707 days ago

Have you ever been to a Kāinga Ora info session?

The Team Reporter from Hamilton Press

Paea King is friends with some of her Kāinga Ora neighbours, but others have held noisy 4am weeknight parties or siphoned her petrol.

So the Bader resident of more than 50 years is worried about potential new faces when a new state housing development pops up over the fence - but an information session didn't provide much.

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More messages from your neighbours
1 hour ago

Plan to keep cash alive

Libby Totton Reporter from Waikato Times

Keeping cash alive in rural Waikato towns is a big problem, but help could be on the way.

The Reserve Bank is proposing banks keep a minimum ability for their customers to access cash - often a lifeline in small rural communities where banks have cut branches and opening hours.

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1 day ago

Poll: Should we ditch daylight saving? 🕰️

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

First introduced in New Zealand in 1927 with the passing of the Summer Time Act, it's what we know as 'Daylight Saving' and this year it ends on the first Sunday in April.

While we do get to sleep in this time around, some people would like to scrap the clock tinkering for good.

And why? Some evidence suggests the time changes are bad for our health as they mess with sleep patterns leading to short-term fatigue and affecting mood. Meanwhile the hour change is frustrating for farmers and a nightmare for getting the littlies to sleep. But what's your take?

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Should we ditch daylight saving? 🕰️
  • 40.3% Yes - get rid of the clock changes
    40.3% Complete
  • 57.8% No, I enjoy it
    57.8% Complete
  • 1.9% Other - I'll share below
    1.9% Complete
1109 votes
J
5 days ago

Mr Minit in Chartwell: Be wary

Jenny from Hillcrest

Hi all,
Just sharing my experience. I had the battery for my car key replaced in March 2025 at Mr. Minit in Chartwell. I was given a one‑year warranty, which seemed impressive at the time.

However, the battery stopped working early Mar 26. With the warranty card, I brought the key back to have it checked and replaced. What I didn’t realise was that the battery was *not* actually replaced. He only tested it with a meter. When I asked whether he had replaced the battery, he said “yes,” but that wasn’t true. He then said he had tested the battery level and there was no need to replace it. When I asked to see the meter, it showed the battery was in the green zone which means it was ok.

I was then advised that I might need to replace the entire key unit. I asked whether he had properly troubleshot the issue to confirm it was the battery and not the key itself. His reply was that he normally doesn’t do that, but I was a “special case.” That means, the warranty card was a misrepresentation and there was no real intention of replacing the battery when it was faulty.

After he finally replaced the battery with a new one, my key worked perfectly again.

**Lesson learned:**
Make sure you take a photo of your warranty card. I feel like the warranty is mostly for show — if I had lost it, I would have been charged another $20+ for a battery. Worst still, I would have to pay more to change the key unit unnecessarily.

Make sure you witness that they replace your old battery with a new one if it's still under warranty.