North-Auckland tour operator, Kiwiness are introducing a new tour service, complementing their successful wine, brewery and food tours which take place around the Matakana Coast.
The new tours cater to the Auckland hens party market and Kiwiness owner and operator, Vanessa Wards believes the service will offer something a bit different to the current offerings available.
“I think people are getting tired of the same old, cliché hen’s parties”, says Wards. “There’s only so many Men of Steel shows that a gal can take!”
Taking place amongst the scenic Matakana Coast, attendees are shuttled between the region’s wineries, breweries, beaches, and eateries, experiencing the very best the destination has on offer. Acknowledging that everyone has different tastes and preferences, Wards works with the designated hen’s party planner to come up with the perfect experience for their particular group.
“If you have been tasked with planning a hen’s do, you know it can be quite an endeavor organizing everything and coordinating a large group of people. We make it as stress-free as possible. Just tell us the kind of activities you and the bride-to-be will enjoy, and we will create a custom tour, just for you!”
Previous Kiwiness hen’s party tours have included beach games at Brick Bay, wine tastings at Matakana’s best vineyards, and delicious afternoon tea at the rustic Sawmill Brewery.
“No two tours are the same”, says Ness. “Simply tell us what you love doing, and we can build a tour around it. The Matakana Coast has something for all types!”
The tours are perfect for both large and small groups with transport options ranging from Kiwiness’ signature 12-seater van through to a full-sized bus. Attendees can be picked up and dropped off at pre-arranged locations.
Kiwiness’ tour operators are laid back and will allow you enjoy your hens party experience while safely shuttling you around the region.
“All you need to do is show up, assign your designated bus DJ, and enjoy an unforgettable hen’s experience”.
Web Infinity NZ is pleased to announce we are now offering affordable, fixed priced website marketing packages for builders, electricians, plumbers, roofers and all other tradies.
These packages include; 1) A website that converts visitors into customers 2) A Google marketing campaign to launch your site to the 1st page of Google
Find out more by visiting https://webinfinity.nz/tradies-website-marketing-specialists/
Web Infinity are based in Wellington but are available to help tradies all over New Zealand.
For tradies that have a website but it isn’t generating enough customers, Web Infinity now offers a free audit on your website to help you work out why.
Media Release on 8 April 2021
Media Contact Sales Team, Web Infinity NZ Email: hello@webinfinity.nz Phone: 0800 112 192 Website: https://webinfinity.nz/tradies-website-marketing-specialists/
After a head collision in a Trans Tasman football game in 2016, NZ Representative sportswoman Natasha Smith underwent Emergency spinal surgery to save her life. Natasha has always played representative sport at a high level since she was young. She started with competing in Athletics and swimming and then moved to state level in Australia with basketball when she was a teenager.
“I continued to train hard and finally when the opportunity to play internationally representing my country came up, of course I took it without a second thought.”
In their first season, Natasha and her team bought home tournament Gold and Bronze Medals, all the while operating a successful gym where she trained clients as a fitness and nutrition coach. Her life changing injury happened during the first Trans Tasman tournament of her second season.
After successful spinal surgery, Natasha has ended up with a metal plate and 4 screws fusing the vertebrae of her neck together. As she lay in recovery, her surgeon told her she potentially could have permanent nerve damage with the loss of control of her left arm and may never walk again, let alone play sport.
During her recovery, Natasha committed herself to more full time study and changed her own training style with the goal of overcoming her post surgery fatigue. The results spoke for themselves, and after another six months she was stronger and fitter than she had ever been. She was on her way back to playing representative sport even though she was advised never to play again.
Since completing her recovery, Natasha has completed another season of international representative sport and has since Won 2 more tournament Gold medals. To top it all off she has even been selected to join the world cup squad. She has now sold her gym as she wants to focus more on bringing all of her combined knowledge online and into the future.
Natasha is a well known Fitness and Nutrition identity. She is best known as co founder of the Aspiring Adventurers, an online fitness and nutrition and fitness platform offering services to clients internationally.
Transmark Subsea becomes the European distributor of ROV systems from Boxfish Research, New Zealand, expanding their offering of high-tech subsea solutions to help their customers operations stay relevant and effective.
