Auckland Today Magazine Issue# 92

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www.aucklandtoday.net.nz December2011/January2012|3

4 | December 2011/January 2012 www.aucklandtoday.net.nz

In this issueViewpoints6 Economics

Balancing credit and debt

6 BusinessCoachingEssential steps to turn around your business

7 SalesDriving customer conversion rates

Positive mindsets are vital to sales success

8 HRThe seven habits of difficult employees

8 PRNavigating the media minefield

9 OnlineIs Google ranking really important?

9 DigitallifeMeasuring social media

10TechThe 12 scams of Christmas

10EventsDiaryCourses, seminars and events near you

Features12Onlineshopping

Quick, cheap and easy it might be, but can it really replace retail therapy?

13FattaxIs user pays the best way to tackle unhealthy habits?

16CoverStoryCelebrated foodie Julie Biuso dishes out advice about merging passion with professional reality

18TravelMeandering in Manhattan

19LifestylesA place in the sun, top drop for when youre there, superb sounds, best foot forward, toast anytime and a wine lovers best friend

20EditorialSpecialThe seven deadly sins to steer clear of when plotting your career direction

44InfamousBehaviourWho not to bring to the Christmas party

45HospitalityRebranding to reflect todays industry and creating the right space

Business22Initiatives

Finding the right people is the first step for Watts & Hughes Construction, JR Webb & Son has notched up nearly decades in paint application, Batenburgs provides brilliant gifts, the SPCA takes adoption opportunities to the community, and the Art Gallerys revamped home is a showpiece in itself

28Property&ConstructionLegacy Construction and Pacific Environments Architects combine for great results, Action Painters is colouring up the city, Keola Homes is adept at tackling difficult situations, Arch Office and Fitzgerald Builders bring their best to a housing revamp and Active Contracting forms the foundations for building brilliance

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ISSN 1173-1508 (Print) | ISSN 2230-6188 (Online)

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Auckland Today Issue 92

Issue 92 | December 2011/January 2012

Dishing it out Julio Biuso serves up advice about merging passion with professional reality

The seven deadly sinsWorkplace temptations and how to avoid them

Online shoppingCan a couple of quick clicks replace retail therapy?

Fat taxIs user pays the best way to tackle unhealthy habits?

News | Initiatives | Interviews | Personalities | Information | Success | Profiles | Finance | Property | Sustainability | Export | Transport | Retail | Solutions | ISSN 1173-1508

38ExportBuckley Systems plays a vital role for the biggest names in the technological game

40BusinessDevelopmentJensen Metal Products invests in new tech, Promax Plastics expands and South Seas Film and Television School is training for the future

45HospitalityEastern flavour at Cocoro Restaurant, dining at the historic Riverhead Tavern and Sale St delivers on ambience

50Goods&ServicesBusiness blossoms for HomeScape Garden & Lawn while Les Mills moves into Britomart

52Transport&MotoringGiltrap Audi is a proven leader in the luxury car market, while Formula E Indoor Raceway is the place for wheel to wheel fun

56FocusGetting on course at The Grange Golf Club and taking the direct route with Heletranz


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Viewpoints | Economics / Business Coaching

Dr David Tripe is Director of Banking Studies at Massey Universitys College of Business.

Balancing credit and debt

One of the topics of recent financial news from around the world and New Zealand has been credit ratings. Both the United States and countries in Europe have suffered downgrades, which have sometimes been the subject of complaint by politicians, alleging unfair treatment.

New Zealand has also had a credit rating downgrade from two out of the three major agencies (Fitch and Standard & Poors) to AA, although the third (Moodys) has so far left New Zealands rating unchanged at AAA.

What are ratings, why do they matter and what are the politics associated with them?

Credit ratings are opinions by ratings agencies as to creditworthiness. In respect of countries, how sound is the economy? Will the country be able to repay its debts?

Because it is an opinion, the judgement will sometimes be wrong, but in rating corporations debt issues and countries, their judgements are usually vindicated. Particularly if youre in a different country to the one where youre lending, you will find the credit rating to be a useful signal.

Because credit ratings look at credit worthiness, or more specifically, at the probability of default (defined as failure to repay the full amount due when its due), they will also relate to interest rates.

In general terms, the worse the credit rating, the higher then probability of default, and the higher the interest rate will be. Lenders identify a higher risk of not getting repaid, and want a higher interest rate to compensate themselves for this.

So how risky is New Zealand and is its credit rating appropriate? Could we be subject to further downgrades?

Government debt is not a major problem, despite the attention given to it by politicians. However, if future governments do not reduce the current budget deficit (which could be $15 billion or more in 2012), government debt could become more important.

The major risk in New Zealand is private debt. As at June 30, net foreign investment (debt plus equity) in New Zealand exceeded foreign investment by New Zealanders by $140 billion, equivalent to 70 percent of GDP. This is large by international standards, and much of it is debt requiring regular interest payments, putting a burden on the balance of payments current account.

The main reason for New Zealands debt having grown to this extent has been our continuing balance of payments deficits on current account.

We have absorbed foreign funds as both debt and equity to pay for our spending being greater than our income, and this has resulted in the gradual buy-up of our banks, farms and other assets by foreigners.

The only way we can stop the buy-up of New Zealand is by increasing our savings, so that we spend less internationally, and that we can then afford to finance the ownership of New Zealand ourselves. This is one of the reasons why the major parties are both looking at extending Kiwisaver contributions.

A change to New Zealands pattern of current account deficits is not going to happen quickly, and when it does occur, it will be likely to involve a downward shift in the value of the New Zealand dollar relative to all currencies, increasing the costs of imports (leading to petrol at $3 per litre?).

In the short run, the New Zealand economy is likely to face worse conditions, and we might easily face another credit rating downgrade. These are some real challenges for the New Zealand economy.

John Treace has 30 years experience as a sales executive in the medical products industry and has spent a decade restructuring the sales departments of struggling companies. For more information visit www.treaceconsulting.com

I have taken part in many business turnarounds in my career, and time and again noticed the same problems, regardless of whether the reason for the turnaround was a relatively minor situation or a reorganisation after bankruptcy.

Here are the five steps that need to happen during any major business adjustment and pitfalls to avoid along the way. While this article will focus on sales teams, these steps are of a universal nature and will apply to most departments within a company.

1. Assessing the situation

Before a successful business turnaround can be implemented, it is crucial to understand what got the company where it is now. Throwing money at a problem does not work.

Providing that the companys products or services are competitive, the issues affecting the performance of a sales team can range from an ineffective sales process to low morale, which is caused by any number of factors. In these situations, I have never seen a bad sales team, but I have seen plenty of lousy processes and plenty of low moraleboth deal-killers that will destroy any companys sales effort.

2. Defining a winning culture

Companies in need of a turnaround usually have ill-defined culture. In failing businesses, employees will not be forthcoming, and answers will vary from person to person; youll find that no two sales reps share the same description. It is imperative that the sales team embrace a unified culture, one that will define success. At the heart of culture are the core values a company embraces. Core values are simple action

statements that define the principles the company believes in, not fuzzy declarations that can be interpreted at the whim of management. They define corporate culture, and companies without them tend to wander and underperform.

