Politics 🗳️ NZ Politics

[dean]

Man, WaterCare are friggen useless!!!!

The previous tenants (a family with two adults and one toddler) shifted out of our rental property in the beginning of the year. WaterCare were informed that a family of four adults and two children were shifting in and we asked them to adjust the water usage for the estimated bills accordingly because we didn't want the new tenants to get a big shock if WaterCare were only estimating the water usage on the previous tenants. Each month, WaterCare only sent out bills for around $90.... the same as they did for the previous tenants and each month, we'd again ask them to increase the estimated usage.

Then, in August when WaterCare have done an actual reading, the tenants get a waterbill for over $900 because they were averaging over $300 per month even though they had only been billed for around $90 each month. They panic their estimated daily water usage in June was only 116L average per day but, because WaterCare had finally read the meter, they said their average water usage in July was 3,690L per day. So, a plumber comes out and confirms there's no leaks, WaterCare confirm there's no problem with the meter and we do a few pressure tests confirming there's no leak. In the meantime, we're paid the full amount and are expecting the property manager to get the rest back from them. The property manager (who we fired before this but had to wait two months to be rid of them) does nothing. For the tenants, English is a second language who don't understand that there's a difference between an estimated reading and an actual one. Eventually, the property manager gets of their butt and tries to recover the money.

WaterCare are again asked to revise the estimated usage upwards and we're told they would. They lied. The September account arrives for less than $55.

The new property manager, before she's even taken over the property, goes to see them and explains the difference and arranges for them to pay it back installments. Then, a week before they were to hand the property over, the old property manager, even though they had been informed of the arrangement, sends the tenant notification that they need to pay the outstanding amount in full. Why? So, they can charge a fee for recovering the money.

Again, they are informed not to do anything but they then send the tenant an email, one day before our management agreement with them was too end, saying they are taking the tenants to the Tenancy Tribunal. The new property manager then informs the old one that they would be sued if they tried to recover money while no longer managing the property. The old one backs down... except they sent us a bill for their time trying to recover the debt. We wished them good luck with that and invited them to take us to the Disputes Tribunal and also reminded them how they had sent us an email claiming to be a record of an email changing our management agreement with them. The problem was, although the email had our names on it, it was sent to someone else.

Then, yesterday, the tenants get another huge shock.... WaterCare have done an actual reading of the meter again and their latest bill, which we'll have to pay and then recover the money from the tenants is for nearly $700 for the last two months.

That is excessive water usage.
What was last years total? There shouldn't be much difference.

 

[miket12]

That is excessive water usage.
What was last years total? There shouldn't be much difference.

Their usage is on the high end for six people but not excessive.

We’ve only got two in our household (compared to their six) and even though I think my wife was potentially a fish in a previous life (based on the length of time she spends in the shower) our water usage would be 1/3 of theirs on average.

 

[Noitall]

Seems that act minister Nicola McKee has different recollections to Paula Bennett when Bennett was the minister and McKee was sought out for her knowledge of firearms. Mckee was on q and a a couple of months ago stating that she had raised concerns about the ability to manufacture a semiautomatic through the purchase of individual parts and adding them together. That of which the Christchurch shooter went on to do. Documents now say that McKee never raised any such concerns and she says that it was mentioned to Bennett, to which she says though being 7 or more years ago her recollection is hazy, but doesn’t believe it was ever brought up

 

[John Nick]

Seems that act minister Nicola McKee has different recollections to Paula Bennett when Bennett was the minister and McKee was sought out for her knowledge of firearms. Mckee was on q and a a couple of months ago stating that she had raised concerns about the ability to manufacture a semiautomatic through the purchase of individual parts and adding them together. That of which the Christchurch shooter went on to do. Documents now say that McKee never raised any such concerns and she says that it was mentioned to Bennett, to which she says though being 7 or more years ago her recollection is hazy, but doesn’t believe it was ever brought up

Not knowing much about guns etc. myself but Mckee seems like a piece of work

 

[Noitall]

The Post

www.thepost.co.nz

Cuts to defence not paying off already. Have to wonder how they managed this

 

[Noitall]

Not knowing much about guns etc. myself but Mckee seems like a piece of work

Can recall Karen Chhour seeming out of her depth in recent times too. Bit of a worry here with it looking increasingly all the time that Casey Costello has been lobbied by the tobacco industry, increasingly that McKee has been lobbied by guns. You’d have to wonder with through a partnership that Māori have rights over the land and whether a treaty bill is to designed to question those rights in being lobbied by the mining industry?

 

[Damo]

The Post

www.thepost.co.nz

Cuts to defence not paying off already. Have to wonder how they managed this

Only rumours around at this stage.
Judith Collins has a press conference this afternoon, hopefully find out more. Glad everyone is safe and ashore now though.

 

[dean]

The Post

www.thepost.co.nz

Cuts to defence not paying off already. Have to wonder how they managed this

Must have been hard to find that reef.

 

[Damo]

Must have been hard to find that reef.

Total electrical failure can do that to a ship.

 

[dean]

Total electrical failure can do that to a ship.

It can but the engines would likely not stop. Hard astern?

 

[Inruin]

Total electrical failure can do that to a ship.

Not sure if it was a total electrical failure, seems like they still had power, but does seem that they lost the ability to control and maneuver the ship. Has happened previously quite famously to a similar ship i believe.

 

[John Nick]

Apparently there is a lot more to this to follow.
I will save any judgment until we know the details
Bound to be an enquiry

 

[Damo]

Not sure if it was a total electrical failure, seems like they still had power, but does seem that they lost the ability to control and maneuver the ship. Has happened previously quite famously to a similar ship i believe.

Just rumours I am hearing, very sad. I served on MAN a few years ago.

 

[Inruin]

Just rumours I am hearing, very sad. I served on MAN a few years ago.

Yes, very sad day. The good thing is everyone got off and to shore. Hopefully the injured aren't serious ones.

 

[Damo]

Yes, very sad day. The good thing is everyone got off and to shore. Hopefully the injured aren't serious ones.

Sounds like everyone is safe and ashore in Samoa now.
Good call to abandon ship so quickly by the looks.

 

[dean]

Just rumours I am hearing, very sad. I served on MAN a few years ago.

Can you share the rumours? Looks like a decent ship.

 

[Damo]

Can you share the rumours? Looks like a decent ship.

Seems like what is publicly out there anyway mate. I'm still in, so don't want to potentially breach OPSEC by speculating

 

[wizard of Tauranga]

Apparently there is a lot more to this to follow.
I will save any judgment until we know the details
Bound to be an enquiry

Rumour they had no fire fighting equipment on board?

If so… WTF. Time will tell.

Also when the Astrolabe reef was hit in Tauranga, the clean up and cost was astronomical. Will be interesting Luxons disaster management after the great job recently by Ardern.

 

[Damo]

Rumour they had no fire fighting equipment on board?

If so… WTF. Time will tell.

Can very much say this is untrue.

 

[John Nick]

Can very much say this is untrue.

Agree. MNZ wouldn't have let it leave port without the appropriate equipment.
Just my opinion