Boxfish Research designs and manufactures industry leading, actively stabilised, ultra-high definition underwater ROVs and 360 cameras for submerged asset inspection, defence & security, marine science, energy, aquaculture, police and search & rescue, VR/ AR and cinematography. A tetherless, autonomous option is pending – stay tuned!
Distribution of Boxfish Research ROV systems complements Transmark Subsea’s diverse range of underwater solutions which include WiSub pinless connectors, DeepSea Power& Light cameras and lighting, as well as the company’s in-house range of subsea cabling and termination solutions.
“Boxfish Research is excited to be able to better serve our clients in Europe and expand our regional capabilities in partnership with Transmark Subsea,” said Craig Anderson, Co-Founder of Boxfish Research.
“Transmark Subsea is proud to become the European representative for this reputable product line”, said Transmark Subsea’s Managing Director Leif Hugo Arntsen. “Boxfish’s superior product range aligns very well with our development of Subsea resident solutions and swappable tools.”
As the New Zealand government rolls out fast rural broadband across the country, many small towns are finding this expanding digital highway is presenting them with new opportunities.
Since the early 2000s, remote working has grown by leaps and bounds. By 2018, new American companies that solely recruited remote workers and had no physical headquarters had grown by more than 44 percent. While these are USA figures, they do suggest a global trend. The fact is that by the end of 2019, more than half of all companies worldwide were allowing some kind of remote working, and more and more individuals were enjoying a new flexibility in their work life.
Of course, not everybody who enjoys this flexibility wants to travel, although many do. Nor do all remote workers want to stay in a big city. In fact, many people are now moving away from large urban areas which they perceive to be less friendly towards remote work.
A new kind of work environment At the beginning of the 20th century, hundreds of actors and actresses were employed by the huge movie studios, a way of working that would change over the next hundred years to the model we now take for granted – where individual freelancers audition for roles instead of being employed by studios or producers. In the same way the first half of the half of the 21st century sees more and more people rejecting the traditional model of working for one company full-time. Now many have chosen to work remotely, often for multiple companies and for increased potential income. The upshot is that many people can now live where they want while continuing to earn a decent living. In short, the nature of work has been shifting from a full-time salaried environment to a “gig economy” where an individual might work on several initiatives simultaneously instead of being employed by just one company.
For small towns this has been good news. Even before the current pandemic, people had been moving from bigger cities to smaller towns where life was less stressful. In the USA it was happening on a grand scale, such as when large companies moved from Silicon Valley to less populated areas (such as Tesla moving to Texas). Good internet connectivity means that for many “digital nomads,” remote work has become a viable option. “Living locally and working globally” has never looked so good, and for once small towns are reaping the benefits.
As the global trend of working remotely has accelerated, small towns have discovered opportunities to set themselves up as desirable destinations for those wanting to work this way, whether as a part of their “slow travel” lifestyle or as a home base. Although few towns have factored such trends into their infrastructure development, or considered them significant in their forward planning, people who work remotely could stimulate growth as much as improved roads do.
Thanks to the internet, businesses in townships can overcome the constraints of small local markets. They can also access human resources to develop their businesses where this used to be a challenge because of a lack of local talent. Remote working also becomes more desirable as companies rethink their expensive office leases in large urban areas.
Tips for the best transition People who want to make the transition to remote working need to be aware of a few fish hooks. First, while it is a good first step, just arranging for your current (what used to be an office) job to become remote may not be the best option in the longer term. This is because bosses who are used to office management practice may not know how to oversee remote workers as well as those who are present in the office. They may be unsure how to integrate them with the office workforce, and they may even overlook them for promotion.
From this perspective there are three clusters of companies in this new world: 1. Those that allow remote work 2. Those that prefer remote work 3. Those that only recruit remotely You may start in the first cluster because you know these kinds of companies best, and it may be the first step in your transition to a remote working career. But in the long term, people who opt to work remotely in such companies may miss out on salary increases as well as promotion opportunities, mainly because of the “out of sight, out of mind” dynamic. You may want to progress via the second cluster to the third cluster, because there you have all the benefits of remote work and none of the drawbacks. Then why not just start with the third cluster? Ideally that would be best, but it’s a competitive market to break into, and they often have sophisticated recruitment processes (remember, they can choose from the best globally, being unconstrained by geography). So, getting into this cluster may take some footwork and focused career development.