3. Managing people

People are the most important component of any organisation. Powerful investment groups dont invest in companies; they invest in people. Most failing ventures have poor methods of measuring individuals sales results, so care must be taken in the selection process as making this determination is critical.

4. Creating a new vision of the future

When companies fail, employee morale and confidence is degraded, and many high performers will look for employment elsewhere. Most employees in these situations want their company to prosper, but they dont know how to accomplish it.

It is imperative that a vision for the company be formulated and effectively communicated to all employees. Powerful companies have sales organisations that embrace a vivid vision of the future and employ sales representatives who are confident in their management and in their employment with the company.

5. Developing a strategic plan

Once a management team has defined the core values, culture and vision of the future, effective strategic planning can begin. It makes little sense to begin strategic planning before these first steps have been accomplished. The strategic planning process should include the top management members who will be charged with implementing the plan. Powerful companies have solid strategic plans, and they effectively gain employee buy-in to them.

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Viewpoints |Sales

Karen Degen is the owner of Set Free with EFT, a company that changes mindsets to create emotional freedom and business success. Email [email protected] or visit www.setfree.co.nz

Positive mindsets are vital to sales success

Without a positive mindset, anyone charged with selling goods and services is doomed from the beginning. This not only includes small business owners, but also professional salespeople.

Most people working in sales have had training of some sort to teach them how to sell. They learn things like how to approach customers, what questions to ask them and how to close a sale. This is valuable and essential training, but it misses a vital aspect of success the mindset of the seller.

One of the first things salespeople are taught is how to set sales targets. What they are not taught is how to change their thoughts, beliefs and expectations to be in line with what they want to achieve. Without the correct mindset, reaching our highest potential for success is unachievable.

Many business owners and sales professional have a reluctance to make cold calls.

The reason for this differs from person to person, but its commonly a fear of rejection. Most of us have been rejected in the past and when the person on the end of the phone turns us down it triggers all those old events, compounding the rejected feeling. That compounded effect of past rejections is so strong that we then expect the next person to reject us also.

One business owner I worked with hardly ever called her prospects. As a sole trader this was seriously affecting her business. In her case it wasnt a fear of rejection, but a subconscious belief that she wasnt good enough. When she was a child a family situation created this belief, which was buried in her subconscious mind.

The mere thought of making a call would trigger this, making her believe the prospect would find her lacking. She was generally

a positive and motivated person, but the subconscious mind is far more powerful than the conscious mind and can stop us in our tracks. The change in her business practice after being cleared of this belief was immediate and profound, as she then expected prospects to find her worthy.

Many companies are now hiring experts who work with the mind of their sales team to effectively increase business performance.

One exercise I often give to salespeople is to sit for a moment before making that call and imagine in their mind the way they want it to go.

They visualise the prospect happily agreeing to a face-to-face meeting or buying the product directly. I then get them to imagine the feeling of pleasure and excitement when they get off the phone. Often our expectations create our reality, so we need to maximise our expectations.

Its important to know what you want to achieve and to expect success. Unfortunately most people dont have big enough expectations of themselves or what they can achieve. Working with a mind expert can remove those comfort zones and increase those expectations. As we change our minds, we change our lives.

Mark Ryski is the founder and CEO of HeadCount, a leading analytics firm specializing in store traffic and conversion serving retailers across North America. For more information, visit www.headcount.com

Driving customer conversion rates

Same-store sales are looking a little flat and you need to find ways to deliver better results. Theres still a scent of the financial melt-down lingering, but you survived and its time to start getting the sales needle to move in a positive direction.

One of the best ways to do this is increase your conversion rate; that is, sell to more people already visiting your stores. These are the folks who visit your store but dont buy. Driving conversion rate is a source of sales opportunity most retailers today overlook.

Before you can drive conversion, you need to actually track prospect traffic. This is not the same as transaction counts. Transaction counts represent the number of people who made a purchase; traffic counts represent the total number of people who came to the store including buyers and non-buyers.

If you dont track traffic in your stores, you cant calculate conversion rate. If you cant calculate conversion rate, well, you cant improve it. So for the roughly 35 percent of businesses who actually track traffic and conversion rates, here are five ways you can improve conversion rates in your stores.

Understand why people dont buy: One of the most important things a retailer can do to improve conversion rates is to understand why people dont buy. Long till line ups, cant find sales help, out-of-stocks, poor merchandising, the list goes on. Every store manager should spend some time observing visitors in his/her store. Resist the temptation to help; just observe the behaviours. Watch customers as they move through your store and it wont take long for you to identify some actions you can take to turn more visitors into buyers.

Align your staff to traffic not transactions: Sounds simple enough, but it is something many retailers overlook.

Staff scheduling is tricky at the best of times, but aligning your staff resources to when prospects are in your store will help you maximise your chances of converting more of them into buyers.

Look for conversion leaks and plug the holes: Traffic volume and conversion rates tend to be inversely related. That is, when traffic is high, conversion tends to sag. When traffic levels are low, conversion rates tend to go up. Its not hard to understand why this happens. When the store is busy, till lines are longer and its harder to get help from an associate. The opposite is true when the store isnt as busy. So, if you want to improve conversion rates, look at the traffic in your store to identify when conversion rates are sagging these sags represent the times when sales are being lost.

Set conversion targets by store: Having goals and targets are important if you want to improve results. If you dont have a conversion target for your store, you need to set one. Its important to remember that every store is unique and conversion targets should be set uniquely by store. The trick is to move your own conversion rate up relative to your stores performance.

Make conversion a team sport: It takes the collective effort of all staff to help turn prospects into buyers. From the cashiers and sales associates to the merchandisers everyone in the store plays a role. Dont think of conversion as merely some business metric, but rather a simple measure of how well the whole store is doing at helping people buy.


Pete Burdon is managing director of Media Training NZ, a company specialising in training business people and niche groups how to communicate with the media. He can be contacted at [email protected] or via www.mediatrainingnz.co.nz

Loss of context

Many business leaders get into trouble in media interviews because they assume they are like any other conversation. Often these people are great communicators and competent speakers, but they are unaware that media interviews require an entirely new set of skills.

How many times have you heard someone complain of being taken out of context? Most of the time, this happens because they dont understand the important distinction between media interviews and other conversations.

Apart from live television and radio interviews, every time you speak to a journalist, you risk being taken out of context. This is just the nature of journalism.

Its because a journalist will only use snippets of the interview in their subsequent story. They dont have the space for more. You may speak for 30 minutes and only 30 seconds of your conversation may be used.

This is totally different to giving a speech. Here you can build one idea on another, referencing something you said earlier to highlight a point. People in the audience get to hear the whole speech, so you can do this.

You dont have that luxury when you are talking to the media. You never know what parts of your interview will be used. That means everything you say must make sense on its own and not be reliant on things you say before or after each point you make.

For example, in a real life conversation, if someone said to me, How does it feel to teach people how to lie to the media, it would be fine for me to say, I dont teach people how to lie to. I train them to

communicate the great things they are doing through the media.

