News from the upside!
Welcome to The Upside, your destination for uplifting stories and positive news from around the country. In a world often filled with challenging headlines, we aim to bring a refreshing perspective by celebrating the inspiring moments, acts of kindness, and achievements that showcase the best of New Zealand. From heartwarming community efforts to breakthrough innovations,The Upside is dedicated to spreading optimism and highlighting the bright side of life. Let’s shine a light on the good happening all around us!
Impressive Native Insect, Last Metal Road Sealed, and Garden City Airport a Cracker
Taking a look at recent, positive, uplifting, news stories and yarns, from New Zealand and all around the world, to bring a smile and a bit of cheer. Bug of the year is an ancient handful From the 'I never knew we had a bug of the year competition' files comes the...
Busy Beavers, Hercules Last Flight, and Dump May Hold Treasure
Taking a look at recent, positive, uplifting, news stories and yarns, from New Zealand and all around the world, to bring a smile and a bit of cheer. Beavers get the job done This is a rather uplifting tale that yet again illustrates the pluck and ingenuity of our...
Pub Pays Out For Goal Fest, Banana Mystery, and Kiwi Cricketer Makes History
Taking a look at recent, positive, uplifting, news stories and yarns, from New Zealand and all around the world, to bring a smile and a bit of cheer. Pub pays for footballs club's success Nottingham Forest are defying expectations this year in the English Premier...
Over-travelled Cat, Ohakune Booming, and Injured Snowboarder Makes History
Taking a look at recent, positive, uplifting, news stories and yarns, from New Zealand and all around the world, to bring a smile and a bit of cheer. Small town benefits from highway closure I've always been a little perplexed by the need to create bypasses on our...
Lucky Kitten, Unhappy Sunfish Revitalised, and Pompeii Reveals Hidden Gem
Taking a look at recent, positive, uplifting, news stories and yarns, from New Zealand and all around the world, to bring a smile and a bit of cheer. Abandoned kitten survives gruelling ordeal This is a good news story with a whole lot of bad news at the beginning of...
Maligned Kiwi Classic, Love Rekindled, and Dinosaur Highway Found
Taking a look at recent, positive, uplifting, news stories and yarns, from New Zealand and all around the world, to bring a smile and a bit of cheer. Kiwi classic gets rough treatment Obviously we all have different tastes when it comes to food and we don't all like...
Kiwi in Top Form, Miracle Survival and Marathon Effort
Taking a look at recent, positive, uplifting, news stories and yarns, from New Zealand and all around the world, to bring a smile and a bit of cheer. Kiwi striker is the real deal The English Premier League is arguably the most difficult football league in the world...
New Year Promise, Football on the Rise, and Spooky Predictions
New Year Promise Taking a look at recent, positive, uplifting, news stories and yarns, from New Zealand and all around the world, to bring a smile and a bit of cheer. As 2024 draws to a close it's time to both look back and to look forward. New Year is that special...
Lost & Found: Scooters, Cash, and Treasure
Scooters, cash and treasure - taking a look at recent, positive, uplifting, news stories and yarns, from New Zealand and all around the world, to bring a smile and a bit of cheer. This will be the last installment of Good News NZ for a few weeks, as we redesign the...
World Records, New Reefs, and a Tradie’s Triumph
Taking a look at recent, positive, uplifting, news stories and yarns, from New Zealand and all around the world, to bring a smile and a bit of cheer. Haka world record claimed at huge event at Eden Park Last weekend over 6,500 people took part in a mass haka that...
Time Change, Panda Fakes, and Baby Aisle Kindness
Taking a look at recent, positive, uplifting, news stories and yarns, from New Zealand and all around the world, to bring a smile and a bit of cheer. Daylight savings starts this weekend This Sunday clocks go forward an hour and we begin a period of daylight savings...
Feline Escapes, Kiwi Houseguest, and Buffet Revival
Taking a look at recent, positive, uplifting, news stories and yarns, from New Zealand and all around the world, to bring a smile and a bit of cheer. Cat tries to escape 'diet centre' In Russia, a rather portly feline named Kroshik, or Crumbs, had had enough of the...
