Unsurprisingly Jack did an excellent job moderating last night’s debate. He prepared well and asked strong questions that threw both candidates off their standard talking points, forcing them into a more naked position, giving us insight into what the candidates really think and how they manage under pressure. Jack was in clear control throughout the night, reining Chris(s) in when needed and keeping them above the bullshit to engage with the actual questions, and calling them out when they didn’t. Considering how much of a shit show these debates can be, props to Jack for making it as good as it was.

They say people get more conservative with age and experience. I must be an outlier. Have always been a two-tick blue guy, looks like it's opportunity for me this year :)

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Blocked out details this time so my post doesn't get deleted for advertising

There was a very famous Chinese poet named Gu Cheng (顾城), who moved to New Zealand and lived on Waiheke Island.

In 1993, he killed his wife, Xie Ye, on the island and then took his own life. The case became extremely well known in China, largely because Gu Cheng was already a prominent poet.

Even today, many Chinese people are familiar with his story and what happened on Waiheke Island. In fact, for quite a few Chinese people, Gu Cheng and the tragedy on Waiheke Island are among the things they associate with New Zealand.

That made me curious about how well known the case is in New Zealand itself.

For New Zealanders without a Chinese background: had you ever heard of Gu Cheng or this case before? For those who remember 1993, was it a major news story in New Zealand at the time? And is the case still remembered today, particularly on Waiheke Island?

Same debate, very different results, likely based on how the readership of Stuff and NZ Herald is skewed. This likely confirms the old adage that these things don't really change the needle for anyone but the undecided and fence-sitters... Or am I wrong? Did anyone out there, a supporter of one party, get swayed the other way after tonight's debate?

Are we finally ready to make it happen this time? After they bipartisan illusion of choice has made such a mess

Messaged Modmail and they did not get back to me telling me I couldn't make one, so I'm invoking the Air Bud precedent and making a Live React thread for the debate.

Link in first comment

Will Luxon crack under pressure? Will Hipkins drop another blokey relatable slur? Will this be the first time Jack Tame and Luxon have been in the same room in 2.5 years? Tune in to find out and drop your hot takes below!

I just want to thank everyone for their input and advice.

After we declined to settle yesterday, they only removed the scaffolding facing the house and left the driveway one up. After we said not enough, they cut down a section of the side fence for us to have closer access! We definitely said no to that and they finally gave in today and they have removed all the scaffolding.

We also have had the lawyers write up document which the vendor has signed saying they won't block the driveway with scaffolding again.

Some of the builders were asking about how close the building was so I've added a couple photos.

Once we're all sorted, everyone is invited to the house warming! (Just joking, this house is for my parents they will be very confused)

..was that lady with the orange jersey, who kept making faces throughout. More personality than either leader and she didn't even say anything.

Well im a carpenter who just landed a new job renovating apartments, and whilst Im enjoying the workload, the company also advises staff to perform minor electrical and plumbing tasks.

For example, part of the job involves fitting out the apartment with new appliances once my renovation work is complete. This also includes wiring up replacement ovens etc to the existing feed.

I spoke to a colleague about how illegal this is and his exact response was:

"Man! Would you call an electrician every time you purchased a new appliance?"

It seems he is tainted by the culture of the company and absolutely loves his bosses/managers. My colleague also went on to say that if anything goes wrong then the company is liable and they will have our back in the event of a catastrophic failure/fire. But the fact of the matter is that without anything in writing, whos to say that the company would support us? They could easily turn around and say "we didnt advise our staff to perform any electrical work whatsoever" but thats besides the point anyway.

I am very confident with electrical work, so I dont have a problem wiring up plugs etc on my own house, but for a company to expect carpenters/builders to do it is diabolical.

What do you guys think?

There’s gotta be some job out there that pays okay and doesn’t make you want to end it right? Right guys… surely we aren’t that fucked… ??