What do you think, are they still around?

I do notice all these sightings seem to be from tourists, and they never take photos.

Credit card company Visa is calling for a ban on the surcharge fee some merchants charge card-paying consumers at the point of sale.

The Commerce Commission was undertaking a review of card charges, and considering cutting the regulated interchange fee card companies can charge banks by as much as 75 percent, for example.

Card interchange fees were in turn passed on by banks to merchants at whatever rate the merchant can negotiate, meaning that some pay much more than others.

Canadian here looking to read news from a strong democracy with mixed-member proportional.

If you can help it avoid going to the USA.

An entomologist says the spread of Portuguese millipedes across Wellington - and beyond - is almost certain after residents on the south coast sounded the alarm about infestations of the invasive species.

Residents have described waking to find hundreds of scaly black millipedes around their homes, discovering them in shoes, bags and even their beds.

Biosecurity New Zealand said the invertebrate had been identified on the south coast and in Lower Hutt for about 20 years, but not much was known about it.

A local councillor is now calling for an urgent meeting with local authorities to discuss how to tackle the problem.

Hundreds of people gathered at Kaiuku Marae in Māhia where poppies and white crosses were placed in the ground around the local war memorial.

Wairoa RSA president Jeremy Harker said Kaiuku Marae always had a big turnout for the dawn service.

"Obviously there's a lot of understanding about the past, and I think this is a pretty special place and people like coming out here.

"It's quite cool, you know the first place to see the light, so it works really well and it's just a really special occasion."

When Shihad announced they would be calling it quits in 2025, they left not just a legacy of tinnitus-inducing live shows stretching back 37 years, but also one of the richest catalogues of recordings by any New Zealand band.

Overlords and all that.

A New Zealand architecture company has designed a three-bedroom house that three people can assemble in six weeks for $335,000.

RTA Studio just constructed its first 'Living House' in Rotorua.

It is 85sqm and designed for quick assembly once the foundations are in place, the cost includes a functional kitchen with appliances as well as flooring, lighting, carpets and heating. It does not include the land value.

It’s one of those moments in the year when many parents wonder why they lie to their children about a magical rabbit that leaves Easter eggs in the garden.

In our multicultural society, there are various approaches to the concepts of Santa, the Easter Bunny, and the tooth fairy. At a guess, for the majority of New Zealand children, these fictional characters are real — at least in the first few years of their lives. After all, New Zealand Post receives more than 100,000 letters each year addressed to Santa at Christmas.

But there are some, whether it is for religious or ethical reasons, who don’t raise their kids to believe in these fictional characters.

Last weeks thread here

Welcome to this week’s casual kōrero thread!

This post will be pinned in this community so you can always find it, and will stay for about a week until replaced by the next one.

It’s for talking about anything that might not justify a full post. For example:

• Something interesting that happened to you
• Something humourous that happened to you
• Something frustrating that happened to you
• A quick question
• A request for recommendations
• Pictures of your pet
• A picture of a cloud that kind of looks like an elephant
• Anything else, there are no rules (except the rule)

So how’s it going?

When it cools down and autumn hits in New Zealand, office kitchens and staff rooms are suddenly abundant with the sweet smell of our widely available little fruit – the feijoa.

But spare a thought for Kiwis who have made Australia home – where they don’t seem to understand our feijoa fantasy.

Piera Maclean, who has lived in Melbourne for a decade, longs for the taste.

“Normally at this time of year in New Zealand everyone's having feijoa crumble all the time and making cakes. They've got so many. Whereas here it's like if you find three, you know you're feeling very lucky and it's the best day ever.”

Severe weather is continuing to batter the top of the North Island as Cyclone Tam brings heavy rain and strong winds.

Towards Friday, the storm will begin to arrive in Coromandel, Bay of Plenty and the north of the South Island.

What you need to know:

• A large weather system is delivering heavy rain and strong winds to the upper North Island.
• Here's what you need to know as the bad weather hits.
• Around 25,000 properties had no power overnight in Northland and there are many outages in Auckland too.
• Cellphone towers have been damaged in Northland, landlines are still working. ONE NZ is working on opening up Satellite Text as an option for those with 4G.
• Air New Zealand has cancelled some flights, some ferry services in Auckland are either cancelled or suspended. See here for the ferry specifics.
• Up to 180mm of rain could strike Northland with possible thunderstorms, and strong wind warnings also in place.
• Auckland is experiencing high winds and ra

Just keep digging. 🐕🕳️

Seriously though, did this guy think that, if he argues long enough, they would just give up?

Proposed Driver Licence Changes: Government May Remove Second Practical Test, Cut Back on Eye Exams

Honestly, this sounds like a recipe for disaster. The driving standards out there are already sketchy enough without lowering the bar even more.

If you're in Auckland and love a good cinnamon bun, you have to try these, seriously, they’re amazing. It’s just a bit of a downer seeing big overseas companies come into NZ and start throwing around cease-and-desists at local businesses that have been doing their thing for years.

Feels a bit like the whole Popeyes situation all over again.

Support local where you can!

cross-posted from: https://jlai.lu/post/17769069

The results are in!🎶

Hey everyone, I'm glad to announce that after fighting my lazyness, I have gathered the votes submitted until now, and am able to announce the results of the second edition of Lemmyvision! Thank you so much for participating, by sending a song together with your community, leaving feedback, or voting!!

This first ranking is based on the average position out of every vote:

1. Flomb!, Pe Krieger - #unplugtrump (avg. rank: 3.6)
2. Lambrini Girls - God's Country (4.7)
3. Alien Weaponry - Mau Moko (4.9)
4. Rezz, Virtual Riot, One True God - Give In To You (4.9)
5. Bibiza - Aufnimmawiederschaun (5.2)
6. Ultra Vomit - Dead Robot Zombie Cop From Outer Space 2 (5.3)
7. Billie du Page - Fake Friends (5.3)
8. Elisapie (ᐃᓕᓴᐱ) - Quviasukkuvit (If It Makes You Happy) (5.7)
9. Gurridyula - From The River To The Sea (5.8)
10. Cie Les Petites Mains - L’Anamour (6.2)
11. Lina Mayer - Raj (6.2)

Last weeks thread here

Welcome to this week’s casual kōrero thread!

This post will be pinned in this community so you can always find it, and will stay for about a week until replaced by the next one.

It’s for talking about anything that might not justify a full post. For example:

• Something interesting that happened to you
• Something humourous that happened to you
• Something frustrating that happened to you
• A quick question
• A request for recommendations
• Pictures of your pet
• A picture of a cloud that kind of looks like an elephant
• Anything else, there are no rules (except the rule)

So how’s it going?