The problem with this response in a media context is that the journalist may take the first part of that answer alone, so the story could focus entirely on, Media trainer denies teaching people how to lie, and not use the rest of my answer. This makes for a negative denial story and implies some shadiness on my part.

Not every journalist will do this, but some will and its best not to give them the chance. Without the control of context, I would be better to answer with a positive statement like, Im proud that I train people to communicate the great things they are doing through the media. You can see how I answered the question, but gave it a positive twist so it could not be taken out of context.

The most famous example of this was Richard Nixon when giving his speech during Watergate. He explained how he had never profited from the Presidency and he had earned every cent. This was followed by the words, Im not a crook. I dont need to tell you which part of that speech was used by the media.

In a nutshell, if you dont want it used, not say it in any context.

Dr Mary Casey (Doctorate of Psychology), a conflict resolution specialist, is the founder and CEO of the Casey Centre, a leading integrated health and education service. Visit www.caseycentre.com.au

Every manager knows the frustration of a difficult employee in the workplace from the late starter to the incessant whinger. While diversity in a workplace can bring the best set of skills to the business, managers need to be alert to any behaviour which can harm the business and its culture.

When dealing with a difficult employee, what works for one may not work for another and, as no employee is the same. You need specific strategies to most effectively deal with their personalities.

So here are some strategies for dealing with seven difficult employee types

The seducer: Strategic friendships and allegiances is the goal for these types they pick and choose their networks to benefit their careers. They praise you, compliment you and may even buy you small gifts in order to manipulate and seduce. We all love praise and compliments, so it is easy to get caught out by this kind of manipulation. Set strong boundaries for acceptable behaviour with other employees.

The back-stabber: These employees discredit their co-workers and take credit for more work than they have done. This kind of behaviour highlights a deep insecurity in these employees. An employers best strategy is to be open to feedback from other employees and confront the employee with what they have said or done let them know their behaviour is unacceptable. It is a good idea to speak to them in private because, being insecure, they dont cope with confrontation or assertiveness.

The social networker: An addiction to Facebook, Twitter or mobile phones will have

significant effects on the productivity of any employee. Set a strong policy for internet usage, specifically outlining boundaries on social networking as it is a new phenomenon. Ensure it outlines consequences for abusing the policy.

The martyr: These people blame everything and everyone rather than take responsibility. They have a poor me attitude and try to make those around them feel sorry for them. They use this behaviour to manipulate. Keep these people responsible by putting the onus back onto them.

The iceberg: Cold and non-communicative, these employees rarely keep you or their team up to date on their work, dont contribute in meetings and keep to themselves along with any information they may have. Ask open-ended questions so that they are forced to give you information. If they often answer I dont know, a good tactic is to ask What if you had to guess? or What if you did know?

The tardy employee: These employees keep to their own clock; they arrive late, take long lunchbreaks, leave right on time or make regular personal appointments during work hours. Tardiness should be addressed in a professional manner. If they have a good reason for coming in late, find a compromise between their schedule and their work that wont affect the business or their productivity that is seen to be fair by everyone.

The offloader: They ensure they have very little work on their plate while making themselves look very busy and important. Often these employees are not confident in themselves to do the job, although they can be very confident communicators. Its important that a clear and detailed job description and specific KPIs form the basis of their performance appraisals.

The seven habits of difficult employees

Viewpoints | PR / HR

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Is Google ranking really important?

If your website serves more as an online brochure to which you refer clients and potential clients, then doing well in the search engines such as Google may not be a priority for your business. However, for the vast majority of businesses it is critical to their success to be able to attract targeted traffic to their website. This in turn drives enquiries and new business.

Websites that are well positioned in Google are the ones that are likely to get more visitor traffic because they are visible to searchers.

For example, if you own a business that sells camera accessories and you are not appearing on the first page of Google results when users search for your product, then you are not very likely to get visitors to come to your website. This is because enquiry drops dramatically if your website is not on the first page or two of search results.

When users have so many websites to choose from in the search engine results, it is extremely important to optimise your site so that your website can be found easily and is the one that users click through to. If your competitors are positioned higher than your site in the search engines, then it may well be their site your potential client visits, instead of yours.

Regardless of industry, the online market is certainly very competitive and continues to become more so, which makes it harder for websites to rank highly. Just having a website does not guarantee success.

It doesnt matter how fantastic your product or service is if no-one actually knows about it. Websites need all the help they can get

which is why it is very important to start work on Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) as soon as you can on your website, preferably even before commencing the design process. Unfortunately doing nothing is not an option not if you are looking for new online business.

Search Engine Optimisation is a complex process which involves a number of techniques to improve the visibility of your website in search engines. And it doesnt end there.

Once your website is optimised it is necessary to continue promoting your website in the search engines using Search Engine Marketing (SEM); the goal being to increase your website presence in the search engines. SEM assists with the promotion of your website in various ways including link building, pay per click campaigns and article marketing.

Social media marketing can also assist with building your websites online popularity. Social media involves building your networks on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn by regularly engaging with your fans, followers and connections.

Is ranking on Google really that important? Absolutely, if want to grow your business through your online presence.

Graeme Russell runs Adage Business, a boutique marketing/communications agency that assists businesses and nonprofits with the planning and implementation of communication and social media strategies. Visit www.adagebusiness.co.nz

Measuring social media

Almost everyone is talking about social media, how great it is (or isnt), best practice and of course what the return is from its use.

Everyone looks to social media to engage and build awareness of themselves, their business and more. Businesses use it to build customer knowledge, to act as a customer service tool and of course to gain business.

But where many seem to have a problem is working out what the ROI is.

ROI is traditionally seen as return on investment, money in the bank, but there is another way to look at ROI, and that is return on involvement.

What is return on involvement? Its what you gain from being present on any of the social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.

If youre using any social media and wondering why youre not gaining from it, its likely that its the content you are sharing that is letting you down.

If you want to gain from social media you need to take yourself less seriously. Dont always talk shop as gone are the days of B2B and B2C marketing; its all P2P now person to person, and thats where the win is with social media.

Sharing information about the business is important, but social media should be avoided if its only going to be used to push your bandwagon. If people are themselves online, sharing stories, offering tips and tricks outside of their normal business messages, they will gain more.

Its the involvement with others in social media that will yield results; its the content

and engagement that is important. For business, it gives the ability to listen to what people are saying about them, this then gives an opportunity for issues to be dealt with almost immediately, helping brand reputation.

Unlike traditional promotional activities which focus on pushing your message, social media works on the attracting pull premise.

A quick look at social media sites will show that people are asking questions they want to know the best restaurant, caf, shopping area, where to stay and much more.

Anyone can answer these questions but, where some business let themselves down and miss out on ROI, is that they are not monitoring to see what people are talking about. If people are talking about your business sector, and quite likely your business, you need to be listening.

Think of social media as a pond, you drop a pebble in a pond and ripples emanate out, thats what happens when you post a message on your social media profile. How far it goes depends on your network, your connections and also how far they in turn share it with their connections.

The wider the spread the more impact your update has, the more impact the greater the eventual possible return on investment.

