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Most working folk absolutely hate WorkSafe and the pencilpushers, recognising that it gets in the way of getting the job done!

My Mrs ran that last year, she said it is very good and 'easy' grade for the most part. We're trying to get Child #2 on his bike so we can go do it at leisure with the whole fam. Somehow, my boys are reluctant to ride bikes before 5 (the 6 year old loves his bike, a machine which came from DawieO...4 yo, no interest yet).

Good summary from Patches; I've ridden Woodhill a fair bit and Rotorua quite a lot, both are very, very good. In terms of riding up the hills at Rots, really not that bad, maybe 10 or 15 minutes of climbing and then you have an absolute blast ripping it down Billy T or whatever, feels like you descend longer than you climb. Easy to get lost in Redwoods, but easy to find your way back, too. Just ask other folks, they're generally happy to help. Or refer to your map - having an idea of major points, like Tarawera Rd on one side and the MTB Rotorua car park on the other, helps a good deal. Let me know when you hit Rots, I'll pop though for a ride and if I'm feeling charitable, might even buy you a beer afterwards at the Pig n Whistle.

Favourite tools are battery drill and impact driver, skilly and recipro saw - man you can do a lot with those wee fellas. And the 18v skilly is powerful enough for most jobs, but not so powerful that kickback is a problem (ie pretty good to get handy with a skilly with reduced risk). On long rips it bogs a bit, but definitely workable!

LOS MY GOED!

That looks magnificent...

'Plenty'! Was a good time for sure.

On that note, I am a bit garrulous (and typing badly) right now as I am lashing into an arvo Koon session. Here's the label for easy identification:

Ugh pinot noir, no body, horrible taste. My ideal red is inky, dark, with strong wood and smoky flavours, it must stain my mouth and teeth and almost look like port. Koon, as we refer to it, is a Penfolds wine (cheapest of all the Penfolds) and it is really good, esp at the price. Haven't bothered going more expensive on the Penfolds range (which ramps up steeply from the Koon, next up is a Bin 413 I think, at around $43) because I am cheap and it is not...

I read something on Reddit, I think, that people get divorced on paper because it makes medical care cheaper somehow. Yep, you gotta look out for yourself there...let's all remember what the Gipper said, though, the most terrifying words in the English language are 'I'm from the government...and I'm here to help'. Self reliance is important... and also probably something Safas probably have a tendency to do anyway. Imagine relying on Uncle Jacob or Uncle Cyril...jussus, makes Uncle Sam look like a freakin legend.

Heheh, those are definite minuses Dave; raising 2 kids from birth with zero outside support is definitely special, too - but special in the way that you will probably appreciate it when you are old, and you will never forget it just like you have a massive laugh at the worst holiday you ever took. Here's some wine pro tips, esp if you are like me and a Shiraz/Merlot/Cab Sav oke like me. Get Koonunga Hill from Countdown on special at $14 a bottle, it is mother's milk. Then there's Picture Perfect Meatballs Shiraz for $10 a pop. Does the job. Consider Cat Among the Pigeons, too, bit more dear, but nice esp on special. And the Wolf Blass ones aren't bad, even the budget one...think it is a yellow, or red, but whatever, it ain't bad. I can't stand pinotage or pinot noir and most NZ reds are of the pinot noir variety. So I generally favour Aussie or Safa wines... Avoid Obikwa is is trash.

The states is a pretty awesome place. Been there many times, SF, LA, DC, Nawlins pre-Katrina, Orlando, Las Vegas (of course!) and of course Phoenix AZ (or more precisely, Scottsdale, one of my brothers lives there), and quite a few other places. In fact, I think I have probably been to the USA more than any other country, including Aussie. Now don't get me wrong, the USA isn't for everyone - not sure I could get used to it - but it is an absolute banger to visit. A lot of very cool people, from the homeless ones I spent a night with in Las Vegas, to the richin faymiss, to the regular Joes and Jills you'll meet in a bar (had a very memorable evening with a group of young people who 'adopted' my old a$$ in a bar in Orlando - such warmth and enthusiasm for a stranger), or the weird dude with whom I smoked a J on the AMtrak from New Orleans to Washington DC - I got paranoid and every time the train slowed, I thought I was gonna get hustled off by the cops hahah). TBH I don't like richin faymis much, those sorts of people are invariably a-holes. Like any other country, the USA isn't better or worse than another place, it is different. That different might not be for you. Or it might. In favour - cheap houses, cheap food and drink, NO LABOUR LAWS which I love, that's why houses, drink and food is so cheap. And if you are a hotshot in your job, employers are gonna love you. And if you're a real hotshot, hey go ahead and become the employer, not some drone taking a salary. This is the land of opportunity, my man. Against? They drive on the right. Stuff that man!