Tom cruises Olympics, Rare Coin Windfall, and Mystery Deepens
Taking a look at recent, positive, uplifting, news stories and yarns, from New Zealand and all around the world, to bring a smile and a bit of cheer. Tom Cruise 'performs' at Olympics closing ceremony for free Sure, he's one of the richest actors on the planet and may...
In reviews – 24th October ’23
Looking back over the past week and to the weeks ahead - to rate the noteworthy, the cringeworthy, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the truly amazing. All Blacks can set new record How strange it is that in a few days the All Blacks will be competing against one of...
In reviews – 17 October ’23
Looking back over the past week and to the weeks ahead - to rate the noteworthy, the cringeworthy, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the truly amazing. Protecting our vulnerable I've talked about his before but I have recently been reminded that changing technologies...
In reviews – 10th October ’23
Looking back over the past week and to the weeks ahead - to rate the noteworthy, the cringeworthy, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the truly amazing. Moronic vandals in UK try to kill famous tree Sometimes you read things online that just stop you in your tracks...
In reviews – 3rd October ’23
Looking back over the past week and to the weeks ahead - to rate the noteworthy, the cringeworthy, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the truly amazing. Spring - a real beaut! I love Spring. It is by far my favourite season and after a challenging winter that felt as...
In reviews – 27th September ’23
Looking back over the past week and to the weeks ahead - to rate the noteworthy, the cringeworthy, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the truly amazing. How about honest prices at our airports? When I went to Sydney a week ago I packed a good number of Whittaker's...
In reviews – 19th September ’23
Looking back over the past week and to the weeks ahead - to rate the noteworthy, the cringeworthy, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the truly amazing. The Warriors take to the Knights to advance toward final I'm no league expert...
In reviews – 12th September ’23
Looking back over the past week and to the weeks ahead - to rate the noteworthy, the cringeworthy, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the truly amazing. Google needs to play fair Last week I said we would look at overseas companies doing all they can to avoid paying...
In reviews – 5th September ’23
Looking back over the past week and to the weeks ahead - to rate the noteworthy, the cringeworthy, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the truly amazing. It's time to focus on supporting local Kiwi businesses NoCowboys is a 100% New Zealand owned, operated, and located...
In reviews – 29th August ’23
Looking back over the past week and to the weeks ahead - to rate the noteworthy, the cringeworthy, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the truly amazing. Rugby World Cup 2023 and it's wide open Next weekend the Rugby World Cup kicks off in France with the first game...
In reviews – 22nd August ’23
Looking back over the past weeks and to the weeks ahead – to rate the noteworthy, the cringeworthy, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the truly amazing. NBR deep sixing opinion columns The New Zealand Herald reported last week that the NBR (National Business Review)...
In reviews – 12th August ’23
Looking back over the past weeks and to the weeks ahead – to rate the noteworthy, the cringeworthy, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the truly amazing. Tradies Each week I sift through the online news looking for inspiring stories to lift the gloom. Truth be told,...
In reviews 5th August ’23
Looking back over the past weeks and to the weeks ahead – to rate the noteworthy, the cringeworthy, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the truly amazing. Not all heroes wear capes Seems we all need a reminder about social etiquette and respect every now and again and...
In reviews 28 July ’23
Looking back over the past weeks and to the weeks ahead – to rate the noteworthy, the cringeworthy, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the truly amazing. In reviews 28 July '23 The health benefits of coffee Don't tell anybody but one of my last thoughts at night is how...
In reviews 21 July ’23
Looking back over the past weeks and to the weeks ahead – to rate the noteworthy, the cringeworthy, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the truly amazing. In reviews 21 July '23 NZ Police in Auckland We may grumble about the police occasionally but huge kudos to the...
In reviews 13 July ’23
Looking back over the past weeks and to the weeks ahead – to rate the noteworthy, the cringeworthy, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the truly amazing. Joe Bennett hailing the plumbing trade Joe Bennett has a way with words and is one of the more learned and lucid...
In reviews 6 July ’23
Looking back over the past week and to the weeks ahead - to rate the noteworthy, the cringeworthy, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the truly amazing. The FIFA Women's World Cup Kicking off at Eden Park, Auckland on the 20th of this month, the tournament promises to...
Key questions for every business owner
NoCowboys has been in business long enough to know what works and what doesn't when it comes to marketing. We pioneered online reviews from the days when online feedback was in its infancy. Since then we have helped tens of thousands of New Zealand businesses grow and...
