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!

Big Cheeses, Super Gardener, and Changing Times

Big Cheeses, Super Gardener, and Changing Times

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. Kiwi icons discontinued I noted the passing of two Kiwi food and beverage items with a note of nostalgia this week....

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Runaway Donkey, Sense Prevails, and Mistaken Identity

Runaway Donkey, Sense Prevails, and Mistaken Identity

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. Blame it on the cow This is a rather heartwarming tale about an elderly gentleman in Shropshire, UK who lost his...

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Special Tree, and Truly Amazing Canine

Special Tree, and Truly Amazing Canine

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. World's tallest dog goes weak at the knees when the vacuum cleaner comes out As the cliche goes, the bigger they...

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Miraculous Necklace, Historic Milk Powder, and Balloon Fight

Miraculous Necklace, Historic Milk Powder, and Balloon Fight

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. Historic milk powder not dissimilar to today's This is a rather nice tale with a bit of history involved, as well as...

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Treasure Find, Bee Rescue, and Cheesey Adventures

Treasure Find, Bee Rescue, and Cheesey Adventures

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. Cheese and daredevilry - a winning combination It's hard to beat a centuries old tradition that combines a steep...

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Chicken Run, Record Haka, and Poignant Discovery

Chicken Run, Record Haka, and Poignant Discovery

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. Chicken gang torments village In a happier sidestep from the usual stories about gang violence in our country, I...

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Beevers Return, Football Beerfest, and Heroic Tale

Beevers Return, Football Beerfest, and Heroic Tale

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. Hero does the right thing, despite fears of getting in trouble As we know, citizens do not have the power to detain...

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Germans Protecting Kebab Price, Phoenix One Game From Glory

Germans Protecting Kebab Price, Phoenix One Game From Glory

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. Germans want subsidy to keep kebabs affordable The cost of living crisis in Germany has motivated some to demand that...

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In reviews – 5th May ’24

In reviews – 5th May ’24

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. Man loses best friend and hopes for speedy return A man in the United States formed an unusual connection with an...

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In reviews – 28th April ’24

In reviews – 28th April ’24

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. Late night ice cream revelries cancelled Some cities and towns face noise issues from boy racers, drunks, and...

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In reviews – 21st April ’24

In reviews – 21st April ’24

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 a level playing field - Overseas Monopolies in NZ One entity is a state owned broadcaster forced to cancel or...

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In reviews – 14th April – ’24

In reviews – 14th April – ’24

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. Animals really are incredible Last night as as I was driving home I approached a zebra crossing and had to take a...

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In reviews – 7th April ’24

In reviews – 7th April ’24

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. Christchurch Cathedral rebuild slowed down by huge budget blowout I was raised in Christchurch, so like many others...

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We are not all leaders but not all of us know that

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...

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Tune out, turn off, drop out – how to remove online anger

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...

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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...

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What to look for in online reviews

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...

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A little less conversation, a little more action, please

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...

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A cautionary tale – read the reviews first!

A cautionary tale – read the reviews first!

If ever you needed to be reminded to read the reviews before taking on a business to do work for you, a recent story on www.stuff.co.nz puts it into full focus. Christchurch business, Saxon Appliances is closing its doors after many years in business and Stuff...

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Growing your own food – win win!

Growing your own food – win win!

I grew up in a New Zealand where practically every home had a garden that supplied a healthy and consistent crop of fruit and vegetables. Gardening was not a hobby but an accepted necessity and now as we find ourselves subject to the financial squeeze brought on by...

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Stay safe when shopping online

Stay safe when shopping online

Online shopping is not even the new normal - it's just the normal. The past few years of the Covid pandemic has further increased consumer online spending to the degree whereby consumer behaviour has radically shifted. That means it pays to heed a few tips and...

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Plasterboard supply chaos easing

Plasterboard supply chaos easing

The plasterboard supply debacle that has hindered the building industry and caused needless delays is slowly dissipating, signalling good news for Kiwi builders and consumers. As reported by Nicholas Pointon in RNZ this week, "The plasterboard shortage has eased...

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Things to do to spruce up your house this Spring

Things to do to spruce up your house this Spring

Sure, it's been snowing where it usually doesn't this time of the year but it's Spring - the time to pay some attention to your home, inside and out. With the weekends hopefully warning up, there will be time to take care of small and large jobs that'll have your...

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Want the best painting results? Check the weather

Want the best painting results? Check the weather

Painting the exterior of your home is a necessary investment that protects and enhances your most valuable asset. Before you even consider commissioning a painting professional to get the project started, do a bit of due diligence and consider the best time of the...

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Tough conditions require a little patience

Tough conditions require a little patience

Currently things are really, really tough for a lot of trades around the country and despite a building boom, significant factors and stressors have created a set of extremely difficult conditions. Business owners are under considerable strain and homeowners and...

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Turn that downside upside down

Turn that downside upside down

Petrol prices, groceries, interest rates, and inflation are all on the rise, practically everywhere in the world, and in New Zealand we have the added frustration of a scarcity of essential building supplies to satisfy what is touted as a 'building boom'. All the...

