As New Zealand Courts Tech Talent, Isolation Becomes a Draw • Hacker News Board

Re: As New Zealand Courts Tech Talent, Isolation Becomes a Draw

#401

Post by jessaustin » Sat, Apr 15, 2017, 3:41 PM UTC

lacampbell wrote: post #306

geebee wrote: post #158

New Zealand does sound pretty incredible. A massive national park, the size of California, with only 5 million people, and very liveable and appealing cities. Here's the thing. Would New Zealand stay that way if it pursued a policy of large scale immigration, they way the US has? The US takes well over a million new immigrants into the country every year. 10 years of our immigration would triple the size of New Zeala…

A massive national park, the size of California, with only 5 million people I'm sorry but that's an incredibly ignorant thing to say. NZ is not a massive national park. Take a brief glance at it on google maps. Most of it is light green - farmland. We have about the same forest area % as Idaho. Or is that a massive national park as well?

Idaho is very nice! Lots of wonderful public lands, although not all of that is forest. [0] It's more agricultural than Utah or Nevada, but it wouldn't really be considered a breadbasket. It's not particularly diverse, but that will probably change eventually.

[0] e.g. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craters_of_the_Moon_National_M...

Re: As New Zealand Courts Tech Talent, Isolation Becomes a Draw

#402

Post by dasil003 » Sat, Apr 15, 2017, 5:33 PM UTC

cookiecaper wrote: post #298

dasil003 wrote: post #270

Earlier quoted context omitted.

California has one big advantage though: employers can not legally claim your side projects.

In practice, this isn't likely to happen outside of California. Most companies are not going to sue you unless it's worth their while; that is, unless your side project is making a lot of money. In California, if your side project is making a lot of money, you should probably expect to get hit with a lawsuit for misappropriation of trade secrets, etc., because that's what people do when money is on the table. It is o…

I believe you, but I'm curious what knowledge or experience you have or have witnessed that might be informative to these points.

Re: As New Zealand Courts Tech Talent, Isolation Becomes a Draw

#403

Post by contingencies » Sat, Apr 15, 2017, 6:13 PM UTC

TheAlchemist wrote: post #13

That's interesting ! I'm intending to make a move with my family in near future, and we actually went to visit the northern island for 15 days last month. The country is really beautiful, and there are not a lot of people around, so you can't help but feel blessed by the surrounding nature. The people are great, probably the nicest I've ever seen (as a whole). I've noted some cons though (not blocking for us thankful…

Got family there and citizenship. Looked at land in the north island a few years ago. Didn't buy due to isolation. No plans to try again.

Re: As New Zealand Courts Tech Talent, Isolation Becomes a Draw

#404

Post by geebee » Sat, Apr 15, 2017, 6:25 PM UTC

lacampbell wrote: post #306

geebee wrote: post #158

New Zealand does sound pretty incredible. A massive national park, the size of California, with only 5 million people, and very liveable and appealing cities. Here's the thing. Would New Zealand stay that way if it pursued a policy of large scale immigration, they way the US has? The US takes well over a million new immigrants into the country every year. 10 years of our immigration would triple the size of New Zeala…

A massive national park, the size of California, with only 5 million people I'm sorry but that's an incredibly ignorant thing to say. NZ is not a massive national park. Take a brief glance at it on google maps. Most of it is light green - farmland. We have about the same forest area % as Idaho. Or is that a massive national park as well?

I learn a lot from debating on HN. I will avoid saying this in the future.

I will agree that the statement is ignorant if taken very literally and, in my opinion, uncharitably. I don't actually think NZ is literally a giant national park, though it is a naturally beautiful and relatively undeveloped place.

Still in highly contentious arguments it's best to avoid giving people the opportunity to call you ignorant, so in future iterations I'll certainly be more careful.

Re: As New Zealand Courts Tech Talent, Isolation Becomes a Draw

#405

Post by [deleted] » Sat, Apr 15, 2017, 6:25 PM UTC

lacampbell wrote: post #306

geebee wrote: post #158

New Zealand does sound pretty incredible. A massive national park, the size of California, with only 5 million people, and very liveable and appealing cities. Here's the thing. Would New Zealand stay that way if it pursued a policy of large scale immigration, they way the US has? The US takes well over a million new immigrants into the country every year. 10 years of our immigration would triple the size of New Zeala…

A massive national park, the size of California, with only 5 million people I'm sorry but that's an incredibly ignorant thing to say. NZ is not a massive national park. Take a brief glance at it on google maps. Most of it is light green - farmland. We have about the same forest area % as Idaho. Or is that a massive national park as well?

