“The young father started preparing the traditional Māori meal in his family garage four years ago. Now Collier makes hundreds of hāngī a week and sells them at six locations around Lower Hutt, and has an ambitious goal to make them available within a 10-minute drive for the whole Wellington region.

“’In every town you can get Indian food, Chinese food, Thai food, but you can’t get any Māori food in the wider Wellington region on a weekday. The idea started from there.’

“He decided to test the market, he said, initially setting up pick up points through the region. ‘We started in Upper Hutt, and I was doing home deliveries to just Upper Hutt. And people from Lower Hutt saw our advertising and were like, would you be able to do like a little pick-up point for us in Lower Hutt?’

Interest grew with requests for pick up-points in Porirua and Wellington, that worked well for a while, he said. ‘We were going to more and more locations. I think at the time, we’re doing about eight different locations over the wider Wellington region.'” (Source: “The Hutt Valley man whose hāngī hankering became a business,” April 7, www.rnz.co.nz).

CJ’s outlets are growing and he is producing around 700 meals a week on average.

5 stars – fantastic stuff and I too have wondered why there are so few opportunities to purchase hāngī food throughout the country.

Truckie lauded as ‘high vis hero’

Hamilton Waste Management driver Leon Thompson is surprised by the acclaim his act of kindness has garnered on social media. Leon saw a woman in a mobility scooter struggling to find a gap in traffic to cross a busy road and decided to step in and help. He stopped his truck and other traffic as well, so the woman could get where she wanted to go.

“Thompson stopped his truck near the intersection with Gebbie St, got out, and stood in the other lane with his (black-gloved) hand up to halt the oncoming traffic and escorted the woman across the street.

“’The traffic was dense at that time and she was going to be waiting a while,’ said witness Christine McIntosh in her post which quickly attracted more than 100 comments, with references such as ‘knight in high-vis’ and ‘hero’. ‘Then he hops back in his truck and drives off, she wrote. ‘I’d be proud to call him ‘son’. It was lovely to see. A true gentleman.’

“Waste Management operations manager Sandra Ainge was not surprised, saying: ‘Leon … is well known for his positive attitude and ever-present smile, which uplifts both his team and the community.'” (Source: “On The Up: Truckie who stopped Napier traffic to get woman and her mobility scooter across road dubbed a ‘high-vis hero’ on social media,” by Doug Laing, April 10, www.nzherald.co.nz).

5 stars – every day Kiwis help strangers in selfless acts of kindness and it’s fantastic to see one get some attention! More stories like this on a regular basis are better for the soul than the endless tales of negativity and woe. Nice work Leon!

British tourist humbled by Kiwi hospitality

Carrying on from the previous story is another tale of the generosity and kindness of Kiwis. British tourist Sarah went on to social media to recount her experiences travelling throughout the country for two months. While the scenery was obviously of huge attraction, she went to great lengths to point out the amazing hospitality she received from Kiwis on her travels.

“‘Although the scenery is stunning in New Zealand, what has made my trip special is the fabulous people that I have met,’ Sarah wrote, praising Kiwis’ ‘heartwarming’ hospitality and the ‘many wonderful conversations’ she’s had while here.

“Coming to New Zealand to visit her Auckland-based son and explore the country, Sarah had ‘stayed with complete strangers, been cooked meals’ and was always ‘treated with the utmost respect and patience’ whenever she needed help or advice.

“Returning to Tāmaki Makaurau from Christchurch on April 2, she was left ‘touched’ by a passerby who went 20 minutes out of his way to drop her to her son’s house when he could no longer make it.” (Source: “On The Up: British mother solo travelling NZ touched by Kiwi kindness,” by Tom Rose, April 10, www.nzherald.co.nz).

5 stars – I’ve heard so many stories of tourists’ gushing reviews of the Kiwis they have encountered on their travels. If we are honest – we all have too.