The Blog

My family history does not weave itself into the history books of WW1 however my grandfather served in the Pacific as an airforce trainer and instructor in WW2. He was awarded an MBE in 1949. My wife’s grandfather landed at Gallipoli where he lost a shoulder and survived, returning to New Zealand and a shoulder-less […]

March was really busy and I’ve been running non-stop for the last few weeks, and as with most of us at one time or another as we run our business, manage family, be a good friend, look after our health, challenges collide and time is stretched even more thinly than usual. This has been me […]

Trust… Accounts….I kind of got mentally and practically stuck on trust accounts yesterday, as did the amazing Leanne Prinsloo who works with us and handles our trust account. She was certainly having a challenging day in this space too.When I was trading property, I made a few deposits through the New Zealand Real Estate Trust (NZRET). […]

Have you seen ‘The Greatest Night in Pop’ on Netflix? Set in January 1985 it documents the recording of the charitable hit “We are the World”.I watched this documentary with a real smile on my face the whole way through (I probably looked pretty dopey…) as some of the most famous voices of the 80’s […]

I want to start off today by congratulating Stephanie Porowini for her success in achieving the # 1 position in the Rate My Agent awards for the Northland region. Success is driving more success and Stephanie is running a great business out of her hometown of Whangerei. Stephanie and I both faced the same kind […]

Every interaction with another person has a conversation around it, and over the last couple of days this has really presented itself to me. What I am talking about is communication. ​​​​​​​The world is full of adages around taking care of what you wish for, and this also came front and center this week. If you want […]

McDonalds – 3 minutesCar Warrant of Fitness – 40 minutes Ordering from Amazon – 3 weeks (If you live in rural New Zealand anyway…) ​​​​​​​Real Estate – Yesterday I was speaking with a colleague last night. She and her partner approached me at the beginning of this month with a bold vision for their business, and a […]

I have had a bit of a challenging week. There is a lot going on, and as well as the usual pace of life and a bit of uptick in sales, Mum has been in hospital. I am hoping by the time you are reading this Mum, you are back at home. When I was a […]

Growing in the top of the mighty Northland Kauri, Tane Mahuta is an entire forest of trees that have made their home in the upper branches. There are even other mature Kauri up in the crown, healthily growing and producing seeds up in the enormous boughs of the forest giant. Protecting this ancient tree there is […]

I mentioned previously that we made a family visit to the South Island to visit family and take a look around over the festive season this summer. Driving through Motueka I noticed a beautiful old church that had been converted to… you guessed it… a real estate office. Even though I was driving in a […]

Sometimes, there is more than one way of getting a better handle of what is going on in your world while making life that little bit easier and improving the quality of your output.  I took myself off early on Sunday morning to try and snag a few waves. I wasn’t early enough to be the […]

A short one for a (another) short week in NZ. I have been thinking about the optimism that we have all had to hold on to over the past period of challenging times. I know both personally and first-hand from many interactions how devilishly challenging times have been. When I talk with my team and […]

It’s 8.30am and there is an unusual sound in the house. Well to be more accurate, a lack of sound. I can feel my shoulders drop. Hang on, there is a noise… oh, birdsong and cicadas. I might make myself a coffee, and go to my office and do some work. The silence is of […]

Once you have worked with me for a while, you will learn that I tend to respond promptly. We all have our communication styles that work for us. For me, closing off a communication loop is an important one. If I have not called someone back, or replied to a text or email, I tend […]

‘See Past the Foliage’ said a Bonsai artist and friend I follow on social media. Straight away I started thinking how this sounds like a great analogy for life. The thought behind this is that if the structure of the little tree is well thought out, strong and sound, as the tree grows and develops […]

Start as you intend to… Happy New Year! Here is to a productive and profitable 2024. I was chatting to a colleague about how important this time of the year is for anyone like us – those who run their own business. The pace is different but you can still get a lot done. In […]

So. What is Holding you Back? Let’s correct that. What is holding me back?I woke up in a panic at 4am on Saturday – the Saturday just been. The Saturday before Christmas. The one after the last business day of the year. I realised I had made a final admin task of the year ‘fail’. In the […]

Good afternoon! How many more days to go? My kids know, that’s for sure. I want to take this opportunity to wish you a safe and happy festive season.I can’t help but feel reflective at this time of year, as the pace slows and ‘which day is it again’ becomes a more common refrain yet at […]

Thank you so much for your understanding. I’m not talking about when used as a sign off for bad news : Hi there Matt, we are increasing the prices of… Thank you for your understanding… I am talking about when it’s used in a situation where someone really needs some understanding. This time of the […]

I got to thinking about the people that I have had the good fortune to work with over the past three years and what led them to a conversation with me. And I thought about the push and the pull that occurs that mobilises us beyond our inertia and gets us moving. Even if you […]