[deleted]

Re: As New Zealand Courts Tech Talent, Isolation Becomes a Draw

#406

Post by mistermann » Sat, Apr 15, 2017, 7:29 PM UTC

lostlogin wrote: post #310

vorg wrote: post #260

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The parent commenter said "(real, unadjusted) inflation". The inflation rate published by the Reserve Bank is calculated for everyday items as used by some demographic, but excludes the rising price of assets such as houses themselves, or the health costs of the aged demographic. If you treat the rental and purchase price of houses to be part of the real inflation rate (because they are compulsory costs for people li…

Would it? If we are using that inflation rate then we should compare it to the interest rates you can actually get - around 5-6%. This article puts inflation including housing at around 2.5% late last year (half the 5% interest rate you can get). I know we have had steep housing cost rises lately, but they aren't rising right now. I can't see how that was calculated though and it seems lower than I'd expect. http://w…

I'm sorry but when housing expenses are typically 30%++ of the typical citizens expenses, and housing is rising at 10% to 30% per year, year after year, you absolutely should not trust anyone who says that inflation is 1% or even 2.5% (this fellow is just being extremely conservative I presume).

That's one way of looking at it. Another way is.....we can argue about what the specific numbers are, but leaving that aside, there is very obviously a major, major problem with housing costs in many countries in the world, Canada being one of the very worst affected. But in the realm of political discussion, it is almost never mentioned, and when it does come up, almost all politicians "poo poo" the idea as if it's some crackpot conspiracy theory, and if you won't shut up about it, they then resort to calling you a racist, which in Vancouver was almost a foolproof technique for suppressing discussion, until it finally got so bad that even that stopped working, but even then almost no politicians would acknowledge the elephant in the room.

It feels like a complete conspiracy. Could the explanation be as simple that all politicians own real estate, so it is in their best interests to blow the bubble as big as possible? As silly as that sounds, the numbers are literally so big that's is nearly the equivalent of winning a small lottery...and knowing human nature, how many people wouldn't compromise their principles just a little to guarantee win the lottery?

Re: As New Zealand Courts Tech Talent, Isolation Becomes a Draw

#407

Post by mistermann » Sat, Apr 15, 2017, 7:32 PM UTC

RowanH wrote: post #134

mistermann wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> housing prices are extremely high. I don't understand that, Same problem Canada has: interest rates below the rate of (real, unadjusted) inflation, and no limitations on foreign ownership of real estate (a major catalyst, at least , for a bubble).

People are immigrating faster than houses can be built which is a major factor...

Well, in Canada for the most part they don't immigrate, they just buy their permanent residence status from Quebec, buy a house in Vancouver or Toronto, and then go back home.

At best they might send their wife, kids, and elderly parents over to take advantage of our subsidized schools and hospitals (for hospitals you can just borrow a fake ID from someone with PR status, Canadian culture is extremely trusting so we don't have any safeguards in place for abuse of any of our social services).

Re: As New Zealand Courts Tech Talent, Isolation Becomes a Draw

#408

Post by lacampbell » Sat, Apr 15, 2017, 10:12 PM UTC

jessaustin wrote: post #400

lacampbell wrote: post #303

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you end up in Auckland, Wellington or Christchurch you could be just in another big city anywhere in the world, Calling Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch "big cities" - I could tell you were a kiwi before I even read the name!

Haha I worked in Wellington for a few months... I'd consider it a large town. Part of that is the geography, which conspires against the sprawl I'd expect from a "big city", and which is certainly a point in Wellington's favor. I haven't been there in about a decade... do grocers stay open after 5 PM yet?

Wellington does feel the most city like of anywhere in NZ. It really is a tiny city as opposed to just a very large town. Aucklands city centre is really one street, then just miles of suburbs stitched on to it.

Re: As New Zealand Courts Tech Talent, Isolation Becomes a Draw

#409

Post by lacampbell » Sat, Apr 15, 2017, 10:14 PM UTC

driverdan wrote: post #398

lacampbell wrote: post #375

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you a junior dev? Those contracting rates are awful . I'd class 70k as great for a junior, mediocre for intermediate and a joke for a senior. Wonder if they low-balled you for being a foreigner. FWIW as a NZer you hit the nail on the head about the anti-americanism, and simultaneous obsession with american politics.

It depends on where you live in the US. That salary would be low in the Bay but high in other places.

70 NZD = ~49 USD that's low in the bay but high in other places?!

Re: As New Zealand Courts Tech Talent, Isolation Becomes a Draw

#410

Post by xxgreg » Sat, Apr 15, 2017, 10:33 PM UTC

0xADEADBEE wrote: post #336

incompatible wrote: post #324

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wouldn't the commute home be a bit tough on a bike?

Yes. What GP is omitting is that Wellington winters are akin to England but with a great deal more wind. In the summer, that commute is likely wonderful, but for four months of the year, it isn't.

Yeah, which is why there is wind/kite-surfing, as a sport for the windy days ;)