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munchkjn

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About munchkjn

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  1. ". It’s not hard to see why the conservative government of Bill English lost power in the face of a Labour Party committed to reducing immigration numbers, however phony those election promises." Bit disingenuous, Bill English's National got 45% of the vote. What would that do for a party in the UK. Not a political point but just saying. I actually voted for Jacinda to be leader, but NZ has a form of PR and Winston Peters held the balance of power with his 5% party. Just wanted to clarify the point because the article is misleading.
  2. Average size and aspect of NZ property is very different to average UK. The quality of construction may be lower but the kiwi lifestyle kind of more than makes up for that. I've owned houses in both countries and much prefer what you get for your money in NZ (auckland excepted).
  3. When China blows, we are all in the sh1t. Having said that China is run by some pretty clever people who aren't just the usual PPE 'trained', weasel-word brigade. They have engineers and scientists making long term, strategic decisions at the top level. You are right though, NZ is a small country (Finland sized) and its stuck out in the Pacific Ocean and used to being self sufficient. Auckland prices have increased dramatically over the last few years but I do wonder whether Aucks really is a bubble as so many state or whether it was previously undervalued and it has now slightly overshot. As I said the land value per m2 is roughly akin to semi-desirable suburbs in the North of England, which doesn't sound as bad when you put it in those terms. International house price comparisons don't take into account the quality of the actual product just the "house price". NZ is still a popular destination for migrants due to its natural beauty, relatively strong economy, innate resilience, english language and western culture. Take a look at a graph of world population over time and you'll see there is a looming problem. A nice, quiet, stable, empty country like NZ is only going to continue to attract migrants from all around the world. I'm sure you know all this which is why you are planning to head out in the future
  4. Sorry to hijack this Canadian thread, but you did mention Auckland there. There's been a lot of talk about Auckland having some of the highest property prices in the world. Prices may be high in Auckland, but house and plot sizes are often enormous by UK standards. A 3 bed house in a new development on the edge of Greater Manchester might be 75 sqm on a plot of 180 sqm with asking price of 250-300k. In Auckland you'll be paying 500-600k for a 150+ sqm property on a 600sqm plot. Am I missing something? I would say quality of build, but the quality of those modern new builds can be a bit duff and NZ is kind of isolated globally despite the world 'shrinking'. Quality of life in NZ arguably trumps GM though. There's talk of higher density of housing in Aucks to reduce the cost for the younger generation and prevent further urban sprawl but there's some resistance because it's not the Kiwi way to live in close proximity to your neighbours apparently.
  5. You've answered your own question there. Timber houses with tin rooves perform very well in earthquakes. English style houses perform very very badly.
  6. It is pricier to live here but there are some things which are cheaper. Wine (decent pinot gris $10.49 a bottle = 5 or 6 quid), meat and fish are pretty cheap (Leg of lamb $9.99 a kilo and good choice of fish), new cars are/were cheaper than in UK. Clothes and shoes though are still expensive. The port at Tauranga has been expanded and larger container ships are now delivering on a regular basis, maybe this will lead to cheaper imports in time. Prices for electrical goods are nearly on a parity with the UK if you take advantage of the regular 'sales'. There is a culture of getting discounts too from list prices. Also imho food quality is much higher here than in UK for things like meat, fish, fruit and veg. Cheese is a bit limited mind.
  7. I'm in NZ's other shakey city, Wellington. A lot of what you say about the weather is true although there are micro climates abound. I've seen the statistics and heard locals say the last 4 months have been some of the coldest, wettest and windiest in living memory. Auckland didn't appeal to me due to it's sprawl and general feel and although it is the financial centre, I found jobs elsewhere. In terms of houses, we sold in UK to rent here. I have spotted a couple of areas I would consider buying in but due to the exchange rate (particularly today) it's not on the cards until I can find a way of expatriating my cash without losing my shirt.. Bad timing all round on my part.
  8. The question is whether DC is the fall guy and is this a conspiracy? Something about the whole story doesn;t quite add up. Especially the DC / BoJo panto.
  9. She was on woman's hour today lecturing us proles on the virtues of "honesty" in relationships shortly before describing her extra marital affair with Harold Pinter... aside from the doublethink, she came across as very arrogant with a very high opinion of herself. The entitlement is definitely stong with this one.
  10. That's as maybe, but the old axiom "garbage in garbage out" still applies to any computer model. Many assumptions must be made in devising these models and that must always be borne in mind before placing too much credence in the results. There are an almost infinite number of factors involved in the behaviour of our climate, our success in modelling it will be determined over many future decades of observable results. Consensus science would have you believe water is essential for life on other planets. I would prefer to keep an open mind.
  11. I tend to agree with you there. I was expecting much more from him, however he was onto a loser before he started tonight.
  12. Farage lost the audience, which is always going to be a tough gig. The others just made the most of that and Ed has used it as diversionary tactic to avoid being exposed as an nincompetentpoop.
  13. I get the feeling turnout will be very low this time. The choice is appalling and many undecideds may just not bother.
  14. They're clapping Milliballs overtime he opens his mouth. Bearing in mind where he was a few months ago, that's an astonishing reversal of fortunes.
  15. Is there a room somewhere for Leanne to take Ed to at half time? I think she wants to impress a couple of points on him
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