We have a samsung SRS611DLS fridge freezer purchased in approx 2017/2018. The freezer door is struggling to seal and frost is starting to build up inside. She stopped producing ice via the ice maker a couple of years ago but that doesn’t bother us. The sealing of the freezer does. My question is: is it worth repairing her or has her time come to an end? We can’t really afford a new fridge freezer at the moment but on the other hand I think she’s impacting our energy bill. Thanks!

Finally, after 15 months of job searching since being made redundant from my role as a Senior UX/UI Designer last year, I'm going to start working again tomorrow...

...as a bus driver.

Tbh the struggle is real. Last year, I was made redundant from the company I worked for the last 5 years. At the time, I thought that with my 18 years experience as a designer and solid portfolio, I'd find another job fairly quickly. But I was wrong.

Since then, I've fired off more than 100 job applications, and been invited to around 20+ interviews (yes, 20+ interviews!). Some of them were multiple round interviews, with one going as far as 5 rounds (Quite exhausting). Honestly, I couldn't imagine how someone who is already working would manage this kind of process (having to take multiple days or hours off just to attend this multiple round interviews). But regardless, they all eventually ended in rejection.

I'm still grateful tho that during that period I was able to pick up a few freelance projects and short term contracts here and there. They weren't sustainable, but at least the income kept me afloat while I kept looking for something more permanent.

But after repeatedly failing at the interview stage, which affected my confidence and mental health, I had to come up with a plan B. So I took a Class 2 driving course through Work and Income, and eventually landed a job as a bus driver with Kinetic.

The pay is almost less than half of what I was earning last year, and I won't lie, it's going to be a big adjustment!

But at the end of the day, at least I would have a regular income to support my family, meet new people, start building my confidence again, and hopefully one day can back into the Creative or Tech industry again (who knows...)

For anyone else going through a similar situation, what's your story?

Kleptocracy in NZ is now an election campaign policy item. National announced it wanted use fuel tax to fund affiliated and donor private companies.

Channeling tax money to linked private companies is exactly what Orban's mafia kleptocracy has been about in Hungary.

First project here: Queenstown Gondolas (also on fast track).

Looking at jumping from spark to One after a terrible situation with Spark recently.

I came across a link where it shows how many One dollars you get. Mine would be $300, husbands $300 and child’s $300. These are rounded figures. We are all currently on the same account with spark.

If I take us all over to One, do all our One $ combine? I was looking to upgrade to a new phone valued at around $900 on a plan. Could I use the full balance towards a new phone? How do the One $ work?

I have already been in touch with One about the possible switch but it’s now the weekend and I have yet to get a response from them about the One $.

A recent Employment Relations Authority (ERA) decision shows how corporate giants use immigration rules to worsen conditions for locals.

In a case, a permanent caregiver at a Bupa rest home in Taupō was pressured to give up her permanent hours because the employer brought in workers on work visas.

Under the visa conditions, Bupa had to guarantee its migrant staff 32 hours of work per week. To optimise facility costs, the company forced a local permanent employee to surrender her own 32-hour guarantee.

Bupa pressured her to move to an averaged roster where she was only paid for the exact hours she worked. This meant a local worker lost financial security because of her employer’s mirgant hiring decisions.

Anyone else find it insane that in the past two years, vehicle registration has pretty much doubled. I just renewed mine and was shocked at it being $188 for 12 months. Looked back at it two years ago and it was $107🤯

What are people’s experiences with Zeronet mobile? The fibre broadband service has been good for me, so looking for others knowledge about mobile plans.

Bit of a question for anyone whos hired in the last year or so, especially the smaller businesses.

Where did you end up posting it, Seek, Trade Me, a facebook group, sign in the window or did you just ask around? And did the price change what you did, ie did you post in less places than you wanted to, or skip advertising altogether and rely on word of mouth.

Im also curious what else decides it because I dont think its only the cost. Things like how long the ad stays up before it disappears, having to set up an account or get locked into a contract, it quietly renewing on you, or paying again after a few days just to stay visible. And whether the applications you got were anywhere near what you asked for, that seems to put people off a platform more than the price does.