So before you start looking at the bottom line and wondering where the money is to be made using social media, think more about the relationships you can build this will be worth a lot more than mere money in the bank.

Viewpoints |Online/DigitalLife


News | Events Diary

If you would like to feature a business related event in this diary, email [email protected] at least two months before the date of the event.

december

5Monday

Introduction to Business Seminar IRDStarting a business? This free IRD seminar covers all the basics, from working

smarter with online services, business structures and income tax. For more information visit www.ird.govt.nz

december

5Monday

Author Talk Auckland Library Hear author Tanya Tintner as she explores her journey in writing the colourful

biography of her husband Georg, Out of Time: The Vexed Life of Georg Tintner. It is the tale of an extraordinary conductor and composer who escaped the Nazis and pursued his career in New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, England and Canada. For more information visit www.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz

december

6Tuesday

The Future for New Zealand Media NZ Institute of DirectorsA discussion on how the digital environment is

changing the way we operate with guest speaker Brett Chenoweth who has more than 18 years of professional experience in media, technology, telecommunications and online businesses. To register, visit www.iod.org.nz

december

6Tuesday

Networking Know How Chamber of CommerceEffective networking is crucial to developing new

business opportunities and successfully gaining new clients. This course will help you improve your confidence and success in networking through developing your own personal strategies and techniques. For more information visit www.chamber.co.nz

december

7Wednesday

An Afternoon with the Experts The Icehouse The Icehouse opens up to ambitious entrepreneurs who are hungry to understand

the steps to start-up business success. Access its knowledge, tools and contacts to discover how to turn your idea into a business success. To register, visit www.theicehouse.co.nz

december

8Thursday

How to Manage your Cashflow Better The National Banks Business Resource CentreCashflow is the life blood

of any business understand why it is important to manage cashflow and how to prepare a profitability budget and a cashflow budget. To register, visit www.businessresourcecentre.co.nz

december

9Friday

Christmas Luncheon Chamber of CommerceIf you love great food, excellent company and a laugh, mark the upcoming

Chamber Annual Christmas Luncheon in your diary now. Treat your staff or clients to a delicious three-course feast with all the trimmings and entertainment from performer Jackie Clarke. For more information visit www.chamber.co.nz

december

15Thursday

Manufacturing and the Future NZ Institute of Directors Lunch function with guest speaker, Kim Campbell. Find

out what leadership it takes to succeed, if there is a future for manufacturing in New Zealand and what do we need to do. To register, visit www.iod.org.nz

december

15Thursday

Xero Certification NZ Institute of Chartered AccountantsXero is an award winning online accounting system

designed specifically for small businesses and their advisors. This CPD verified training course is for accountants, book keepers and consultants and provides a complete overview of Xero functionality. To register, visit www.events.nzica.com

december

16Friday

Musica Sacras Christmas Spectacular Musica Sacras annual Christmas concert is a feast of thrilling seasonal music

from choir, audience, brass and the Town Halls organ. This exciting event brings together one of New Zealands finest choirs, the splendour of the APO Brass and the magnificent Town Hall organ. For more information visit www.musicasacra.org.nz

January

18Wednesday

An Evening with David Sedaris Auckland Town HallNPR humorist and best-selling author of Me Talk

Pretty One Day and When You Are Engulfed in Flames is visiting Auckland as part of his 2012 Australia/NZ theatre tour. With sardonic wit and incisive social critiques, Sedaris has become one of Americas pre-eminent humour writers. For more information visit www.eventfinder.co.nz

February

7Tuesday

Travel Writing and Photography Voyager NZ Maritime Museum Learn to write about exotic destinations in this eight

week course. Tutor Yvonne van Dongen is one of New Zealands most respected travel writers and was travel editor at the New Zealand Herald and Holiday magazine. For more information visit www.thecreativehub.net.nz

February

8Wednesday

Write Like a Leader NZ Institute of Chartered AccountantsWriting well is a learned skill. The average business person

is getting 66 percent more emails a year, with 50 to 200 emails a day. Add to this the numerous memoranda and reports to be written, and its clear that a large percentage of work time is spent writing. To register, visit www.events.nzica.com

February

8Wednesday

Westpac Economic Update NZ Institute of Chartered AccountantsStay informed about the latest trends and insights

with Westpacs chief economist Dominick Stephens. This one hour update will focus on key developments affecting businesses. To register, visit www.events.nzica.com

EvEnts Diary Whats happEning on BusinEss & social Fronts

Ian Knott has been commentating on various forms of technology for the last 16 years. Hes had columns on gadgets, gaming, computing and digital entertainment in many newspapers, magazines and websites in New Zealand and overseas.

The 12 scams of Christmas

Its that time of year again, that time when the credit cards are taking a hammering and the whole world is looking for a bargain. They dont call it the Silly Season for nothing, and its a time when many normally sensible folk will let their guard down on the off chance of making that dollar go a lot further.

For that very reason, cyberscammers are out in force and have armed themselves with an arsenal of tools to catch the more vulnerable and unaware consumer in their search for that elusive bargain.

Antivirus company McAfee has released its 12 Scams of Christmas list and it gives us a glimpse at the many electronic pitfalls that are around every corner.

McAfees 12 Scams of Christmas

1. Mobile Malware: Malware targeted at mobile devices is on the rise, and Android smartphones are most at risk. McAfee cites a 76 percent increase in Android malware in the second quarter of 2011 over the first. New malware has recently been found that targets QR codes, a digital barcode that consumers can scan with their smartphone to find good deals.

2. Malicious Mobile Applications: These are mobile apps designed to steal information from smartphones or send out expensive text messages without a users consent. Dangerous apps are usually offered for free and masquerade as fun applications, such as games.

3. Phony Facebook Promotions and Contests: Who doesnt want to win free prizes or get a great deal around the holidays? Unfortunately, cyberscammers know that these are attractive lures and target Facebook with phony promotions and contests aimed at gathering personal information.

4. Scareware: Scareware is the fake antivirus software that tricks someone into believing that their computer is at risk or already infected so they agree to download and pay for phony software. An estimated one million victims fall for this scam each day.

5. Holiday Screensavers: Bringing holiday cheer to your home or work PC sounds like a fun idea to get into the holiday spirit, but be careful. Holiday-themed screensavers, ringtones and e-cards have been known to be malicious. Perform a security scan on the file before installing or sending the file.

6. Mac Malware: Until recently, Mac users felt pretty insulated from online security threats. But with the growing popularity of Apple products, cybercriminals have

designed a new wave of malware directed at Mac users. There are well over 5000 pieces of malware targeting Macs, and this number is increasing by 10 percent month on month.

7. Holiday Phishing Scams: Phishing is the act of using phony email or social media posts to trick consumers into revealing information or performing actions they wouldnt normally do online. Cyberscammers know that most people are busy around the holidays so they tailor their messages with holiday themes in the hopes of tricking recipients into revealing personal information.

8. Online Coupon Scams: An estimated 63 percent of shoppers search for online coupons or deals when they purchase something on the Internet. But watch out, because the scammers know that by offering an irresistible online coupon, they can get people to hand over some of their personal information.