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NoCowboys’ points of difference

NoCowboys’ points of difference

To have pioneered online reviews in New Zealand and to have kept in step with an ever changing digital landscape for over 16 years is no mean feat. That we continue to evolve and grow Kiwi businesses online as well as offering the best information to consumers, isn't...

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When times are tough – reputation is essential

When times are tough – reputation is essential

One need only glance at whichever news platform you prefer to know that we are currently in difficult times. Inflation and interest rates are rising, consumer prices for essentials are increasing and despite the government reducing fuel taxes, the cost of fuel keeps...

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Thumbs up, thumbs down? No thanks

Thumbs up, thumbs down? No thanks

There's a few review platforms out there aiming to deliver the benefits of online reviews for businesses but failing as they do not actually focus on the key, as well as tangential benefits, of online consumer reviews. In essence they send out a message to customers...

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Lack of real oversight when it come to reviews

Lack of real oversight when it come to reviews

I have a friend who runs a business - a financial advisor and accountant, whose services I use. She told me a story recently about a mysterious phone call she received a few months ago from someone she knew was an ex-employer who resented her leaving his business and...

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Reviews, the far more powerful endorsement

Reviews, the far more powerful endorsement

In my last piece I wrote about branding and reviews and since then I've had the opportunity to talk with colleagues and think further on the subject and realised I had missed another feature of traditional branding that is trumped by authenticated online reviews -...

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Reviews are the new brand, only more effective

Reviews are the new brand, only more effective

Brand, the buzzword for advertising for so many decades, has changed substantially from what it once was since the advent and supremacy of online commerce. Years ago brand was the holy grail for businesses and by extension advertising companies. Brand was splashed...

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Make your feedback valuable

Make your feedback valuable

I was reading an article online recently with guidelines on how to leave great feedback - whether positive or negative - and it reminded me that at its core - feedback is a conversation. What I mean is that the words we choose in the feedback we leave are...

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Abusing reviews for personal vendettas

Abusing reviews for personal vendettas

Online reviews are to meant give guidance to our peers based on our experiences and subjective opinions. Unfortunately, if allowed to be, they can also be used to damage the reputations of businesses when absolutely no service was provided or product purchased. When...

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My last dalliance with an irritating brand

My last dalliance with an irritating brand

A month ago my phone decided that its sure and steady trek to oblivion was getting tiresome and decided to quicken the pace. I had the phone for a year. It was a refurb - that's refurbished for those who still take pleasure in avoiding the need to shorten or...

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The power of the apology

The power of the apology

In a perfect storm of irony I was all set to write about the power of apology in business this week, and wouldn't you know it, I was served up the ideal how not do it by celebrities in Lalaland. For those of you who missed it, Will Smith decided to let rage and...

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The Covid pandemic and online reviews

The Covid pandemic and online reviews

The past two years have transformed our lives, no matter where we are in the world. In the coming years, behavioural psychologists will have a field day, filling academic journals with papers focused on the many and various ways that the Coronavirus has impacted our...

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Retail vs online shopping

Retail vs online shopping

I'm old enough to remember those crazy, carefree days before the internet where shopping was a physical pursuit and an adventure. Obviously a lot has changed since then and sometimes I have to check myself about my own consumer behaviours, especially over the past two...

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A review is an opinion shared

A review is an opinion shared

Something that came up recently got the ol' brain box ticking over and took me to what some may call the bleeding obvious - a question that I imagined should have a universal and obvious answer - what is a review? It may sound simple, as we may think we know what a...

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How to find tradies/businesses on NoCowboys

How to find tradies/businesses on NoCowboys

NoCowboys isn't a directory in the traditional sense, it is a platform where Kiwis can contact businesses after reading reviews. Our verified reviews are a point of difference to other sites, such as job boards, and they are the best metric to guiding your choices -...

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Facebook marketing? Yeah nah

Facebook marketing? Yeah nah

In our last piece I analysed some of the main takeaway points form BrightLocal's 2022 annual online consumer survey that established the near total reliance consumers have in reading online reviews before contacting businesses. One point in the survey results has...

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98% read online reviews for local businesses

98% read online reviews for local businesses

For over a decade BrightLocal had conducted and published the results of its annual "Local Consumer review Survey". Last year's survey results were released a few weeks ago, but hey, we are in a global pandemic, so who is going to call them out for tardiness? As is...

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NoCowboys online platform is nothing less than marketing gold

NoCowboys online platform is nothing less than marketing gold

One of the greatest things about NoCowboys' online marketing platform is that it requires minimal time and attention and if set up properly, regularly updated, with consistent and recent reviews, it essentially takes care of itself. So well, in fact, that one of the...

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Dodgy company charges for free Google sites

Dodgy company charges for free Google sites

NoCowboys began in 2006 for two reasons - to give Kiwi consumers access to the best information to make informed decisions on who to hire (and who not to) and to create a platform for New Zealand tradies and businesses to harness the power of their reputations,...

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Finding the sweet spot

Finding the sweet spot

It’s always heartening talking with business owners who are passionate about their craft, their staff, and their customers. I spent some time with Darcy Wills, owner of Hibiscus Tiling to discuss the history of his business, the craft of tiling, trading through Covid,...

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