The gig economy So far, the argument still looks much like finding a job. It doesn’t take into account alternatives such as the “gig economy,” the growth and maturing of online freelancing, or the starting of online businesses.
Individuals who want to build a life where their work is not defined by “job requirements” have many opportunities to do so, but they will need a complete mind-shift. First, they must decide how they want to live and then they must create a working life that makes such a life possible.
There is another kind of remote working that was taking off even before the current pandemic, but has become even more popular in recent months. Recently, working and earning online has provided a highly secure work environment. In fact, those who were already working online have felt the impact of the pandemic the least, because they had already taken ownership of their future work life and were not overly dependent on any one organisation. The pandemic just made this growing work environment more visible and showcased its benefits. In reality it has been growing at an accelerated pace for the past two decades.
We are living in exciting times when opportunities to live and work in the way we want are becoming normal. No longer a pipe dream, living one’s best life is possible for everybody, thanks to (online) remote work. The New Zealand Institute for Rural Entrepreneurship offers a free webinar on the online remote working environment. Among other things it discusses how to establish yourself safely as an online earner, whether you are starting your own online business, becoming an online freelancer, or beginning your remote working journey.
Media Release on 5 March 2021
Media Contact Mariana van der Walt, New Zealand Institute for Rural Entrepreneurship Email: remotenz@smalltownfutures.com Phone: 027 423 7345 Website: https://smalltownfutures.com/remoteworkwebinar
Since the early 2000s remote working has exploded globally. So much so that by the end of 2019 fewer than 50% of companies worldwide did not allow remote working of some kind. This opened the door for individuals to increasingly own and shape their own work life and have the flexibility and freedom they wanted.
Transformation of the work environment Just like the movie industry was transformed from a model where actors and actresses were employed by movie studios in the early 20th century to what it is today, so the same is happening with “work life” at the beginning of the 21st century. More and more people turn away from the traditional model of working in a full-time salaried environment to the more secure and often better-paying “remote work” environment where they do not rely on one company or organisation for their income.
Benefits for small towns This is good news for smaller towns. It means that people can choose to live where they want while continuing their work life. Even before the current pandemic there was a growing movement away from large cities to working in small town environments as a result. This has become bigger than just a youthful “digital nomad” environment. It has become a normal work-life option. In fact, by 2018 the annual growth in new companies that solely recruit remote workers and have no physical headquarters because everybody works remotely, was more than 44% (USA figures, but indicative of a global trend)!
Not everybody wanting to have the freedom and flexibility of working remotely wants to travel, although many do. Not everybody who prefers to work remotely wants to stay in the cities. In fact, there is a trend of people moving away from what used to be the main attraction – large urban areas. Somehow, in many cases, those environments are less “remote work friendly.”
Digital highway As the New Zealand government rolls out “fast rural broadband” across the country, the towns that suddenly find themselves part of the “digital highway” have opportunities they never had before. People living and working in those towns have exciting new horizons they can explore. But few towns make the newly found possibility a part of the local infrastructure development or a significant part of future growth plans. Yet, it will stimulate growth in the same way as a new or improved road.
“Live local and work global” has never quite offered as much value as it does now, and for once small towns are in line to benefit most.
As the global trend of working remotely accelerates, small towns have unique opportunities to set themselves up as desired destinations for those who are working remotely, whether as a part of their “slow travel” lifestyle while they work remotely, or as a permanent destination. We see it already on a bigger scale, where large companies move away from Silicon Valley to less populated areas (like Tesla moving to Texas). But it is a pervasive trend globally for all sizes of companies, especially those who rely on good internet connectivity.
Here is the point: Every small town can position themselves to be part of this digital highway and use that as a local growth strategy. There are ways to make your town a preferred destination for those that travel on the digital highway daily. “Live local and work global” has never quite offered as much value as it does now, and for once small towns are in line to benefit most.