9. Mystery Shopper Scams: Mystery shoppers are people who are hired to shop in a store and report back on the customer service. There have been reports of scammers sending text messages to victims, offering to pay them $50 an hour to be a mystery shopper and instructing them to call if they are interested. Once the victim calls, they are asked for their personal information.

10. Hotel Wrong Transaction Malware Emails: Many people travel over the holidays, so it is no surprise that scammers have designed travel-related scams in the hopes of getting us to click on dangerous emails.

11. It Gift Scams: Every year there are hot holiday gifts that sell out early. When a gift is popular scammers will also start advertising these gifts on rogue websites and social networks. Consumers could wind up paying for an item and giving away credit card details only to receive nothing in return.

12. Im away from home Scammers: Posting information about a holiday on social networking sites could potentially be dangerous. Someone connected with that poster on Facebook or other social networking sites could see their post and decide that it may be a good time to rob them. Furthermore, a quick online search can easily find their home address.

It makes for worrying reading, but if you recite the mantra if its too good to be true then it probably isnt and follow sensible email and internet protocol, then youre likely to get through the holiday season relatively unscathed.

Viewpoints | Tech


News | Features

By Bridget Gourlay

I recently read an amazing book, the type where you become so engrossed in the world the author has painted that when you are pulled out of it you look around, blinking, momentarily startled at your surroundings.

With a friends birthday coming up, I knew it would be the perfect gift. So I hopped online and checked out what Amazon was selling The Tigers Wife for.

Its a popular book that recently won the Orange prize, so I wasnt surprised to find I could get it delivered to my door for $10. To buy it in hardcover, it was $21.

Being Gen Y Im surgically attached to my keyboard, so online shopping is just a natural extension of myself. But there is another option and thats (brace yourself) buying it at an actual, real live shop! But therein lies the rub its often much more expensive.

At the shopping mall closest to me, a large nationwide bookseller was selling The Tigers Wife for $27.99. Even a New Zealand book, Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones was $29.99 at the bookseller, and $15 from Amazon.

Shopping has been part and parcel of economies since human history began. Thriving markets existed in Ancient Egypt and Greece thousands of years ago, and in the worlds biggest cities, street names became synonymous with retail the Champs Elysee, Fifth Avenue, Oxford Street.

But with the advent of the internet, its possible to buy things online with just the click of a button. No longer do we have to physically go to the shops for a bottle of perfume or a tennis racket.

Its easy to hop on the internet, choose what you want and have it delivered to your door. Even with postage fees, eliminating middlemen, shop rents and staff salaries make many items cheaper than they would be in store.

Price Waterhouse Coopers and Frost & Sullivan released a report earlier this year which showed online shopping increasing to NZ$2.68 billion in 2011 an increase of 12 percent from 2010.

Almost half of the New Zealand population will shop online in 2011 with each customer spending an average of almost NZ$1400. These figures are set to increase again, with the total online spend reaching $4.22 billion by 2015.

So what does this mean for retailers? Has the internet killed shopping, the way it so

Click on to

online shoppingmercilessly dealt to CDs and is now savaging TV and DVDs?

James Gilbert, director of Australasian ecommerce provider Solutionists, doesnt think so. Firstly, he says there are some products that just dont work online such as the $2 Shop. Secondly, retailers have a unique insight into what their local customers really want and can use this knowledge to create products and services under their own brand that uniquely satisfy the requirements of their customer group.

For retailers who take this own brand approach, suddenly the world of internet shopping becomes an opportunity instead of a threat, Gilbert says.

He warns that it is equally important your online offering is delivered at a world-class standard, in order to remain competitive in a global market.

The return on investment figures for many of our clients shows that retailers could expect to recoup their full ecommerce investment within six months of launch. While the cost of setting up an enterprise level webstore can be significant, it is nothing when compared to that of a physical store with much lower overheads, and a much bigger audience.

Twice as muchWellington entrepreneur Goisha Piatek agrees. Her company Kowtow sells boutique fair trade and organic clothing. We got our online store revamped in September last year and the month we did that our sales doubled. How easy a site is to navigate is so important. We get sales every day from online.

While Kowtow has stockists around the country and in Australia and Japan, Piatek says online retail sales are huge.

We sell causal garments so once people know their size they can re-order off our online store.

Social media is an integral part of online shopping with 34 percent of shoppers following an online shopping site on Facebook.

This is something Kowtow has noticed. I think one of the most potent ways of advertising is through Facebook and Twitter its just huge, Piatek says.

You really do notice the power of it. If we have a sale, or new stock has arrived, and we put that on the website then you can really see the number of online sales increasing that day.

However, because Kowtow sells loose fitting garments, Piatek doesnt think everyone in the fashion industry has as much online success as her. Part of the thrill of shopping is trying numerous things on, and making sure they fit properly.

A company with dresses and tailored clothing well, you do need to try it on. And its just that much harder to click the pay button on the internet when its $500 dollars. A baggy T-shirt for $100 is different.

Physical appealNewmarket Business Association head Ashley Church agrees that there are some things about the physical shopping experience that still appeal to Kiwis and we shouldnt be moving out of shops just yet.

Kiwis are innately pragmatic people who see the internet as simply another part of the overall shopping experience. We like the convenience of the internet for simple purchases but we also recognise that it has its limitations.

He cites immediacy, safety, personal service and the experience of in-store shopping as reasons why people will be in no hurry to replace it completely with the internet anytime soon.

Almost half of the New Zealand population shopped online in 2011

Each shopper spent an average of almost NZ$1400

Total country online shopping expenditure for the year is expected to reach $2.68 billion

Of the 2.68 million, an estimated $910 million or 34 percent will be spent with offshore online retailers

Online shopping has increased 12 percent since 2010

Online retail expenditure accounts for 5.1 percent of all retail sales. This puts New Zealand on a par with Australia but still well behind USA and UK markets.

Fact File


News |Features

By Bridget Gourlay

In the 1960s we started to crack down on cigarettes. Despite the best efforts of multi-million dollar tobacco lobbyists, it was becoming obvious there was a direct link between smoking and lung cancer, as well as a whole host of other nasty diseases. Successive governments sprung into action. In 1963, smoking ads were banned. Ten years later, it was the law to have health warnings on all cigarette packs. Smoking was gradually outlawed in movie theatres, schools and aeroplanes. Special sections for smokers were put in place in restaurants, until it was stubbed out completely in 2003.

The reason for it was that smoking was dangerous to our health. So, the argument goes, why dont we do the same for obesity?

Sure we have campaigns about the importance of exercise and healthy eating, but a glittering display of junk food is available everywhere we go. Filling up petrol? Pies, coke, sweets are all available at the counter. Its the same with the supermarket. Local dairies and fast food chains are found in most suburbs. All this and we have rising obesity rates that are, if youll excuse the pun, weighing heavily on our health system. Statistics show three in ten children and six in ten adults are overweight or obese.

This health crisis costs $460 million to our health system every year, but also hits the nations pocket in indirect costs such as lowered productivity rates.

