“Build it and they will come”

“Build it and they will come”

There's been a lot of talk recently about Eden Park. The future of the stadium is in serious doubt and requires substantial financial investment and support. Auckland ratepayers are being asked to take on $40 million in existing debt and $64 million maintenance costs...

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Football gets it right – and dreadfully wrong

Football gets it right – and dreadfully wrong

Sport tends to mirror the best, and the worst of real life and that is possibly its greatest attraction. Sure there's the drama, the comebacks, the domination, the fierce contests between rivals - but I think sports is at its greatest and most dire, when it reflects...

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Consistent marketing wards off invisibility

Consistent marketing wards off invisibility

For a business to survive and thrive it needs to be seen – that may sound overly simplistic but it’s true. Being seen is the key to attracting customers, accruing revenue and sustaining growth. To be seen, a business has to market its brand, goods, and services and it...

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Plucking out a name and hoping for the best

Plucking out a name and hoping for the best

In the past few weeks I have had to book some accomodation and travel for an upcoming overseas holiday. All of it has been done online. I haven’t exchanged one word with another human being, except for a quick online chat with the good people at Eurostar to ask what I...

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Should old acquaintance be forgot

Should old acquaintance be forgot

For many of us, New Year's Eve is the time to throw off all of the ills of the passing year and spend time with good friends and family and party like you mean it – all the while heralding the new year to come. The tradition of New Years is millennia old – in the...

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And so this is Christmas . . .

And so this is Christmas . . .

And so this is Christmas. Without lurching any further into the John Lennon and Yoko Ono song, I’ll just take the opening few words. And so this is Christmas. For many it’s the best time of the year, for some it is simply the worst. No other day in the year generates...

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Getting help when resolution is impossible

Getting help when resolution is impossible

Human beings are incredibly complex animals, and no matter how ‘evolved’ we are, there are some things that we struggle with. Since the dawn of time we have fought each other, over large and small matters. Conflict is possibly the most challenging aspect of human life...

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Picking a restaurant because of a negative review

Picking a restaurant because of a negative review

Earlier this year I was in Christchurch and was looking for a diner to eat breakfast at. Christchurch has a number of great breakfast diners and I wanted to find one I hadn’t been to before. So, I Googled it and there were a few options – all not too far away and all...

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Marketing a reputation in boom times and bust

Marketing a reputation in boom times and bust

Marketing is a vital element to every business’ success and viability. Like other essentials, it needs to be nurtured and more importantly – it requires a commitment – to ensure that a business’ name, brand, and services are continually present where they are most...

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