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Andrew Dickens: Some good news for this holiday weekend

Author
Newstalk ZB,
Publish Date
Fri, 29 May 2020, 4:17PM
Photo / File

Andrew Dickens: Some good news for this holiday weekend

Author
Newstalk ZB,
Publish Date
Fri, 29 May 2020, 4:17PM

So here we are on the verge of a holiday weekend where we are actually allowed to travel. And we are. 

A number of callers to the station have told us that they’ve tried to book in holiday destinations only to find the house full card is out so that’s got to be good. 

One caller to Kerre’s show said that finding Queenstown booked out they’ve instead hired a dirt cheap motor home so that’s got to be good.

Last weekend I heard that the Chateau at Mount Ruapehu was having a 30 per cent off sale so I thought why not.  I’ve got enforced leave in 2 weeks so a Saturday at the Mountain would be great.  Unfortunately the hotel was sold out that weekend already so that’s got to be good.

This afternoon I phoned a friend only to find her on the road to Hawkes Bay.  She was so excited.  Her boyfriend is there and when she arrives there will be a Pinot Gris at the Black Barn Vineyard waiting for her. It’s been a tough week for her.  She’s separated and in rental accommodation.  She’s taken a 15 per cent paycut and she’s not paid a lot so her margins are right on the edge and her firm has been making hundreds redundant.  But she’s survived and on the road so that’s got to be good.

This afternoon I met an acquaintance from the shipping company upstairs.  She spent the entire lockdown in her townhouse working like a dog because they were so busy.  Not only with imports and exports from New Zealand but also sorting out passage through other ports for all sorts of stuff.  She said it’s chaos in other countries with their ports and their supply chains,  There are all sorts of shortages.  She said new Zealand has it sweet so that’s got to be good.

She also told me that her husband lost his job 1 week before lockdown because he was in the export businesses that got hit first.  That worried them but during level 3 he got himself a new job in another sector so that’s got to be good.

I’ve got a friend who does PR.  I was a bit worried about him because if nobody’s selling stuff then there’s no need for him to be selling firms but he says the phone is off the hook.  Mostly by firms telling their clients that they’re still in the game plus how things have changed. He reckons he’s got 3 times as much as work as he’s ever had so if he can get through the crisis management phase he’ll have more than enough capital to last the rest of the year so that’s got to be good

He also told me that he’s working for a bed retailer who’s had so much business in the past 5 days he’s out of stock so that’s got to be good

You know what I’m doing.  I’m looking on the bright side. I’m tired of hearing relentless tales of doom and economic carnage. We all knew that as soon as the border closed and we shot our tourism business in the foot that times would be tough. But I also know we are a pragmatic, hardy and hard working people and it will never be as bad as it could be because we just won’t let it.

So enjoy this holiday weekend because there is nowhere in the world I’d rather be.

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