bioneural.net » New Zealand

New Zealand tipping over the edge?

Bruce — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 10:17:44 +0000

Are New Zealanders, the People on the Edge of the World, about to tip off the edge and into cultural homogeneity with the United States? I was surprised to read in The New Zealand Herald that the a new edition of the Lonely Planet travel guide is advising visitors to leave a tip of about 10% for good service. Tipping was not part of the culture when I was growing up, and nor was it an overt practice during my last stint at home during 2006–2007. It would be unfortunate if visitors to Godzone came with the expectation that they had to pay over and above the advertized price. All goods and services in New Zealand are subject to a 12.5% Goods and Services Tax (GST), included in the displayed price. I was also under the impression that most employees (such as wait staff) were adequately remunerated so that they did not need to rely on tips for income, as I believe is the case in the USA and some other countries (where workers aren't properly paid). I don't like the phenomenon of tipping. I've always found it uncomfortable as a traveller knowing when to tip and by how much. I want to look at a menu and know in advance what I'll be paying—just as I can buy a new keyboard for a fixed price without thinking about the 10–15% extra it might cost if the sales assistant demonstrates competence with the card reader. But more than that I resent ...

Australians consider invading New Zealand

Bruce — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 07:25:08 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net :

But how would they sell the idea to the Aussie populace? These two marketing campaigns are worth a watch, and earned a mention in the New Zealand Herald. Do many Kiwis know there is provision in the Australian constitution for NZ to become a State of the Commonwealth? Watch out Ockers, we have bioweapons and these guys are good in a fight too.

iPhone ringtone for homesick Kiwis

Bruce — Sat, 10 May 2008 13:17:07 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net :

Thanks to the kind folk at Kiwibank, and in preparation for the imminent official arrival of the iPhone in New Zealand, Kiwis can now set a whistled version of God Defend New Zealand as their ringtone. You can download it or preview it here. I've also updated my Kiwi icons iPhone wallpaper set to include a kiwifruit and koru.

iPhone wallpapers for homesick Kiwis

Bruce — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 20:52:51 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net :

Everyone loves customizing new toys and making wallpapers for your phone is probably one of the easier ways to do it (a lot easier, for example, than trying to find an inexpensive yet good-looking protective case!). I took a selection of images from Project Koru are turned them into three thematic wallpaper sets for my iPhone using this great Photoshop template. Blue Welly We love Wellington. We miss it and this makes us feel blue at times; the Windy City also has blue skies more often than those above us in England. These are evident in the Blue Welly wallpapers, featuring public sculptures around the city. The images in this set show: The Fern Ball in the Civic Centre; One of the totem poles on the City to Sea Bridge; One of the metal nikau palms outside the Public Library; The Weta Workshop Tripod in Courtenay Place. Click thumbnail to enlarge imageBlue welly iPhone wallpapers Godzone patterns New Zealand has a lot of different landscapes in relatively close proximity, making it an ideal place for the photographic pursuit of natural pattern spotting. The images in this set show: The golden sands of Abel Tasman National Park in Golden Bay; The leaf structure of the New Zealand tree fern; The rippled surface of Queen Charlotte Sound in the Marlborough Sounds; A dense stand of manuka (NZ tea tree) on the slopes of Mt. Taranaki (looking rather like a wooden barcode). Click thumbnail to enlarge imageGodzone patterns iPhone wallpapers Kiwi icons I've touched on iconic Kiwi symbols before (and noted a couple of icon sets). The images in ...

New Zealand progressive on fair use laws

Bruce — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 13:12:48 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net :

As reported by Ars Technica, the New Zealand House of Representatives passed a bill on 8 April 2008 reforming copyright law for the "digital age". Most netizens even outside the US will have come across the American DMCA: any mention seems tainted by the taste of bile. The DMCA criminalises circumvention of digital rights management (DRM) technologies and access controls—many folk argue at the expense of "fair use". Do the NZ reforms provide workable compromise? Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand [© iStockPhoto] Ars cite a Canadian law professor as saying: The anti-circumvention provisions are arguably the best of any country, since they are compliant with WIPO, limited in scope, and seek to preserve fair dealing rights. Having looked at the new Copyright (New Technologies) Amendment Bill I find myself almost as confused as I was before; it raises at least as many questions as it answers. Time and format shifting I've always wondered exactly how recording a TV programme to VHS tape, DVD+RW, or PVR hard drives sat with current copyright laws. It must be pretty unusual to walk into a living room and not find the home owner's favourite TV series or movie archived on recordable media for repeated viewing at their leisure. Fortunately the bill specifies that anyone watching TV that isn't "live" is no longer engaged in a criminal act (recording of an on-demand broadcast isn't allowed). It does mean, however, that domestic recording libraries are still illegal: you must watch your recordings within a "reasonable" time frame and then delete them. No ...

Back in Britain

Bruce + Simone — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 18:56:56 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net :

Our year abroad started in China and finished in Australia. In between we spent most of our time living and working in Wellington, the City at the Heart of the Edge of the World and the capital of New Zealand. Having written our last post from New Zealand we've now returned to our previous address in Chesterfield (near Sheffield, in the Midlands) where we've found that some things have changed, and some things never change. For all intents and purposes Project Koru has run its course, although we would like to think the essence of our experience will endure. A brief recap It's been an eventful year travelling to, living in, and returning from New Zealand. Here's a recap, 12 images spanning 12 months: This YouTube video requires Adobe Flash Player. Arrival It was a chilly and damp day, with that oh-so-familiar grey sky, when we arrived into Manchester Airport. We return to some beautiful scenery, and look forward to re-acquainting ourselves with old favourites such as Curbar Edge. Simone anticipates bearing witness once more to the dramatic change in seasons that she missed in NZ. Simone's mum had made arrangements with the neighbours to leave a colourful pot of pansies on the doorstep. Said neighbours left a chill-bag containing basic supplies at the back door. Our friends in Matlock got the Smart MOT'd, taxed, gassed-up and parked outside the house ready for use. Our house minder had catalogued all our post, and our intermittent house guest had done a good clean. Thanks everyone; it was ...