Benefits for businesses and individuals This also provides new opportunities for businesses in small towns. Not only can they overcome the constraints of small local markets, they can also have access to scarce talent to develop their businesses in areas they struggled to do in the past due to lack of available talent. The biggest opportunity is for individuals transforming their lives using the intersection of good internet access in small towns and the growing trend in remote working that has a strong element of moving away from large urban centres. There are also other benefits that accelerate this and create a perfect environment to own and shape a work life future that you could only have dreamed of before.
Growing trends There are just so many strong and growing trends that intersect, that it is almost mind boggling: 1. Better internet connectivity in small towns 2. Remote working becomes mainstream and even the preferred way to work 3. More and more companies are fully “remote” and others are rethinking having expensive office space in larger urban areas 4. The nature of work is increasingly shifting from a full time salaried environment to a “gig economy” where the individual owns and shapes their own future and works on multiple initiatives simultaneously instead of working for only one company (just like the movie industry shifted from an employment to an agency model in the first half of the 20th century)
Tips for the best transition People who want to make this transition need to take note of a few things. The most important thing is that, while it is a good first step, just arranging for your current (what used to be an office) job to become “remote” is possibly the worst longer term option. The biggest reason is that managers of those are used to “office management practice.” They do not know how to manage remote workers as well as those present in the office, how to integrate them with the office workforce, and how to not overlook them for promotion!
From this perspective there are three clusters of companies in this new world: 1. Those that allow remote work 2. Those that prefer remote work 3. Those that only recruit remotely
You may start in the first cluster, because those are the kind of companies you know best, and it may be the first step in your transition to a remote working career. But studies show that in the long term people who opt to work remotely in these kinds of companies miss out on salary increases as well as promotion opportunities, mainly because of an “out of sight, out of mind” dynamic where managers and operations are not optimised for remote working.
The pandemic made this growing work environment more visible. You want to progress via the second cluster to the third cluster, because there you have all the benefits of remote work and none of the drawbacks. Why not just start with the third cluster? Ideally that would be best, but it is a very competitive market to get into and they often have very sophisticated recruitment processes (remember that they can choose from the best globally, they are not constrained geographically). So it often takes some footwork and focused career development to get into this cluster.
The gig economy The argument thus far still looks pretty much like “finding a job.” It does not take into account the “gig economy,” the growth and maturing of online freelancing or starting online digital businesses as an alternative to “having a job.”
This is the next exciting layer of opportunities available now to individuals to build a life where their work is not defined by a “job” or “job requirements.” Rather, they decide how they want to live and then create a working life that make that life possible. A complete mind-shift.
The most secure work environment There is one more aspect about remote working that has exploded even before the current pandemic, but much more so since – working and earning online. Recently it became the most secure work environment. In fact, those who already worked online felt the impact of the pandemic the least! Because they have already taken ownership of their future work life and do not over-depend on any one company or organisation.
However, the pandemic just made this growing work environment more visible and showcased its benefits. In reality it has grown at an accelerated pace for almost two decades already.
How to become part of the future of work What does all of this mean? It means we live in exciting times where opportunity to live and work the way you want is becoming mainstream. Living your dream life is no longer a pipe dream, it is a distinct possibility for everybody, courtesy of (online) remote work. It also means that as this possibility became visible recently, it has become a very competitive environment. But there is a way to get into this exciting remote working world that is not risky and overcomes the competitive nature and high failure rate.
That is what we discuss in the free online webinar about remote work. Our focus is on the online remote working environment. If you want to be part of this new work environment that is without a doubt a major part of the “future of work,” then don’t miss out! Attend the webinar and learn how to get the benefits of an online remote working life for yourself, how to establish yourself as an “online earner,” be it starting your own online business, becoming an online freelancer, or starting your remote working journey so that you can end up working for the third cluster of companies recruiting remotely.
Media Release on 1 March 2021
Media Contact Mariana van der Walt, New Zealand Institute for Rural Entrepreneurship Email: remotenz@smalltownfutures.com Phone: 027 423 7345 Website: https://smalltownfutures.com/remoteworkwebinar Video: https://youtu.be/Ywryoan-z98
As part of the government’s response to COVID-19 and with help from Department of Internal Affairs, Grow Digital is delivering free digital packages to small businesses throughout New Zealand that are owned by or empowering disabled people.