Good job! Can't do that with a C-section, though - you just have to charge your phone and laptop before they let you buggar off home haha

While I'm here, here's the latest addition to my AEG arsenal - got him last week, eager to put the wee fella to more work..which I'll be doing this weekend. Up until a few months ago, I didn't even know what these things were.

The struggle is real man, I have to try keep my damned beagle in...that, and that alone, is what gates and fences are for!

Here's the video I referenced for this project if anyone else wants to have a crack; here, most of our timber is treated radiata pine, easy to work with. Also, I used quickset concrete to place the posts, awesome stuff, you can carry on working an hour after chucking it in the hole, and you also literally just chuck it in the hole - no need to premix in a wheelbarrow or mixer or what have you. Really saves a ton of time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pJmVLQyd6U&t=27s

Here's a pergola I built over a weekend; it makes an entranceway to my back yard at the top of a flight of stairs through a block retaining wall (which I also designed and built). Very rewarding thing to do and super easy. Really finishes off the entranceway. Stained it charcoal; added the red doors as I thought a pop of colour would brighten things up (my front door is the same shade of red). I added the railings and 'backing' for the doors to the basic design; I find making doors a very rewarding activity, turning bits of board and plank into something useful - get plenty of practice doing rebates, too .

The Mrs worked full time for 2 years then was self employed full time at the point at which our first son was born. We don't believe in government handouts, so she worked right up to and then directly after the birth of both our boys (she had her laptop in the hospital/birthing centre), until the second was around 1, then she was full time mummy for about 3 years...now back to work thank heavens

Absolutely fair enough. We brought our dogs before kids and I can tell you that they went from being part of the family to being an additional hardhsit PDQ when dealing with babies and the very young. That said, when the one died in 2015 it was devastating to me. And now that my oldest is 6, it is a joy to see how he cuddles hugs and loves the remaining pooch (of which I am very fond...damned pest that she is). 10 grand if you are on a budget, though, is a lot of grand! And you can afford any number of dogs over here, or SPCA adoptions, for a lot less over the full lifetime of the petsky.

May be another ugly for WrightJr ;-)

Reading Patches' comments, there's something worth bearing in mind for the Kiwi market: they employ overseas people on lower salaries, thus keeping wages (and overheads) low, while claiming 'skills shortages'. You get to come to the country, they get to manage costs. For some, a fair tradeoff, and as Patches has made clear, you reward their interest accordingly, ie buggar off to a new job as soon as you've served your time. This became glaringly apparent a wee while ago when they ran a compo for the tech sector to fill the so-called 'skills shortages'. While thousands upon thousands of people from all over the world applied for jobs in the sector, I think it was one or two who actually took up employment. The rest of the firms, it turned out, didn't have skills shortages. More like capital shortages and an unwillingness to pay globally competitive salaries. So ja, know that if you do snag a job, you probably will be underpaid for your edu/skill/experience. But also know that once you hit that PR, you're free to do what you smaak, ekse,

Bro I know the dogs are part of the family and whatnot, but rehome them if you are serious about coming over. The ~10,000 dollars it will cost you for that exercise will seem worth a lot more after it's gone to the dogs, so to speak, especially when you have 2 kids who are going to keep you super busy ALL THE TIME in the absence of grandparents, uncles and aunts, and kindly Mavis who also did the dishes. Trust me on this - your dogs will be a lot less 'part of the family' when you find yourself having to spend every spare moment on the family. Also note you pay around $70 a year to keep one Fido on the leash - dog licenses are a thing (but TV licenses are not...swing? Roundabout?) And then remember vets are more expensive than doctors and dog tucker ain't cheap either...

Haha I literally used to do this. Last night in my unlocked house, there were noises because the wind was up. I wrapped my head in my pillow so I could get back to sleep...

I have enough on my plate worrying about today and tomorrow, 20 years from now is a different country altogether....

This is a negative of your company, not the country. Generally NZ is very progressive with mat leave etc. Also note that mat leave has to cost someone something and having a baba is a choice. Source: have 2 kids born in NZ, never got a dollar for the Mrs for mat leave. not even from the Govt.