Last post from New Zealand

Bruce + Simone — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 05:46:27 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net :

We've left Wellington and will shortly leave New Zealand and begin our journey back to the UK via Australia. Project Koru, our "year out" from life in the UK, has essentially run its course. Watching Wellington's harbour disappear from the rear view mirror as we turned into the Ngauranga Gorge for the last time was a sad moment for both of us. Wherever we go next, we'll always be Wellingtonians, as the city at the heart of the world's edge has left a permanent impression upon us. We'll miss Wellington, we've no doubts about that. We had hoped to stay, as Wellington seemed to hold reasonable answers to a few of life's basic questions. What to do? One of the primary reasons for embarking on Project Koru was to allow Bruce to make a difficult decision concerning his career. Would general practice (GP) in New Zealand be a viable alternative to the same in the UK? Should he re-train in a non-clinical discipline such as public health, or leave medicine for IT (where everyone we know personally seems to be under high pressure). The opportunity to try out GP here helped Bruce be clear about his desire to move away from clinical work, and in this respect Project Koru was an unqualified success. Bruce decided on public health as a new career path, complementary to his experience in primary care and medical informatics. Simone was quite happy to continuing working in her chosen speciality of family planning and reproductive healthcare. Where to work? Bruce applied ...

Financial affairs in New Zealand

Bruce — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 06:34:45 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net :

Planning on working in New Zealand? How much tax you pay depends on the length of your stay, your income level, and whether you qualify for tax exemption on foreign income. If you'll be self-employed you may need to be registered for Goods and Services Tax (GST), and just like employees will need to pay levies to New Zealand's no-fault personal injury insurance scheme (ACC). Most of your banking, like the filing of your tax return, can be done online. Income tax rates and residency You need an IRD number (Form IR595, or phone 0800 377 774) if you are working in New Zealand. The tax year runs from 1 April to 31 March, and the amount of tax you pay is determined by your residence status and your income level: If you are working in New Zealand for less than 92 days you do not need to pay income tax (but may need to present a tax exemption certificate to your employer); If you are working in New Zealand for between 92 and 183 days and are self-employed you will be charged a 15% or 30% non-resident withholding tax on your New Zealand-sourced income; If you are working in New Zealand for more than 183 days you will be considered resident for tax purposes and tax will be deducted on your worldwide income at the following rates: Earnings Percent Income up to $38,000 19.5% Income 38,001 to $60,000 33% Income over $60,001 39% What happens when you leave New Zealand? According to IR292: You become a non-resident for tax purposes if: you're away from ...

Eating out in Wellington

Bruce — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 04:50:13 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net :

Sure, you can eat in and eat well, but there's good food to be had if you choose to eat out in Wellington. We hear that there are more cafés and restaurants per head of population in Wellington than in any other city worldwide. If you're taking in an event and need a quick bite, or in the City specifically to go menu shopping, the difficult thing is being confronted by too much choice. You can find reviews in magazines or online, but here's a quick summary of our dining out experience. One of the first places we discovered was the Leuven Belgian Beer Café on Featherston Street. We've eaten there a few times, if you count just desert! For example two glasses of dark Belgian beer ("Leffe Dark", on sale in New World at 1/3rd price, and "Forbidden Fruits") with a generous portion of bread & butter pudding and a serving of triple brownie can be had for close to $40. It's a nice but noisy environment, with a decent breakfast menu if you fancy brunch. Coyote Street Bar & Restaurant on Courtenay Place do pretty well for a chain: a glass of Matua Gewürztraminer and a half-pint of Tui, with a burrito (plus aioli & fries) and steak sandwich, cost a reasonable $47.50. Tui is a malty & sweet darkish beer—quite drinkable for those not ordinarily too keen on beer! The jazz music did seem a little incongruous, however, in the overtly Mexican-themed setting. Zibibbo on Taranaki Street do a ...

Lower North Island sightseeing

Bruce — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 06:05:49 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net :

We've been a bit slack lately, not doing much in the way of walking (previous Wellington walks here and here). We did, however, take the ferry to Somes Island and managed the City to Sea Walk. We also visited Wanganui National Park and Havelock North/ Napier. Somes Island Click thumbnail to enlarge imageWellington City from Somes Island Somes Island (a.k.a Matiu) is a pest-free island in the middle of Wellington Harbour. A former quarantine station, internment camp, and defence installation, the island is now a sanctuary for native plants, birds, reptiles and invertebrates such as weta. It's reached by ferry from Queens Wharf or Days Bay, requiring a bag inspection on landing. There are a number of tracks, and the island circuit takes on 45 minutes. The Monument affords good views of the City, and the harbour entrance can best be appreciated from the WWII gun emplacements. There's more scrub than bush, which during our visit was almost devoid of bird life compared to Karori Wildlife Sanctuary or Kapiti Island. Still, it's a good place for a day trip: take a packed lunch. City to Sea Walk Click thumbnail to enlarge imageView from Tawatawa Ridge on the City to Sea Walkway The City to Sea Walkway is a 12km trek from the CBD to Island Bay. We started in Te Aro (since we live there) and it took us about 3 hours. The walkway is well-signed but manages to avoid shops until the end so take water and snacks. There's a lot of up and down, ...