“Eligibility for Grow Digital is simple and straight forward. There is no catch. You don’t have to have your whole business planned out already – you might simply just have a great idea. Wherever you’re at, we’re here to help you take the next step.” Says Britta Offergeld, Representative at Grow Digital.
Digital packages are tailored to suit the needs of each business – whether you are just starting out online or are already confident with digital and want to upskill. Business owners can expect a range of digital, marketing and training support, including: • How to launch your business online • How to create a new website • What content to promote • How to increase the traffic and sales to your website • How to use social media to promote your business and find customers • Understanding and using digital
“Making sure everyone in New Zealand is digitally included is a team effort and organisations like Workbridge and its Grow Digital packages are making a vital contribution. Lifting people’s digital capability is a key ingredient to improving digital inclusion in a sustainable way” says Dianne Patrick, Programme Lead for Digital Inclusion at DIA.
Bess Stembridge, co-owner of Bessie S in Pukekohe:
Having recently completed the Grow Digital program, Bess Stembridge, co-owner of Bessie S beauty salon in Pukekohe, has learnt a range of ways she can attract new customers digitally; optimizing her website using Google SEO (search engine optimization), creating targeted campaigns on social media and email campaigns using Mailchimp and launching a mini e-commerce page to sell beauty products.
[embedded content]
“Helping Bessie S with its digital presence has led to more visitors to our website, an increase in new client bookings through the website and social media and we are about to launch our online store very soon.” Says Bess Stembridge, co-owner of Bessie S.
“I would tell small business owners to go for it. Go for every opportunity. The fact that it’s free and it’s helped us out so much… it’s a blessing!” says Bess Stembridge, co-owner of Bessie S.
With less than 120 packages remaining, small business owners are urged to act quickly if they want to take advantage of this opportunity.
If you are part of a small business that is owned by or empowers disabled people, free digital support is available.
For more information freephone 0800-344-477 or email hello@growdigital.co.nz. For other ways to get in touch visit the Grow Digital website.
Media Release on 29 March 2021
Media Contact Whitney Tangaroa, Grow Digital Email: whitney.tangaroa@gmail.com Phone: 027-314-2095 Website: http://growdigital.co.nz Video: https://youtu.be/jycuyJiYTLo
The annual awards, hosted by Registered Master Landscapers New Zealand, showcase the very best in professional landscaping practices. The awards recognise achievement in landscape construction and design and maintenance across both residential and commercial projects, and represent the highest professional accolade in the industry.
This year’s awards attracted a record number of entries says Registered Master Landscapers chief executive officer, Janine Scott.
“We are thrilled by the level of interest this year, and pleased to see so many new entrants,” says Scott. “In total, we received nearly 90 entries, which is 50 percent up on last year.
“We are also seeing an increase in the quality, scope, and uniqueness of the entries being submitted. Our industry is in good heart despite the challenges of the times and that is a tribute to the dedication and high standards of our members.”
The awards are independently judged by a panel of leading New Zealand landscape industry practitioners, each with their own speciality.
The judges say that, “the Herne Bay House is a triumph of engineering, construction, landscape technology, design, and plant management. The double sloping coastal cliff section has been structurally stabilised in order to support a large house and garden complex. The lush resort-style landscape provides a truly luxurious outdoor living environment, with highest quality materials, planting, and maintenance.
“This garden truly demonstrates a high level of landscape design, engineering and technology, along with masterful gardening, to deliver the Master Landscapers Landscape of the Year for 2021.”
In addition to the supreme Landscape of the Year award, there are several premier categories that recognise the best overall projects from the winning entries. Finalists are recognised for the vision and skill they have demonstrated in New Zealand landscaping projects. Premier award winners are judged across residential and commercial projects categories for: Best Construction Project of the Year, Best Design Project of the Year, Best Horticultural Project of the Year, Best Maintenance Project of the Year, People’s Choice Award, and Special Feature Awards.
