Northpower Electric Power Trust (NEPT) online voting
In our recent Neighbourly discussions of the local elections I was one of the people in favour of introducing online voting. So I was quite surprised when I received my voting papers for the NEPT election and discovered that online voting was an available option. Great - I did my research, made up my mind who to vote for, and went online.
Well, it's probably a good example of how NOT to implement online voting :-(
The welcome page was nice enough, but the ballot page itself looked very crude and basic, as if the so-called style sheet, which defines the styles and visual elements of a web page, was broken or missing. But it was a secure website, so I ticked my boxes and sent it off ... and didn't get any kind of feedback if my vote had been received. Hmmm. So I decided to click on the link for the feedback page and wrote up all my issues and complaints and clicked on the send button ... only to receive a timeout after a minute or so. Well, it happens sometimes, so I tried again ... another timeout. I gave up.
I had written in my earlier posts that online voting needed to be done professionally and securely, to be acceptable. The NEPT voting website felt like shoddy work, done in a hurry and not tested properly. I'm pretty sure that my vote wasn't lost, at least as sure as if I had sent it in by mail, but a professional design, with a ballot page identical or at least very similar to the printed version, and a confirmation that the vote was received, plus a working feedback page is the minimum we voters should be able to expect.
Has anybody else voted online and had similar or different (better or worse) experiences?
Poll: If we want to reduce speeding, what do you think actually changes driver behaviour? 🛻🚨🚓
In the Post's article on speeding penalties, the question is asked whether speeding fines are truly about road safety, or are they just a way to boost revenue for the Crown?
What do you think? Should speeding motorists receive speeding fines or demerit points?
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32.1% The sting of a fine (Money talks!)
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67.9% The threat of demerit points (Nobody wants to lose their license!)
Something we all seem to have forgotten
An Obituary to Common Sense printed in the London Times
Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years.
No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated valuable lessons like:
- Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
- Why the early bird gets the worm;
- Life isn't always fair;
- And maybe it was my fault.
Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge)
His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher
fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.
Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.
It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.
Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.
Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.
Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.
Common Sense was preceded in death;
-by his parents, Truth and Trust,
-by his wife, Discretion,
-by his daughter, Responsibility,
-and by his son, Reason
He is survived by his 5 stepbrothers;
- I Know My Rights,
- I Want It Now,
- Someone Else Is To Blame,
- I'm A Victim,
- Pay me for Doing Nothing
Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing…
This is a modified version of a text that is originally attributed to Lori Borgman. However, it is more true today than it was when first written. It is not the version I remember, but it still gets the point across. Enjoy and remember.
Share your favourite main crop potato recipe and win a copy of our mag!
Love potatoes? We will give away free copies of the May 2026 issue to readers whose potato recipes are used in our magazine. To be in the running, make sure you email your family's favourite way to enjoy potatoes: mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, by March 1, 2026.
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