Negative reviews are part of an honest assessment of a business
Because I am in the online review business, I read as much as I can about reviews, how consumers read and use reviews, and how much reviews help businesses online. Personally, I find the whole thing fascinating and so many times when I'm reading about consumer...
You don’t need to bang your head against a wall
Apparently it was Einstein who coined this phrase - although that's up for debate - either way it's prescient when I think about business owners spending their marketing budgets and getting little in return. “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and...
Paperless travel leaves some of us behind
For the past few weeks I've been travelling in Europe, accompanying my father, on what may well be his last trip. He's a few weeks shy of 80 and the advancing years have slowed him down, without diminishing the joy he experiences from new adventures and encountering...
We want to be heard!
So why leave a review? Recently I was re-reading an article from a few years ago focused on the reasons consumers leave reviews and one part of it perfectly expressed an element that is isn't given the attention that it deserves - that we leave feedback because we...
Don’t let misconceptions stop you from building your business with NoCowboys
Of all the questions we are asked by business owners new to NoCowboys, the most persistent concern reviews and competing with registered businesses who have been with us for years. Both queries are linked and the answer to both explains that while our platform is a...
Why your feedback counts
If you're reading this then it's likely that you have left feedback for a tradie or business on NoCowboys before. You may have done it because you were asked or you may have done it unsolicited because you were delighted with the work done, or perhaps unhappy. Either...
Marketing is all about attracting new customers – so choose wisely
Whenever I explain what marketing is, I simplify it to its most basic element: marketing is the bridge that closes the gap between a business and the customers they want to attract. Today, there are numerous options and marketing businesses that promise remarkable...
Be very careful when promised the earth by certain website and hosting outfits
We started NC Web a few years ago because we kept hearing similar tales from registered NoCowboys business owners about dissatisfactory and unsavoury experiences some of them had with website developers, SEO companies, and hosting platforms. We decided that we could...
Think like a customer and reap the benefits
I've been in this game long enough to have learned quite a few things from customers and business owners alike about what makes a business successful, or not. Apart from the obvious factors, such as having the correct business apparatus - equipment, staff, tax...
Not all reviews are the same
We've written before about the importance of knowing which online reviews have more voracity than others and treating reviews on a business' own website with a good degree of suspicion. Again a New Zealand company is in the news for allegedly creating a false sense of...
Reviews are the essential piece of the puzzle
Over the past month I've been planing an overseas trip and whilst all of it has been done online, I have found myself occasionally drifting into the occasional desire to actually speak to a human being, like one would have done in the not too distant past. What I...
Want to refer a great business? We make that so simple
Since NoCowboys began in 2006 our focus has been providing the best information for Kiwis to make informed choices before commissioning a business or tradie and now you can share your favourite businesses with family, friends, acquaintances, or, well anybody really!...
Why do we leave feedback?
Each year a company in the US publishes the results of an annual survey examining online reviews and consumer behaviour. It's always a fascinating read and it continues to affirm how essential reviews are to consumers making online purchasing decisions. This year's...
We are not all leaders but not all of us know that
Following the deadly climate event unleashed upon Auckland and current mayor, Wayne Brown's much criticised leadership 'performance' I have been thinking about leadership, leaders, and the people who are incredibly good at leading and those who, well, aren't. In doing...
Tune out, turn off, drop out – how to remove online anger
There's been a lot of discussion about online abuse in the past week, since the prime minister, Jacinda Ardern resigned and it is a sobering reminder of what online is, what it could be, and what it shouldn't be. It's important to remember that online is a human...
What are NoCowboys points of difference?
We didn't invent online reviews but we did pioneer their use and acceptance here in New Zealand and our platform is not only respected but trusted. We keep improving our services to keep in step with online developments so that Kiwis can choose the best tradespeople...
What to look for in online reviews
Every now and again we will get enquiries from Kiwis using our site or seeing NoCowboys reviews online. I thought it would be useful to point out a few important factors about online reviews and ours, in particular, to make the process of reading them easier. How are...
A little less conversation, a little more action, please
Around this time of year there is the usual slew of summaries of the worst and the best of the preceding twelve months - movies, TV shows, albums, political events, sporting successes, personal glories or failures. They tend to segue seamlessly into the obligatory New...