved away from Labour onto Greens, TOP and ACT.

This could be down to an image/perception problem with voters. I think someone like Kieran McAnulty may resonate with the younger male demographic more. For example he drives a ute, goes fishing, plays cricket and is relatively young looking which may resonate with the younger male demographic. He is definitely a future leader of the party.

Kia ora whānau,

Im currently on a weight loss journey, am down about 12 kilos. Ive really just been tracking calories and keeping a strict deficit to do so. Some foods that have really been great for me are jelly lite (super low sugar jelly), corn thins, popcorn (from kernels in a air popping machine) and yukimi mochi (as a low cal dessert option.)

and on top of all of that no sugar fizzies and energy drinks to curb cravings and act as treats.

This long setup was to ask and make an opportunity for everyone to maybe share some of their favourite or best low cal foods for weight loss.

Kia ora koutou.