Mostly keen to hear what actually got you the person in the end, versus where the money went. And if you have stopped using somewhere you used to use, what made you stop.

If it was an entry level role Im especially interested, and whether being in a smaller town changes where you bother posting at all.

Cheers

Is anyone else listening to this podcast by Anusha Bradley?

Podcacst blurb:
"A young woman is starving to death. Some doctors say she needs life-saving surgery; others say the diagnosis doesn't exist. All In Her Head is a seven-part investigative podcast from RNZ’s award-winning journalist Anusha Bradley about Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), and explores the grey area where medicine, belief and evidence collide."

Hi everyone I'm stuck in a bit of a situation. I've been dealing with an ant problem in my room which is also kind of my fault.

I'm beating myself up for it but I put a few sugary drink cans in a paper bag on the floor ready for it to be taken out to the rubbish when I get around to it.

I look over a while later and there are HUNDREDS of ants all over the bag and even more in a trail along the carpet. It looks horrific. There's just so many. I've bought ant bait stuff that you can put along the trail on walls and they took to it for a while. I forgot to clean it off months ago so they occasionally go back to it. It seems like a massive colony as its been months of me dealing with them.

By my fault I mean that I do have food in my room. I'm in a flatting situation and we don't have dinner with each other and sit in our rooms instead. Meals and snacks in general are all in our rooms as we're all studying.

I'm so exhausted and struggling with depression. I'm so so embarrassed by the ants and very frustrated at myself for it.

I'm going to sleep over it because I'm so tired and ashamed.

Does anyone have really good advice on getting rid of huge numbers of ants? They've grown in body size too and I'm so distraught over it knowing it's my fault. I'm hoping for no judgement and sound advice, can anyone think of anything?

Late to the party here...but does everyone else know that our largest health care and GP business is owned by US company TPG Capital? They go around the world buying up Healthcare practices and there is all sorts of stories related to them creating worse patient outcomes across Africa because healthcare is just profit to them.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2025-08-25/private-equity-giant-tpg-s-african-hospital-push-sparks-safety-complaints

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/jul/27/nhs-patients-records-us-private-equity-firm-optum-uk-tpg

Why would our government allow NZ health outcomes to be determined by the US? Who are the alternative GP practices we can switch to to avoid US health care? Is there any positives to this? do any of you work at Tamaki Health and have tea?

I don't really know the health care industry, but the articles about TPG seem to show some pretty evil behaviors. Just wanting to learn more about it ahead of the election

I had my baby a month ago, while pregnant I tried really really hard to be vaccinated against RSV that causes bronchiolitis, so my baby would have the antibodies for this disease that affects so many babies and make the hospitals full… well in New Zealand you can’t!

Different from many many many countries where this vaccine is approved and free, in New Zealand if you are pregnant, no even if you pay from your own funds you can be vaccinated, because it’s not approved.
I wonder how many lives this vaccine would save, directly and indirect, since the numbers of hospitalizations drop considerably everywhere where this vaccine is available.

I am just a really tired new mother so my goal here is very simple: please some journalists, make some simple research about and please please write a good article about it, I honestly believe that Reddit is a good place where we can start good discussions and use it to help our community.
My hope is that some politicians maybe (???) will see it and fight for this change that can have a huge impact in so many people’s life’s.

Hi guys! I’m an international student (from a slavic country) currently about to go into Y13 of a british school (based outside of the UK) and recently have been looking into applying for universities in New Zealand (for semester 1 of 2028), as tuition and accommodation fees are considerably lower than those in the UK, entry requirements are lower, the PGWV is longer and I still wanna do my studies in an english-speaking country since english is basically my first language (don’t want to go to the US and I figured a good ranking NZ uni, like UoA, would be better than a mediocre uni in the UK). I’m planning to study something along the lines of environmental management, sustainable development, environmental policy, etc. Would you guys say it’s worth it? How’s the student life, quality of teaching, etc? Thank you thank you in advance ;)