Today's Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

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#3396503 23-Jul-2025 11:23

eracode:

Eva888:

For the above reasons I renewed our passports on a paper application and dropped them in, paid on the spot by CC. It was so easy with none of the frustration of photos not uploading and signing in to other sites. Am fine now for 9 years and 6 months.

I seriously considered doing that - but I do have plenty of time and it also gives me something about which to be a Grumpy Old Man. 😀

It was a ten minute drive, a chance to get a milk shake reward afterwards and have a nice outing instead of having multiple windows open and dealing with back and forth between them and confirmations that timed out and all the other frustrations that are meant to make life easier. Honestly it was the most pleasant experience I’ve had in a long time. Even managed to get a park right outside. Opted to not use my photos and walked into the local chemist for the shots, didn’t need to go back, the person at Passports checked them when I handed them in. Passport arrived within the week.

Bung

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#3396504 23-Jul-2025 11:31

eracode:

I seriously considered doing that - but I do have plenty of time and it also gives me something about which to be a Grumpy Old Man. 😀

When I was applying to be a paid grumpy old man I thought I'd use RealMe. Not knowing the questions in advance lead to frequent delays while finding the information. RM kept logging out at the slightest pause and then I still had to front up in person to finish. The Winz staff told me RM shagged them around as well. Maybe it's a design feature.

geoffwnz

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#3396518 23-Jul-2025 11:58

Expiry Jan 2026. That's a next year problem.

Oh, that's 6 months away. I guess that's a now problem. Let the fun and games commence I guess.

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Behodar

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#3396536 23-Jul-2025 12:50

Mine expires in May. I only have one trip planned for next year and thankfully it's to a country that respects the expiry date (unlike some others which won't accept a valid passport if it's expiring "too soon").

mortonman

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#3396592 23-Jul-2025 16:40

Lost my wallet with my driving licence recently. Went to renew online and also discovered my current real me account wasn't sufficient. Needed real me plus verified etc. I also spent an hour trying to update but kept getting logged out at the photo screen. After a google discovered IOS is no good. Waited till i was at work and went to update realme and this time edge kept throwing me out of the camera page. Eventually found the camera was blocked in the settings and finally got it sorted. Still havent ordered licence as i need to wait of for the realme upgrade to be approved.

If the govt want people to use realme they need to ensure it is straightforward to use. Must be plenty of people just give up and end up using less (in theory) efficient methods of dealing with Govt depts.

I do wonder sometimes how much real testing is done on these websites and processes ( dont get me started on Auckland Council website!!)

Behodar

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#3396600 23-Jul-2025 17:24

mortonman:

I do wonder sometimes how much real testing is done on these websites and processes ( dont get me started on Auckland Council website!!)

I do some of this for a government website (not Auckland Council) and we run things past multiple people and try to come up with sensible systems. Sometimes we're limited by the software that we need to integrate with, but we do our best.

An annoyance for me is when you then have someone plonk a 1-star review on a third-party site with the comment "Terrible website" and no specifics or contact details. How in the world do they expect us to improve the site if that's all they say? Of course, the other frustration is when they do try to tell us, but the contact centre doesn't bother to raise it with the technical team.

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maoriboy

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#3396709 24-Jul-2025 07:56

Not really a major Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, more like a mild confusion as to why. (interesting that the forum doesn't allow w..t..f - without the . of course)

From a Trademe post

"Purchased on 22/7/25. One NZ,Please note it is unused brand new open boxed items,comes with 2 year NZ warranty

Reason for selling don't want fold phone..."

🤷‍♂️

freitasm

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#3396724 24-Jul-2025 09:01

First "Nanogirl owes Inland Revenue more than $265,000" but then this comment in the middle of the article is... WTF?

"According to Damien Grant, director of insolvency firm Waterstone, a $180,000 GST debt is very small. “I doubt an IRD enforcement officer would get up from their desk for that,” he said. “However, the amount is relative.”"

Ty owing just $1000 to IRD and see if they won't hunt you down for the money.