FATtax

Denmark recently introduced a fat tax hiking the GST on everything which has 2.3 percent or more saturated fat. Fellow European country Hungary has done the same, with a slightly different system, taxing foods with high levels of fat, sugar or salt. Even Tory Prime Minister David Cameron was recently quoted in the Guardian as looking into following suit.

Les Mills CEO Phil Mills says the junk food industry is getting a free ride and needs to pay its true cost. Around the world, tax shifting is at the cutting edge of macro-economic policy. It discourages harmful industries, pays for the damage they cause and creates markets for better products. In Germany, for example, a switch from taxing income to taxing non-renewable energy created 250,000 new jobs in the renewable-energy sector and reduced CO2 emissions by 20 million tons. It works.

Mills says that in one study of vending machines, sales of low-fat snacks increased by 80 percent when the price was halved. In another, sales of carrots doubled in high schools when the price was lowered. In China, increasing the price of fatty pork by 10 percent reduced peoples fat intake by up to 11 percent.

Right now, we pay the difference between the nominal price of junk food and the rapidly increasing cost to society. That simply isnt fair.

Not in NZ But New Zealand wont be following in Europes footsteps anytime soon. Health Minister Tony Ryall told Auckland Today the Government has no plans to introduce fat taxes. Such a tax would add to the burden of many families in tight economic times.

The Food and Grocery Councils Katherine Rich says fat taxes give the impression that all fat is evil, which she says is absolutely not the case. The issue is how much any

one person consumes and whether this is balanced with physical activity education about healthy lifestyles which balance food intake with activity is the only key to people understanding how to feed themselves and their families.

Fight the Obesity Epidemics Dr Robyn Toomath says Richs comments are outrageous. Education is the only thing were doing, and doing pretty poorly. Obesity is getting higher and higher, theres no justification in saying that at all. Toomath says we could start with a simple sugar tax, such as a soft drink tax if we want to start making junk food pay for its true cost and make it more expensive than healthy food.

Taxes can be more sophisticated. Theres very sophisticated work being done on nutrients you can grade food with points minus points for saturated fat and give it plus points for vegetable oils. That way theres no confusion between an avocado and meat pie. Some things like milk are high in fat but have got good things going for it.

She says making junk food less available, such as limiting the number of dairies and fast food chains in communities, could also work.

How would a fat tax affect those in hospitality? Bruce Robertson, the industrys president, says the answer is clear. It would put the prices up, he says simply. The fundamental thing is the tax would put the prices up on items and then that would be reflected on the menu. Lots of products have

a component of fat, which customers want and like.

It is simply another tax. I have had a look at the situation in Denmark, and even in Denmark the jury is out on whether its the right decision. It seems to be as much a revenue gathering exercise as it is a health one.

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News | Features


Shoring up the essentialsMore than 2500 businesses were impacted by the Maui gas pipeline failure in October, prompting the Auckland Chamber of Commerce to call for a review.

Michael Barnett says the thousands of businesses, along with hospitals, were affected by the leak in the pipeline carrying gas to the upper North Island.

Some essential industries and services able to access limited gas flows available were still unable to operate because they depended on supplies from other businesses that had to shut down because they werent considered an essential industry. We need to get this tidied up so that in the event of a future event, whether an energy breakdown, drought or some other cause, to ensure that the definition of essential industries and services extends to key suppliers, Barnett says.

With these kind of events and interruptions to businesses occurring more frequently, it is time we looked at updating what is an essential industry and come up with a better definition and hierarchy that aligns with todays business environment.

These days, most businesses are dependent on a cluster of suppliers; maybe the definition of essential needs to be expanded to take into account groups or clusters of inter-dependent industries.

Queen St projectOne of Queen Streets most visible corners is getting a multi-million dollar facelift to transform it into a business and shopping haven. A group of investors have pooled their resources, expertise and vision with plans to revitalise Queens Lanes into a modern luxury shopping destination, with 42 retail stores. The goal is to make Queens Lane a shopping experience that sets the benchmark for retailing in Auckland.

Within the complex there will also be a new arcade, called The Lane at Queens Lane. This aims to be an international quality arcade with 20 luxurious shops featuring imported arabescato marble floors and macassar ebony walls.

Sadly, the former Queens Head Tavern facade will go. This faade was a beautiful reminder of Auckland colonial architecture, but was increasingly looking out of place among the modern buildings nearby it.

The project supports Auckland Councils initiatives to redevelop the Aotea Quarter into the citys civic core, entertainment and cultural heart.

Planned to open in early 2013, the 42 Queens Lane shops can be secured on a 10 percent deposit and are

being sold on a freehold unit title basis, with prices ranging from $195,000 to $835,000 with projected rental returns of between seven and 10 percent when leased. Westpac will provide finance to qualifying investors purchasing shops in the upmarket Queens Lane development.

Heading eastChina and New Zealands business, education and tourism links have been getting stronger and stronger over the past decade. Direct flights from Auckland to Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton) began three times a week in April this year. They have been so successful that the flights began a daily service at the start of November.

This is great news for the travel industry and should provide an estimated $100 million boost to the New Zealand economy, Auckland Airport general manager aeronautical commercial, Glenn Wedlock says.

The new China Southern Airlines services arrive just in time for our high season and after the Rugby World Cup will help us continue to drive the 20 percent plus growth we have been seeing in this market.

The new daily service will add another 90,000 seats per year. The Free Trade Agreement and other Government initiatives around visa processing, air-services policy, tourism partnerships and trade development have been instrumental in building a market structure for growth as demonstrated by the $410 million in expenditure from Chinese visitors for the year ended June 2011, Wedlock says.

The increase in services from China Southern Airlines, along with the expanded Air New Zealand services from December, will open up more of China to New Zealand tourism and trade than ever before, and should help push China ahead of the United

round-upCity

States as our third largest tourism market in the very near future.

In 2011 the number of Chinese visitors into Auckland Airport grew 26.5 percent on 2010 figures, and thats expected to continue. Chinese visitors are also high-value, spending around $300 per night, more than European, North American and other Asian tourists.

China is a key market where we are looking to build high value travel to New Zealand with our joint marketing campaigns. The June 2011 Hurun Report indicated there are now over 950,000 millionaires in mainland China so there is a fantastic opportunity to build tourism and trade values to New Zealand by targeting this market, Wedlock says.

Making a mark on the waterfront The chance to make a mark on Aucklands waterfront is up for grabs for the right architect. Waterfront Auckland is seeking Expressions of Interest (EOI) from architectural companies for a design to enhance Shed 10 on Queens Wharf to better cater for cruise ships.

Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) is developing a ten year Visitor Plan that will set-out the bold steps to significantly grow Aucklands visitor economy, and the cruise sector is an important part of this.

ATEED tourism operations manager Jason Hill says the cruise facility on Queens Wharf is the first important step to help enhance the visitor experience. Auckland is set to host 200,000 passengers and 80,000 crew during the current 2011-2012 cruise season. In 2009-2010 the cruise industry contributed nearly NZ$300m to the New Zealand economy.

Concept sketches for the Queen Street project, a multi-million dollar facelift.

