u/Extension_Garbage583

I’m looking for some advice regarding a building contract issue. I built my home 5 years ago with a Registered Master Builder. I was doing some routine maintenance today/looking up replacement filters and checked the serial badge on my ventilation unit. Currently installed model does not handle moisture well compared to agreed model

I went back to look at our original signed building contract and plans, and I've just discovered that the builder installed a completely different model than the specific one detailed in our contract specifications.

Even though it’s been 5 years, I literally just noticed it.

My main worry is that because it's been 5 years, a tribunal or court might just say "it works, so leave it" and order them to pay the price difference, rather than making them rip it out and install the correct model. Has anyone dealt with a contract deviation this far down the track? What's the best way to approach the builder about this without them completely ghosting me?

Builder is still in business

Cheers!

I heard cleaning the return-air filter myself was surprisingly easy, so I’m wondering if annual servicing is really necessary when the system is working normally.

For those with ducted heat pumps (and ventilation systems), do you:

\- clean the filters yourself,

\- get a professional service every year,

\- or only service it every few years?

How about Lossnay service?

Interested to hear what other NZ homeowners do and whether you’ve noticed much benefit from annual servicing.

I heard cleaning the return-air filter myself was surprisingly easy, so I’m wondering if annual servicing is really necessary when the system is working normally.

For those with ducted heat pumps (and ventilation systems), do you:

- clean the filters yourself,

- get a professional service every year,

- or only service it every few years?

How about Lossnay service?

Interested to hear what other NZ homeowners do and whether you’ve noticed much benefit from annual servicing.

Is it normal for a manager to stop providing written references and only provide references directly to employers?

Someone recently asked their manager for a written reference because they are moving overseas and applying for jobs.

The manager explained that they no longer provide written references directly to staff. They are still happy to act as a referee and respond to a prospective employer by email, phone, or a reference form.

The reason for this change was due to a previous workplace situation. After that experience, the manager decided to create a blanket approach of not providing written references directly to staff, rather than making individual decisions each time.

The reasoning is that references are better provided directly to the employer who is requesting them, so there is clear context and the reference is being used for its intended purpose.

The staff member felt that because they are moving overseas, employers may be hesitant to contact the manager directly and would prefer a written reference.

The manager feels they are still supporting the staff member by being available as a referee, while also maintaining a consistent policy.

Is this a normal approach? Do managers commonly avoid written references and only provide references directly to employers?

Has anyone been quoted a huge repair cost for a Samsung Z Flip5 inner screen?

My Galaxy Z Flip5 (purchased early 2024) inner screen gradually stopped working over the last few weeks and is now completely black. I took it to a repair company, and they said they contacted Samsung. According to them, Samsung said the repair would cost NZ$1,150 because the Flip is structured differently from a normal smartphone.

They explained that the folding screen, hinge, frame, and other components are integrated together, so they can’t just replace the screen like they would on a standard phone. They said they have to replace the whole assembly, and the repair would also include new batteries.

I was pretty shocked by the price since that’s close to the value of the phone itself.

Has anyone else with a Z Flip4/Flip5/Flip6 had a similar issue and been quoted this much? Did Samsung offer any goodwill repair or warranty support if the screen failed gradually rather than after a drop?

I’m in New Zealand if that makes any difference.

Has anyone been quoted a huge repair cost for a Samsung Z Flip5 inner screen?

My Galaxy Z Flip5 (purchased early 2024) inner screen gradually stopped working over the last few weeks and is now completely black. I took it to a repair company, and they said they contacted Samsung. According to them, Samsung said the repair would cost NZ$1,150 because the Flip is structured differently from a normal smartphone.

They explained that the folding screen, hinge, frame, and other components are integrated together, so they can’t just replace the screen like they would on a standard phone. They said they have to replace the whole assembly, and the repair would also include new batteries.

I was pretty shocked by the price since that’s close to the value of the phone itself.

Has anyone else with a Z Flip4/Flip5/Flip6 had a similar issue and been quoted this much? Did Samsung offer any goodwill repair or warranty support if the screen failed gradually rather than after a drop?

I’m in New Zealand if that makes any difference.

Looking for some feedback on how to best split my cash reserves between my bank savings account and Kernel’s Cash Plus Fund.

​I currently have $16,000 in total cash and want to keep it liquid/safe, but I want to optimize the yield and tax efficiency

Currently $6000 in kernel cash fund and $10k in bank savings account. Adding $200 per week into kernel cash fund

My Question for the Sub:

​Does a $2k / $14k split feel right? Is $2,000 enough to leave in a standard bank account for immediate access, or do you keep a larger immediate buffer?

Just worried what my boss thinks and if business will lose money

I’ve (early 30s male) been in a high-stress corporate retail/store environment for six years, currently working 56 hours a week (6 days a week).

​The great news is that my home is completely paid off, so my living expenses are very low. If I keep pushing at my current 56-hour pace, I am on track to hit my ultimate savings milestone in exactly 2 years.

​I’ve been debating whether to cut back by 9 hours a week (taking the 6th day off to drop to 47 hours). I don’t feel burned out and feel like I have the stamina to keep going, but I am weighing a few specific operational and personal concerns:

​Store Spending & Labor Costs: We just replaced a staff member with someone who is highly paid. Because I am hourly, my working 56 hours adds a lot to the store's total spending. I’m conflicted about whether continuing to log these extra hours makes financial sense for the store's budget now.

