How to talk to your teen if their NCEA results aren’t what they wanted
Photo: 123RF The nerve-racking wait is over, for better or worse. Thousands of teenagers will be signing on the New Zealand Qualification Authority’s website to check their NCEA exam results today. As a mother of four, including a 16-year-old receiving her results today, Parenting Place coach Sheridan Eketone is keen for parents and teens to […]
How to bounce back after losing your job
Photo: 123RF Last year was a big 12 months of job losses on a big scale. An estimated 9500 public servants were made redundant, with job listings staying low throughout the year. Listings rose by one percent in November on Seek, but the number of applications per job increased by three percent at the same […]
How to responsibly recycle a real Christmas tree
A Christmas tree dumped outside a store in central Auckland, waiting for Mr Nobody to pick it up. Photo: Christine Rush / RNZ If you cut or bought your real Christmas tree in the first flush of festive spirits, chances are it’ll be looking past its use-by date by early January. In many parts of […]
How to pay $1.2m for a Christmas tree
The Te Manaaki tree in central Auckland is 18 metres tall, with more than 10,000 LED lights and 200 giant baubles. Photo: Supplied / Echo Shan About a third of the $1.2 million spent on Auckland’s downtown Christmas tree are costs associated with the installation of the tree for the first two years, new information […]
How to spot an accidental frenemy
Photo: Luz Fuertes Do you have so-called friends who lash out, relish your pain or minimise your struggles? These are usually people struggling with emotional regulation or replicating toxic dynamics modelled in their first family, says science writer David Robson. To not take their behaviour so personally, it’s good to remember it’s mostly unintentional and […]
How to make your tech devices’ batteries last longer
How far you are from a cell tower site could affect your battery too. (file image) Photo: 123rf Travelling from Auckland to Wellington, you may notice your phone battery going flat despite fully charging it before you set off – this is just one of the ways the power is being drained without you realising. […]
How to drive safely when hitting the highways this holiday season
Photo: 123RF The New Zealand transport agency is urging people to drive carefully and check their cars are in good condition before hitting the road this holiday season. The official road death toll does not begin until 4pm on Christmas Eve, but people are already travelling to their summer destinations and there were four deaths […]
Have you lost it? Here’s how to find it again
Whether it’s car keys or your wallet, it’s far easier to lose something than find it again. Photo: Caitlin Regan/Flickr Malaka Gharib lost her passport at a crucial moment. She was due to take her new husband to Egypt to meet her family there, and without a passport, she would not have been able to […]
How to (and should you?) invest in cryptocurrency
Photo: CFOTO / NurPhoto via AFP News this week that Bitcoin has crossed the US$100,000 threshold may have you wondering whether you should be investing in cryptocurrency. Since Bitcoin launched in 2009, it and other cryptocurrencies have developed a following of die-hard proponents – but also attracted the attention of speculators and investors. James Quinn-Kumar, […]
How to have a good day at work
The optimal state means you are performing well, effective and engaged, says Daniel Goleman. Photo: 123rf Achieving a flow state at work is rare, temporary and it’s unclear how to achieve it – so it’s better to aim one tier lower, a US psychologist says. American psychologist and author Daniel Goleman argues hitting a tier […]