News | Cover Story


By Bridget Gourlay

When Julie Biuso was 13, she lied about her age and got a job waitressing in a Chinese restaurant. Shed fallen in love, you see not with a boy but with a country. Her French teacher had regaled the class with tales of food the warm fresh bread, the delicious meals, the raft of cheeses and Biuso was determined to experience it for herself.

Of course, she needed the money to get there, which was how she wound up washing dishes in a steamy kitchen in her first year at high school. Its an apt summation of the woman she is today; when Julie Biuso has a goal, she works as hard as she can pursuing it and its not often she doesnt make it in the end.

Its a quality which has seen her varied career as an award winning chef, broadcaster and food journalist span decades; one that has married food, business and much in between.

Growing good food Biuso remembers a 1950s childhood of meat and three veg, when items like garlic and peppers were considered exotic. But, she says, New Zealand shed that mindset decades ago.

Theres all sorts of new things that are popping up, like the gorgeous pine nuts that are just coming onto the market that are grown in Blenheim. The trees were first planted in 1998, they took quite a few years to produce sufficient quantity to put on the market, and they are amazing! All these off-the-mainstream little industries are rumbling away and are coming into fruition. They will explode soon.

Take olive oil, something Biuso fell in love with in Italy. Theres one huge estate in South Australia that produces more olive oil than all of New Zealand put together, but a lot of that oil is flabby and second tier and what we do produce in New Zealand is of very high quality; its low acid, fruity and has peppery flavours. What we do do, we do very well and there are other industries like honey and elderflower.

As with almost everything we do, the New Zealand industry must look to quality not quantity. Often this means taking a

commercially viable staple and adding value and that takes creativity.

I think weve got very good products to begin with but were very experimental. I see us becoming quite a force because we dont have those old ties to any country so were free as a bird. Thats a great thing because it allows our creativity to come through.

Maybe weve got good soil and good climate but theres some of that tenacity too. We want to do well and it shows in the end product.

However, todays modern life often means a sense of disconnect, something Biuso is worried about. In a world of plastic pre-packaged meals, New Zealanders can go for days without preparing and eating something fresh.

Im really concerned that people are losing touch and I mean that in a real physical sense with what they eat. We need to be pushing the message to cook from scratch. Dont buy garlic squeezed in a tube - why cant you just peel a clove of garlic for goodness sake? Then youve got your own garlic with nothing in it, in a natural state. This passion for fresh and local led to her role as an ambassador for Farmers Market New Zealand. But its not just the good food she thinks is important, but the way we eat it.

Were losing a little bit of that eating around a table and sharing, not just for the good feeling of the family being united and it doesnt matter what your family consists of but the sharing thing over food.

Its a binding thing. Were eating at a desk over the computer working late, grabbing something to eat before we go to the gym. Dashing off here, that really starts to destroy the fabric of daily life and to me thats an important thing we teach our young kids.

Dishing


News |CoverStory

Julie Biusos accomplishments are too varied to list here, so heres a snapshot of her successes:

1976Completed Certificate Course at Le Cordon Bleu School of Cookery London

1979-1986 Established a catering business and then cooking school, called La Dolce Vita, in Auckland

1981Completed Advanced Certificate Course, Cordon Bleu School of Cookery London and teacher training

1983-1997Started food broadcasts with Alice Worsley on Radio 1

1983-todayPresented food programmes and interviewed as a guest for programmes for TV One morning television

1986All This And More, her first cookbook, was published

1987Began writing for Cuisine Magazine

1991-todayHosted programmes and acted as a regular guest for Radio New Zealand

1999-2004 Worked as the contributing food editor and advisor to Cuisine Magazine

1999-2003 Food editor of Viva, in the New Zealand Herald

1999Seventh cookbook, the award-winning Take a Vine-ripened Tomato, published

2004-2007Food editor for Womans Day

2004-todayFood editor for Your Home & Garden

2005-todayConsulting food editor of Taste magazine

2006Twelfth cookbook, Sizzle Sensational Barbeque, published. It went on to be published internationally and translated into French

2008Satellite Television Show (mostly filmed and screened live) in the USA, screened to 21 TV channels

2009Fourteenth cookbook, Julie Biusos Never-ending Summer, published locally and internationally, and translated into German Dutch and Polish.

Business lessons Biusos varied career could fill a book, but it all revolves around food and communicating that passion to the public.

She studied at the prestigious Cordon Bleu School of Cookery in London in 1976, then moved to Italy where she set worked as a caterer. When she returned to New Zealand with her Italian husband in tow, she set up her own catering company but soon began making a name for herself as a food writer.

She went onto write and edit Cuisine magazine, edit the Heralds Viva and host various TV and radio cooking segments. Shes interviewed Jamie Oliver, cooked for Pavarotti and has published 15 recipe books.

Biuso has always set her sights on something and gone for it ever since she scrubbed dishes as a 13 year old to go to France. And although she credits hours of hard work for getting her this far, Biuso says thats only one ingredient in the recipe for success; trust, she stresses, is crucial.

Building a trusted brand is really important. Ive done that by never letting anyone down, never ripping anyone off. When it comes to recipes, its never taking shortcuts. In magazines its not just flicking it off, thinking thank god I got that done on time.

She also says its important to feel the fear and do it anyway. Never be scared, take huge jumps and leap in boots and all. Work hard. Sometimes I think Im incredibly lucky but then I reflect, well I was there at the time because I did the work. Have great confidence in yourself, know yourself, but have a vision of what you want to do and where you are going with it.

Biusos latest recipe book, Sweet Feast has just hit bookshelves. Sometimes clichs are

all that fits, and each page of Sweet Feast is quite literally mouth-watering. It features light fluffy sponge cakes, exotic looking almond tartlettes and Kiwiana twists on classic dessert items such as rhubarb brulee.

And Biuso thinks people shouldnt be wary of what occasional homemade baking will do to their waistlines. The message gets a bit convoluted, she says.

My father lived until he was 99 and he grew his own vegetables until the last year of his life. He totally believed in moderation and that included sweet things.

I think thats the way to go, if its part of a healthy diet, homemade cakes and biscuits are gorgeous, they make a special occasion.

The smell of baking makes your knees go weak sometimes. But made from home its so different to having stabilisers and artificial colouring and all the other things they like to

put in to make biscuits and cakes stay on the shelf for four months.

Sweet Feast is her 15th book. Today she combines her writing with running cooking classes in Auckland for the passionate amateur.

Most exciting has been her recent and what she describes as her most prestigious appointment as the ambassador for the New Zealand branch of the famed Le Cordon Bleu cooking school. Her career has gone full circle, from a 20-something newbie at the prestigious culinary school in London to being an ambassador for it back home.

Funny how life works! she says.

Reflecting on her life, Biuso is thankful for being able to make a career from combining her cooking and writing talents. Its a nice lifestyle to be able to do things you enjoy, she reflects. I consider myself really lucky.


kitchen hands in restaurants, the sign-holders on the streets, or the rubbish-collectors and street cleaners during the night. They dont earn minimum wage, he tells me. They often have to pay their employer from their measly salary to live in whatever flea-infested accommodation he provides.

