…..and just like that we are into February 2021….! Hi all and welcome to 2021, a year that holds much promise for us all living here in paradise….as if we ever doubted it. Happiness is my theme for this newsletter. Who isn't happy about living right here…..right now! We here at Northland Kia have hit the ground running with a constant stream of new car orders coming in with no sign of things letting up. Business is great but I am always mindful of the difficult times now behind us and just how quickly things can turn. That being said, whilst other manufacturers' individual market shares continue to shrink, Kia is going from strength to strength being the only brand to grow its market share in these interesting times…..and I am not talking by just a small amount either!

One minute it is Summer….and the next thing you know, without any need to check our calendars, we are into Autumn. It is almost like Mother Nature knows instinctively it is time for the weather to change.…..🥵🥶🤣. Covid no longer seems to be at the forefront of our minds. We have all processed it and we as Kiwis seem to have awareness but no real fear around it. We have surrounded ourselves with a sense of security or invincibility with covid seeming more like a problem that exists overseas and nothing to worry about in our own backyards.......

KIA ora everyone, wow…..I bet you never saw that one coming…..how clever….….yeah right, I’ve never been accused of being clever before…...😂🤣. Another month is in the books and consigned to history. It might be a good time to reflect on how fortunate we all are being here in NZ and specifically Northland. I recently had time speaking with an expat Kiwi not long returned from the UK having lived there for over 25 years. She is only here to visit family but now thinking seriously about a permanent return home to NZ. The story she told of life in the UK under Covid restrictions was an eye opener and again reminded me of just how fortunate we all are. Simple things like visiting the hair salon (not that I would know anything about that..😂🤣) and shopping for clothes. Simple social interaction like visiting a cafe or going out on the town just to name a few things is just not possible in the UK. Take in a deep breath of our fresh Kiwi air and soak up the freedom we all enjoy as Kiwi’s. There is truly no place like home, a Kiwi home!

Kia ora everyone, how quickly a month goes by! The world continues to be a tumultuous place with conflict, famine, and covid impacting on the lives of millions whose lives are just as important to them as our lives are to us. Spare a thought for those who are less fortunate and suffering as a result of mankind's inability to be tolerant and accepting and to just simply get on. Remember the Beauty Queens we all laughed at when interviewed having used the cliche’s “world peace and an end to world poverty and hunger” as their vision for the world…...well as it turns out, they were right. If only that level of change were possible the whole world would be just like NZ. Once again...as if we all need reminding.... regardless of your economic standing in life....take a look around you and be thankful every day. Things could be a whole lot worse! Add some everyday kindness to this and God's own country becomes not just a slogan.....it becomes reality. For that reason my theme this month is KINDNESS.

Hmmmm....let me check….holy cow has it been another month already! The busyness seems endless as money that would otherwise be spent overseas on holidays continues to circulate within our communities and local businesses, and throughout this beautiful country we are all so lucky to call home…...New Zealand. As it turns out perhaps our isolation from the rest of the world has not been such a bad thing after all? I guess this is a matter of perspective, but from where I am sitting everything seems rosy with the only way things could be better would be the ability to meet demand with supply.

Hi everyone, just one more month to springtime and the gentle slide into summer. Not that winter has been all that cold this year, but winter is traditionally a time where we all seem to go into semi hibernation and the economy slows to a degree…..but not 2021. This year, despite the miserable rain, Northland has continued to crank with endless orders for new Kia’s (and other brands) continuing to flow in, and with other businesses reporting similar activity the future for our region looks bright. In my view this is all due to our closed borders and our inability to spend money overseas. The money is going around and round in our own bit of paradise at the top of the bottom of the world. There is no other place I would rather be!

Hey everyone , just as things were starting to get back to normal…..boom….it seems we are right back to the start…..welcome in COVID 2, delta style. So far so good with no fatalities as yet….but early days as I write this. It gives me comfort in the knowledge that our health system seems to be coping well with the cases we do have, and the quick lockdown approach ensures delta remains contained within individual bubbles so long as we all stick to the rules. We just have to wait it out now and continue on with our vaccination journey.

Stardate October (written Sept) 2021.....or should I say Covid date October 2021. Covid seems to rule the world as once again our thoughts have become focused on the virus that simply won't go away, the ultimate distraction if you like. It would appear the only way to beat this bad flu is for us all to vaccinate and limit its potency. That being said, for all of the infections we have had, there has been only one sad death (so far), that of a 90 year old Woman. I guess the danger of this virus is its ability to spread so easily and potentially overwhelm our outdated health system. The question then has to be asked, with all of the billions of dollars spent on Covid lockdowns and support, EV rebates, gun buybacks, etc etc, why was there never enough money in the budget for upgrading our Hospitals, health, roading, policing, and education infrastructure? We could have had a state of the art health system with the capacity to cope had any politician thought to build for the future.