Kiwification

A groundbreaking discovery! In New Zealand, you can pick and choose your power company, as well as the rate you pay!

Yesterday I received a letter in my postbox from “Contact Energy Limited”.

The letter basically said “Hello new occupant. Contact us within 7 days or we’ll shut your power off (for safety reasons).”

Confused, I questioned my local flock of Kiwis, who enlightened me to the fact that in New Zealand, there are MULTIPLE power companies who can supply you with electricity.

New Zealand’s speeding limits are relatively low (averaging 50km/hour in urban areas), and their tolerance for offenders is equally low. (South Africans, don’t ever try to bribe a Kiwi cop - you’ll just dig yourself in deeper)

Speeding fines progressively increase for speeds in excess of 10 kilometres an hour, with a maximum fine of $630 where the speed is up to 50 kilometres an hour over the limit. Speeds in excess of this limit come into the careless / dangerous / reckless categories depending on circumstances, and also incur a mandatory 28 day licence suspension.

Many migrants (including myself) come to New Zealand for a better quality of life, the “lifestyle” factor. If you’re considering where to move to in New Zealand, or if you’re just considering should-I-come-or-not, having accurate and up-to-date crime statistics will help you to make a calculated, informed decision.

Crime statistics also help you to “guesstimate” what the country’s issues will be in 10 or 20 years. (You may not want to settle with your toddlers in the area with the highest incidence of child molestation, for example)

Exactly three months after arriving in our new home of New Zealand, we will be the proud owners of a 3-bedroom house in Tamatea.

We’ve been house-hunting since we arrived, and while New Zealand housing is horrifically expensive compared to what we were used to in South Africa, we’ve decided to take the plunge and get back into the housing market.

New immigrants generally are confused and put off by the leasehold option, but understood and used correctly, it can be better and cheaper than buying freehold. (”simple fee”)

If you’re a recent Kiwi, the range of issues to deal with when buying a house can be befuddling. Here’s why you should get a builder’s report.

Josh Campbell is a teacher in Christchurch who cycles to work. Fed up with co-workers’ dismissal of his “near-misses” in traffic, he attached a video camera to his handlebars, and compiled a 3-minute video of his harrowing rides to work.

The three-minute compilation video features a host of near-misses involving cars cutting across his path, and cars and buses pulling out or stopping abruptly in front of him.

In every region in New Zealand, the local Kiwis will tell you that their drinking water is the best in the country. (Either that, or a heated discussion about the best beer will ensue)In my limited experience thus far, Napier has the best drinking water (And my wife, water-snob supreme, confirms this).

photo credit: cindiann
Now that we’re settling into NZ life, we thought it was about time we investigated the local library. We weren’t able to go out there today, since it closes at 17h30, but I went onto the Napier Public Libraries website today, and was completely floored by the following:

The library has a website
The [...]