So you’re thinking of starting a business? You know what you want to do; you’ve perhaps decided where you’ll do it; you might even have a fair idea of why (somewhere on the continuum from making a squillion bucks to saving the world). But do you know when? When is…

I blame my daughter. No, not really. In fact, I thank her. It was she who three years ago reignited my passion for boogie-boarding (which is what I call it; it reflects the fun I get out of the sport better than ‘ body-boarding’). I was a keen boogie-boarder from…

With the rollout of Covid-19 vaccines, is it too early to predict with any confidence — especially as to the date — the end of the pandemic? There are many who believe the end is in sight, and while I’d love them to be right, I suspect they must be…

It’s been quite a ride! And, although the ride is far from over, the close of 2020 is an appropriate time to review the twists and turns so far; to reflect on the challenges to our business and consider how we faced them. I’ll start at the end. I’ll start…

How could anyone suggest the supply of coffee (and bagels) isn’t an essential service? Especially during a level 4 lockdown! I’m joking of course, or at least I’m half-joking. As many of my Goodness Gracious customers know, I made the decision very early in New Zealand’s recent Covid-19 lockdown to…

It’s become something of a cliché — “the new normal.” But is it accurate? The first part of the phrase, new, is certainly true. For those of us in hospitality, and in many other businesses, our current operating conditions are most definitely novel. But what about the second part, normal…

Black Lives Matter. That’s a given — or at least it should be. But here’s something else that matters: speaking up about — and against — racism. Not just blatant racism, the sort that was apparent in the sickening killing by police in Minneapolis of George Floyd. …

I’ve been thinking. Locked down — like the rest of New Zealand — I’ve been pondering the Covid-19 pandemic, and especially what to expect in the near future. We’re in the early days: the first week of what is still officially a four-week lockdown. But, right from the day it…

Dear Jacinda, As it seems to be the way of the world we are not too far apart. In fact, you and I live close together and your niece and my daughter went to kindy together. …