I have said before that I wake up knowing what I am going to write. I have also recently mentioned that I am struggling to find time to write. Well it appears having been laying in bed for a half an hour, writing this out in my mind; four o’clock in the morning is the time to write my ditties!

First day of level two. What a result for New Zealand. In what is basically six weeks, we appear to have put a hold on the spread of this horrible virus and maybe, just maybe moved in the direction of eradicating it here in Aotearoa. This is only a hope, team New Zealand still have a way to go, but the goal line is in site if we can stick to the rules; we got this.
So far so good, for what I have seen by and large people appear to be doing just that.
Auckland traffic is no way near back to normal. The morning rush hour is still noting like it has been previously. On day one of level two, traffic was notably busier than previous days but nothing like my normal commute. This gives me heart that peoples and companies are continuing to promote working from home. Sadly, this also might be a sign that the fall out of Covid 19 has started impacting people’s jobs already. Unhappily although both our true, I suspect the latter is more prevalent. Companies have to adapt to the new New Zealand and what this might look like going forward nobody really knows.
Its easy to see that tourism will be down for some considerable amount of time, the Trans-Tasmin bubble could help but it won’t replace the global tourism we previously enjoyed. The knock-on effect of this will shudder though the whole New Zealand economy. Business need to adapt now, change their model or they won’t survive to see the recovery of not only this beautiful country but the global economy as a whole.
We probably don’t even have a quarter of our staffs back on site and sadly post consultation I doubt we will be back to a full complement. Nobody will be immune. Just because I am working now it won’t preclude me from the risk of job cuts. Thl have been clear, we need to adapt to new times and they are right. But this change will impact many I am certain.
On the flip side of this potential doom and gloom, it will be a fantastic time to get out and explore your own backyard. We haven’t just opened the doors and gone back to life as it was before; but even on day one there is a feeling of determination from our customers to get out and start enjoying what this country has to offer. We concluded business on a couple of vehicles and there is a feeling that it will be alright. So, if your thinking of getting out and seeing a bit of New Zealand, now will be a great time. All our beauty spots will be quieter than they have been for years, travel will be easy and you will be doing you bit to help the local economy. Do get in touch, I know a guy who can help find that motorhome to make that dream happen.

Other exciting news from day one of level two, is I have had my hair cut. Like many it was well overdue. I normally sport quite a short hairdo and if left to long it begins to curl back into my ears and get quite lush and heavy. If left any longer it takes on a wire wool type quality that is best avoided, so I was thrilled to get an appointment and I was also buoyed to see how well it was being managed. We are all doing the necessary contact tracing; this will be the norm for a good little while I am sure and these guys were no different. But theirs was all managed though a app. You book your appointment time, pay a deposit and it allows you in real time to see how your appointment time is going. Sure, they were running late, well good I am glad they were. They were busy and by half past five by the time I got there you could see these lovely ladies were tired. Ambitions of working till seven pm, it was going to be much later than that by the time they caught up and finished all their bookings. I couldn’t have been more pleased, to not only see them back working. But being so busy and yes predictable enough they were busy; I am sure there are many people with mops like mine that need a trim or worse home attempts that need remedying. These ladies are going to be busy enough for a few weeks to come and they need to be. No income for six weeks, they have adapted the business model from a hundred percent walk-in to online booking service and its worked. Sure, a couple of tweaks but this is day one, nobody gets it right straight off the bat. To watch them in their masks, cleaning down after each sitting changing equipment, contact tracing. They were going to be alright, so get out there and support your local barbers or hairdressers. The Barber Depot gets my vote.

Sadly, throughout the days optimism and excitement to get back to normal, there is always a dark cloud.
A great man has left this mortal coil. A man that will be known to a great many residents of Whangaparaoa, his charisma, charm, whit will be remembered fondly. A born entertainer, the genial host with most; providing many a pub quiz and much more besides. He leaves a wife, family and more friends than I think he will ever know. My thoughts and good wishes go out to all effected by this terrible and untimely loss and I will leave you with some immortal words that he may have burrowed from another great and now sadly pasted entertainer.

“You don’t get anything for a pair, not in this game“.