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Bung

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#3396741 24-Jul-2025 09:31

If you only owe $1000 there's a good chance they'll collect. Large amounts become expensive court cases where someone might get jail time but no money gets recovered.

johno1234

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#3396750 24-Jul-2025 09:58

freitasm:

First "Nanogirl owes Inland Revenue more than $265,000" but then this comment in the middle of the article is... W F?

"According to Damien Grant, director of insolvency firm Waterstone, a $180,000 GST debt is very small. “I doubt an IRD enforcement officer would get up from their desk for that,” he said. “However, the amount is relative.”"

Ty owing just $1000 to IRD and see if they won't hunt you down for the money.

I think what he's saying is that IRD will always grab low hanging fruit but give up on high hanging fruit such as insolvencies unless there's a lot of money involved. Straight up costs of getting a return vs the return itself.

freitasm

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#3396751 24-Jul-2025 10:00

Yes, but the context is missing. I agree but you need to exercise to get that.

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eracode

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#3397054 25-Jul-2025 14:02

eracode:

Our passports need renewing and we wanted to do it online. I started with my passport.

Just to round this off:

My renewal application was submitted online on Monday, four days ago. Mrs Code’s was submitted on Tuesday. An almost immediate non-automated email advised that her photo was rejected - so we submitted another photo on Wednesday. Both applications were done with photos taken at home and were ‘standard timing’.

Yesterday we each received an email saying the passports were on their way from Wellington. Received them in Auckland via NZ Post courier just now (Friday).

That’s four and three days respectively from start to finish. Impressive work by DIA - with an assist by NZ Post.

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

MikeAqua

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#3397057 25-Jul-2025 14:12

eracode:

Chemist Warehouse do not charge for prescription filling. They and their similar competitors must be wreaking havoc on the traditional High St chemist shops - similar to what happened to other retailers when TWL arrived on the scene 20-odd years ago.

I exclusively go to Chemist Warehouse now. One of my regular prescription items has part payment. It's $60 cheaper at Chemist Warehouse. Plus $5 each saved for my regular other items. So I'm saving $75 each time I get my scripts filled. Costs more to get a repeat script from the quack than to fill it. When is GP Warehouse opening?

Mike

freitasm

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#3397933 29-Jul-2025 09:09

‘It’s going to destroy the whole area’: Locals upset as Hindu temple gets resource consent | Stuff

“It's going to destroy the whole area. We don't want a temple next door. I wouldn't want a Catholic church next door, I wouldn't want a mosque next door. It is not that sort of environment. People should have listened.”

Johansen said they chose to buy their property because they wanted a peaceful, rural lifestyle, and she fears this will be taken away from them.

“Some sort of emotion and morality has to come into this,” she said.

“It's not just all about the law, because there are too many interpretations on that, and that’s why this has been able to happen.”

Johansen’s neighbour, Denise Low, feels the same way as her.

“We will be able to see the temple from practically all of our property and hear the noise,” she said.

“We will also lose a lot of privacy. It is also an unsuitable land use for a rural productive zone.”

Looking at the aerial photo, there's no "productive zone" around that area. And the houses seem to be well away from the property. And what "morality" they want?

Bunch of NIMBY.

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mudguard

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#3397936 29-Jul-2025 09:24

freitasm:

Looking at the aerial photo, there's no "productive zone" around that area. And the houses seem to be well away from the property. And what "morality" they want?

Bunch of NIMBY.

Yeah this sort of thing drives me nuts. Like the Tarras airport thing. Everyone selling is, oh I didn't know there was going to be an airport. If you don't want your outlook ruined, then buy it. I live between two golf courses, the number of neighbours I speak to who love the view but aren't members then get worried when there are proposed changes and I say, well it's not your land next door.

I heard a really good example of this kind of thing, it's like living one property back from the beach and that property is currently empty. You are borrowing that view, that is all. And if someone buys that empty section and puts up a two storey house and blocks your view, too bad.

If you like a view across a golf course but aren't a member, don't complain if they carve a bit off and it happens to be in front of your house.

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