​Team Dependence: I am an all-rounder and a leader here. If I cut down my hours and take that 6th day off, I’m genuinely worried the team will struggle heavily without me there to anchor things.

​Delaying my Savings Goal of $300k: Cutting back 9 hours a week means taking a noticeable pay cut. This will obviously push back my 2-year timeline and delay hitting my ultimate savings milestone.

​The Spare Time Dilemma / Feeling Lost: I've been running at this intense pace for so long that I'm completely unsure what I'd even do with the extra time off. I'm genuinely worried I might just feel lost, restless, or anxious if I'm not working that 6th day.

​Given that I have the energy to keep pushing, would you just put your head down, help the team navigate the new hire, and sprint to the finish line for the next 2 years? Or does it make more sense to scale back to 47 hours now to manage the store's spending, accept the delayed savings timeline, and force the team to learn how to operate without me?

​TL;DR: Hourly worker with a paid-off house. Working 56 hours/week and 2 years out from a final savings goal. I can keep pushing, but we just brought on a highly-paid replacement staff member, and I'm an all-rounder leader. Worried about store spend, a delayed savings goal, the team struggling, and feeling totally lost with the spare time if I take a 6th day off. What should I do?

I'm trying to understand the appeal of Simplicity's unlisted property investments and whether I'm missing something.

​

A lot of discussion focuses on fees and performance, but my concern is more about transparency and governance.

​

With listed shares:

Prices are visible every day

If markets think an asset is worth less, the price falls immediately

There's a clear market valuation

With unlisted property:

Valuations are done periodically

There isn't a live market price

Investors have to place more trust in valuers and management

I understand that Simplicity is regulated, audited, uses custodians, etc., so I'm not suggesting anything improper is happening.

But it still feels like there is an extra layer of trust required compared with simply owning globally diversified listed equities.

​

My questions are:

Why does Simplicity allocate so much to unlisted property rather than just increasing global equities?

What is the expected benefit that compensates investors for the lower transparency?

​

How much confidence do people have in unlisted property valuations during periods when commercial property markets are weak?

​

Do investors view manager/governance risk as essentially negligible, or is that something worth factoring into fund selection?

​

I'm not trying to start a conspiracy discussion. I'm genuinely interested in understanding why many investors seem comfortable with a large allocation to assets that don't have a continuously observable market price.

​

Would be interested to hear both sides of the argument.

Hey everyone,

​

I’ve been looking at Kernel High Growth and Simplicity High Growth and noticed both of them still have some NZ exposure (more so in Simplicity).

​

This got me thinking because most investing advice says global diversification (especially US-heavy) tends to produce better long-term growth.

​

So I’m trying to understand the logic here.

​

I’m wondering:

👉 If the goal is strong long-term performance, why do these providers still include NZ stocks at all?

Is it because:

​

They want to match NZ investors’ “home currency” exposure?

​

They believe NZ stocks improve stability / dividends?

​

Regulatory / index tracking reasons?

​

Or is there actually a performance argument for keeping NZ exposure?.

​

Also, I already live in NZ (income, housing, KiwiSaver etc), so I’m trying to figure out if this is just normal “home bias” or something intentional in the fund design.

​

Keen to hear thoughts from people who understand fund construction better.

For you, this means from 31 July 2026 your Skinny Unlimited Broadband - Fibre 500 plan is going up by $3 to $93 a month.

​

What are people doing these days to cope with price increases?

Hey everyone,

I’m looking into getting someone into my spare room to help cover costs. I am trying to figure out the exact line between a flatmate (fully taxable income) and a boarder (can use the tax-free standard-cost method).

The IRD states that a boarder must be provided with "accommodation and services, such as meals or laundry".

If I don't want to cook full daily meals for them, can the "services" and "goods" cover household upkeep instead? I am thinking about providing:

Cleaning services: Doing a deep clean of their room/bathroom weekly, and doing their laundry.

Cleaning products & supplies: Fully providing all dishwashing liquid, laundry powder, and sprays.

Consumables: Fully supplying all toilet paper, hand soap, tissues.

For anyone who uses the standard-cost method without providing 3 cooked meals a day:

Does providing intensive cleaning services, laundry, toilet paper, and cleaning products legally qualify them as a "boarder" in the eyes of the IRD, or will they still be deemed a flatmate?

Has anyone been audited by the IRD over this distinction? How did you prove it? I have a template I've used that mentions providing cleaning products and laundry services. Will that suffice?

If they buy and cook 100% of their own main food, does that instantly ruin the "boarder" tax status regardless of what cleaning and paper goods I provide?

Note: I'll be paying all the utilities like electricity, internet and water

Would love to hear how you handle this. Cheers!

Looking for children’s horror picture book (late 80s–early 2000s)

I’m trying to find a short illustrated horror picture book I read in the early 2000s (could be older).

Set in a school/classroom

A teacher keeps a small alien/blob creature as a pet

It is kept in a jar on the teacher’s desk (very small at first)

A student opens the jar / releases it

The creature seems harmless at first

It is a slime/jelly-like blob with horror-style illustrations (not cute/cartoon)

It starts eating things, then grows larger

It eventually eats a dog, and later people

It keeps growing bigger as it eats

Tone is more creepy/horror than funny

Short picture book, not a long novel

I read it around 2000–2005 but it was likely older (90s or earlier).

If someone steals from the workplace, is that a high chance of being fired? Assuming processes are followed. Can they blame it on mental health and use that as a reason to stay on?

Meant to feel rich? But feel poor and boring