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Bill Bennett

@billbennett.bsky.social

900 followers 250 following 3.9K posts

It’s tough at the top. https://billbennett.co.nz

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Bill Bennett @billbennett.bsky.social · Jul 30

You can read my newsletter online at this site: billbennett.co.nz

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And it is published on Scoop at this address: info.scoop.co.nz/Bill_Benn…

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Bill Bennett @billbennett.bsky.social · 17h

I think I'm going to grab a glass of Syrah and spend an hour with Jackson Lamb.

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Bill Bennett @billbennett.bsky.social · 17h

Call me cynical if you like, but I think the cruelty is the whole point. Someone thinks being pointlessly nasty to kids will resonant with key voter demographics.

Bill Bennett @billbennett.bsky.social · 17h

Cigarettes... how retro.

Bill Bennett @billbennett.bsky.social · 17h

I suspect that it will end up costing almost as much to administer this rule change as the money it allegedly saves...

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Bill Bennett @billbennett.bsky.social · 18h

You can hear me on RNZ Nights with Emile Donovan after the 9pm news talking about attacks on cell towers and then on Nine to Noon tomorrow with Kathryn Ryan after the 11am news talking about, among other things, mobile bill transparency.

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Bill Bennett @billbennett.bsky.social · 1d

You are not wrong ;)

So. Not wrong.

Bill Bennett @billbennett.bsky.social · 1d

NT News with a crocodile on the front page.

Bill Bennett @billbennett.bsky.social · 1d

That would be the newspaper coverage. Have you ever seen the NT News?

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Bill Bennett @billbennett.bsky.social · 1d

We did Shakespeare's Julius Caesar in O Level English Lit:

Question asked: "What were Caesar's last three lines"?

I answered:

"Et tu Brute.

Arrgh

Arrgh."

English teacher told me other teachers the staff room laughed so much that some needed medical attention.

www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...

Morning Report political panel: Nicola Willis defends telling Greens to 'call the dogs off'

"I think we shouldn't be so precious that we can't use metaphorical speech," the Finance Minister says.

www.rnz.co.nz

2 4 30

Bill Bennett @billbennett.bsky.social · 1d

For Australia it would be: Snake, Crocodile, Spider...

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Bill Bennett @billbennett.bsky.social · 1d

Let's hope Labour doesn't get complacent about this...

www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...

National falls below 30% in latest Curia poll, left bloc could form government

Both Labour and National have taken hits, but the centre left bloc could form a government, according to Curia's polling.

www.rnz.co.nz

Bill Bennett @billbennett.bsky.social · 1d

It's bonkers. Smoke and mirrors accounting. The value of processors depreciates faster than buying a new car as better, faster processors appear every six to 12 months.

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Bill Bennett @billbennett.bsky.social · 1d

One last, hopefully helpful suggestion. If it’s a new build, the developer may offer finance options. They struggle to sell small apartments right now and can be creative… that won’t last when the market takes off again.

Bill Bennett @billbennett.bsky.social · 1d

Yeah, I was going to suggest that next. Also, mortgage brokers can be helpful. I’ve had to use these in the past because I’m a freelance journalist with the kind of variable income bank lenders hate. They’ll know the wrinkles.. and trust me, there are tons of wrinkles in this game.

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Bill Bennett @billbennett.bsky.social · 1d

Here’s the thing… you won’t need to pay that interest premium for long... After 2 or 3 years, chances are you’d have the equity for a conventional loan. even if you don’t, a track record of 3 years of mortgage payments can usually sway a conventional lender anyway.

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Bill Bennett @billbennett.bsky.social · 1d

Try web searching things like: “non bank property loan, Auckland apartment”.

I went down this route when buying my first flat in London about 40 years ago. Obviously there was no web search then, a friend put me in touch with a lender. In the end I didn’t need it, got a building society loan.

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Bill Bennett @billbennett.bsky.social · 1d

My biggest career regret is never having a sinecure.

Bill Bennett @billbennett.bsky.social · 1d

if you have a good secure job, there are non-bank lenders who might take this on... the interest rate would be higher, but it still might work out cheaper than renting.

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Bill Bennett @billbennett.bsky.social · 1d

This did not age well:

www.beehive.govt.nz/release/ligh...

www.beehive.govt.nz

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Bill Bennett @billbennett.bsky.social · 1d

Had salade nicoise for dinner... obviously we're finally done with winter food for this year.

Bill Bennett @billbennett.bsky.social · 1d

Brilliant. Tres bon.

laurentfranckx.bsky.social @laurentfranckx.bsky.social · 2d

Bill Bennett @billbennett.bsky.social · 1d

If almost anyone else was prime minister, I'd say the masterplan had been written on a slightly damp beer mat after the third or fourth round of drinks.

Bill Bennett @billbennett.bsky.social · 2d

Duck Duck Go has improved massively since I wrote about it not alway being useful for finding New Zealand material. But my word I don't like the way it keeps pushing some dopey AI nonsense our way.

Bill Bennett @billbennett.bsky.social · 2d

This story is nine years old. It could have been written yesterday.

billbennett.co.nz/new-zealand-...

Government tech bias has long sidelined NZ innovators

There never was a golden age of New Zealand technology firms winning government work. Decades of bias towards overseas suppliers have kept local innovators on the sidelines.

billbennett.co.nz

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Bill Bennett @billbennett.bsky.social · 2d

This headline hits the right tone:

pxlnv.com/linklog/new-...

Microsoft Uses a Thousand Words to Justify Some New Office Icons – Pixel Envy

I promise I will end the gratuitous and uncomfortable self-quoting soon, but there are so many smart replies to what I wrote about Liquid Glass that I feel I need to point you to them. Jeff Johnson, q...

pxlnv.com