Looking back over the past week and to the weeks ahead – to rate the noteworthy, the cringeworthy, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the truly amazing.
It’s time to focus on supporting local Kiwi businesses
NoCowboys is a 100% New Zealand owned, operated, and located business and we are really proud of that. It’s who we are and it means everything to us that we help Kiwi consumers and Kiwi businesses. With an election on the horizon, I’m going to refocus my energies at looking at all the great things about Kiwi made and Kiwi operated, while throwing some shade on the businesses that operate here, take their profits overseas, and pay as little tax as possible.
It’s time to do what we can to help local businesses and Kiwi businesses in general. A lot of us complain about the ‘death of New Zealand manufacturing’ then waltz off to some humongous chain store to buy things we really don’t need made in some far off land. That’s where the problem lies – we forget that we are part of the problem. Don’t worry, I am fully aware of my part in it too. We have choices and the allure of the cheaper price tag shouldn’t always be the chief motivator when we spend.
From next week I’ll be looking at some great Kiwi businesses and having a look at some overseas outfits that profit against our best interests.
5 stars – supporting Kiwi – what could be wrong with that?
Recent immigrant makes traditional dolls to raise money for Ukrainian childrens’ hospital
Iryna Pershakova moved to Christchurch a year ago from war torn Ukraine and although a qualified paediatrician for 25 years, her qualifications and experience prohibited her from practicing medicine here. Undeterred, Irnya has found work, is learning English, and created an enterprise with two friends to create beautiful hand made dolls to raise money for a childrens’ hospital in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine.
The Help Ukrainian Children Alliance produces handmade Motanka dolls, made by winding fabrics and threads. All money raised directly benefits children at the hospital in Zaporizhzhia.
You can contact Irnya by email if you would like to help or purchase dolls – [email protected]
5 stars – for sheer will, ingenuity and industry.
Commuters throw toys when remedial works add minutes to travel time
Imagine this – your community is prone to slips so contractors come in to fix it and are then abused by some motorists annoyed by delays. That’s what’s been happening in Stokes Valley after a $28 million dollar project began last month.
Really? Is that what we have become? Well, some of us. Though to be honest I cursed under my breath when I was diverted away from a main road in my neighbourhood today because of improvements to the waterworks. Why do we do this? Why are a few minutes added to a commute treated as some personal affront to our time and liberty? You’d think we’d be grateful things were being fixed to make life better?
It also seems as if the work has created some unintended benefits beyond enhancing safety, as reported in The Post: “On Friday, council head of transport Jon Kingsbury, said the situation had improved. Stokes Valley residents had adjusted their travel times, leaving earlier in the morning to avoid congestion. In addition, there had been an 18% increase in vehicles from Upper Hutt using State Highway 2 which reduced the pressure on traffic on Eastern Hutt Rd. Google tracking showed that travel times to central Lower Hutt had reduced significantly. (Source: “Anger at workers fixing slips unacceptable, councillor says,” by Nicholas Boyack, Sept 5 2023, The Post).
2 stars – a bit of patience and understanding goes a heck of a long way.