This full list of this year’s premier award winners is: Humphreys Landscaping’s entry for the Auckland-based ‘Herne Bay House’ in all three construction, horticulture and design categories, and Diva Landscapes’ entry for Arrowtown’s ‘The Lodge at the Hills’ in the garden maintenance/management category. Special feature awards go to HEB Construction for its entry ‘Maungawhau / Mt Eden Tihi Boardwalk’, and Natural Habitats Landscapes for its entry ‘Westfield Newmarket Greenwalls’.
The 2021 People’s Choice Award was awarded to Christchurch business Onlandscapes Ltd for its entry ‘40 Thorrington Road’.
Avondale based music project “Street Georges” are excited to announce the releasing their Second Single “Next Lockdown (Covid Love Song)” at Auckland’s Portland Public House on Thursday 22 April 2021 with Special Guests Audio Zephyr, Claire Kendall, Ema Barton and La CoCo opening the event pending lockdown levels for Tamaki Makaurau.
Waikato born frontman Rich Beckmannflay has previously been known playing drums for most of his musical past. Rich now calls himself a recovering drummer transitioning to singer songwriter and guitarist early 2018. Inspiration for “Next Lockdown” was the observation of people going through lockdowns on their own, perhaps wishing they had made connection with a special someone before the lockdowns defined everyone’s shelter in-place default bubbles.
Next Lockdown was written during the first Lockdown in 2020, with a few rehearsal sessions that were interrupted by next lockdown alerts. Recorded live at Earwig Studios on 24 track analog tape engineered by Darren McShane. Mastering was completed February 2021 at Munki Studios by Mike Gibson during yet another lockdown, just in time for yet another lockdown leading into March 2021. Whilst trying to predict lockdown levels for a live release event, we hope there is no next lockdown!
New Zealand has the highest rate of homelessness in the developed world — and this could be the only way to fix this shocking crisis.
Wealth Morning, an Auckland-based research house focused on global finance, has just announced a parliamentary housing petition focused on achieving home affordability 👉 TheKiwiDream.nz
CEO Simon Angelo says the New Zealand housing market is ‘a clear case of market failure.’
There’s little question that New Zealand’s record in housing its people is abysmal. Recent statistics suggest the country has by far the worst homelessness problem in the OECD, with around 1 in 100 Kiwis homeless.
Most areas of the country have ‘severely unaffordable’ homes, according to recent Demographia surveys. And home ownership rates have dropped significantly, suggesting more and more New Zealanders are stuck renting.
Analysis by Wealth Morning suggests that capital-gains taxes or further restraints on landlords may only serve to increase prices and rents.
Of course, the logical option is to boost supply. But Wealth Morning claims that the process for doing so has been incorrectly focused.
KiwiBuild is one such example. People don’t necessarily want to buy a government-branded home. And even if they did, there appear to be constraints on building and land availability.
‘Most people start renting,’ says Simon. ‘Affordable rental housing is probably the key. And that will take a major, coordinated building effort to unlock the market. Only the government can traverse the multifaceted challenges of labour supply, land availability, infrastructure, regulation, and tax.’
The Wealth Morning petition is asking the government to consider a Vonovia-type model. Vonovia is one of the largest providers of housing in Europe, with more than 400,000 medium-density rental units. It is listed on the stock exchange and has provided growth and dividend income to investors over the past 7 years.
Simon notes that New Zealand has already proven a shared-ownership model with the listing of the power companies several years ago on the New Zealand Stock Exchange. These companies are now significantly larger than they were before.
Wealth Morning is calling on the government to review homebuilding policy. And consider spearheading a more commercially-focused state-owned building business that could be part-floated soon.
‘Once you have many more quality rental dwellings,’ Simon says, ‘rents will start to come down. People will have more choices. And many marginal landlords may quit properties and return them to the market, helping with the affordability issue.’ Simon also notes that housing charities have achieved success through a rent-to-buy type strategy. ‘Once people have affordable rents, they can save deposits. And they can potentially move from renters to owners.’
The Wealth Morning petition details the opportunity and the process. In particular, it is unique in that it could offer win-win benefits for both home affordability and investment opportunity.
To learn more and sign the petition 👉 TheKiwiDream.nz