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By Bridget Gourlay

New York City. Those three words conjure up images of a breathtaking skyline, the Empire State Building and the Sex and the City girls strutting along Fifth Avenue in $500 high heels. But, as I found out, its the neighbourhoods that really give this immigrant city its charm. Take Chinatown and Little Italy, which stand side by side. Both have been home to immigrants for decades, and both were relatively untouched by the police, left to the ruling clans to organise everything from business to law and order.

I was there on Christmas Day. Little Italy was the most ridiculously over-decorated place Ive ever seen. Enormous wreaths covered every door and restaurants were resplendent in red, gold and holly. All restaurants and apartments were firmly shut up, as everyone was at Mass, but peeking in the windows you could see six foot tall angel statues and nativity scenes crammed in every corner inside.

But cross the road into Chinatown and its like entering another world. Despite the below freezing temperatures, an inner city park is filled with elderly men playing mah-jong and practising Tai-Chi. All the shops have Chinese letters in large print, with the occasional sloppy translation into English below it. Its hard to believe youre in the West, let alone in an English-speaking country, until you hear the thick Manhattan accents of the Chinese faces clearly born and bred in America.

But the Chinatown/Little Italy area is also home to pockets of other ethnicities. Within a twenty minute walk, my friend and I gawked at a perfectly preserved 19th century synagogue, a Ukrainian Church, a Filipino Church, a couple of Buddhist temples and finally an ugly 1960s building, containing the bizarrely named Beth Israel Chinese Church of God. If there is such a thing as a Chinese Jewish Christian, they could only exist in New York.

The infamous immigrant slums of the 18th and 19th centuries, where large families festered in small apartments, were pulled down years ago, but stark images of their lives can be seen at the Museum of New York.

Youve got to wonder how desperate the starvation was in Ireland or how cruel the pogroms of Russia for so many to sail miles and miles to live in dire poverty half a world away. But they did. And many continue to.

Illegal Mexican immigrants are everywhere in the city, I am told by a fiery Catholic peaceworker. Although not as prevalent as the southern border states, they are often the

Todays immigrants and refugees have gone about creating ethnic enclaves just as vibrant as the waves of immigrants before them.

Like Le Petit Senegal, in Harlem. Its home to the recent and increasing waves of people escaping the war torn region, opening West African shops, restaurants and cafs.

Throughout the block, its possible to hear French and see people wearing warm duffel coats over brightly coloured African dresses.

Bohemian delightsBut the neighbourhoods arent just shaped by ethnicity. Soho and Tribeca offer Bohemian delights. The wrought iron former factories and workshops were abandoned until the 1970s when they were turned into lofts by artists. Today it keeps its alternative feel, with little boutiques, art galleries and restaurants, but is really now a shopping mecca.

Expensive labels such as Prada and Marc Jacobs as well as chain stores like H&M occupy multi-storey shops in Soho. Tribeca is no longer a haven for poor artists, these rescued lofts with their wide windows and natural light attract only the commercially successful as the rents are some of the priciest in Manhattan.

Another neighbourhood well worth exploring is the Upper East Side. Home to some of the richest people on earth, these beautiful historic apartment buildings bordering

Central Park are carefully guarded by doormen in crisp jackets.

They escort women in fur coats and men in Armani suits in and out of waiting limos. Its wealth on a scale we dont see in New Zealand this really is a world of immense privilege, where people are waited on by drivers, nannies, butlers and maids. One of the more hilarious aspects is finding the entrance for the apartment staff, usually down a side street a good hundred metres away.

But while the neighbourhoods offer charm and diversity, dont discount the tourist trail. The Empire State building really does offer insane views, Central Park is an oasis of calm, and Times Square is as gaudy and noisy and overwhelming as it looks in photos.

If theatre doesnt spin your wheels, the several story tall Pop Tart World, Hershys World and MnM World, selling elephantine packets of chocolate will. Lit up with flashing neon signs, the entrances employ mascots dressed as their chocolate bars to wave you in. This can only be described as capitalism on crack.

And my own Sex and the City moment happened. I met Mr Big. Well, actually the actor that plays him walked past me while I was stuffing my face with a Dunkin Donut. Not my best look. But it doesnt matter. Ill be back.

Only in

Business travelp NewZealandandtheUnitedStates

haveaclosetradingrelationship.In2010,NewZealandexportedmorethan$3.7billionworthofmerchandisetotheUSlargelybeef,dairy,sheepmeatandwine.

p DuringthesameperiodNewZealandimportedmorethanNZ$4.3billionworthofmerchandise.Aircraftsweretopofthelist,followedbyaircraftparts,turbojets,medicalorveterinaryinstrumentsandmotorvehicles.

p TheUSisNewZealandssecondlargestsourceanddestinationofforeigndirectinvestment(FDI)afterAustralia.Intermsoftourism,itsalsoNewZealandsthirdlargestmarketinvisitorarrivalsandexpenditure,cominginafterAustraliaandtheUnitedKingdom.

a place in the sunSantorini Fantastic, fabulous, unforgettable Santorini deserves all the superlatives it gets. Every traveller succumbs to the beauty of this surreal, postcard landscape. Santorini is a relic of what was probably the biggest volcanic eruption in recorded history.

If you want to experience the full dramatic impact of Santorini its worth arriving by a slower ferry with open decks, rather than by enclosed catamaran or hydrofoil.

Santorini is famous for its spectacular sunsets. The village of Oia on the northern tip of the island is a hugely popular sunset viewing site because there is an uninterrupted view of the sun as it finally sinks below the horizon. Further south the last of the setting sun can be obscured by the islands of Nea Kameni and Thirasia.

Santorini has a wide variety of accommodation to choose from. Many are nestled and built in high among the cliff tops. Spiliotica Villas offers stunning views down over the ocean.

Check out: www.avatonresort.com and www.anastasisapartments.com

top drop Mt Difficulty Target Riesling 2011 With its founding vineyard established in 1992, Mt Difficulty is one of the most respected wineries in the Central Otago region of New Zealands rugged South Island.

Floral and ripe citrus notes compete in the aroma of this riesling. A moderate amount of residual sugar has been retained to balance the slightly lower acidity from a warmer season. This wine will richly reward those who can cellar it.

RRP: $25.95 Available from: Wine stores/supermarkets/restaurants

best foot forward Andrea Biani Loren shoesThese shoes from Andrea Biani are the must have shoe of the season. Bold, bright and just plain gorgeous! So get ready for a night out in these peep toe style heels with a platform for comfort and a strap around the ankle so you can dance the night away. Colours available include Cobalt or Black Suede

RRP: $179.90Available: Andrea Biani stores and online at www.andreabianishop.co.nz

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superb sounds Philips Fidelio Primo DS9000 Phillips Fidelio Primo is the gateway to everything you hold precious about music.

Built with premium components and natural wood, it unleashes full fidelity from your iPhone/iPod, offering an authentic sound experience true to the original. With a curved back for better sound, the clean lines and sensuality of the curved back cover not only looks fabulous it also creates a more effective structure for acoustics. Carefully designed, the curve increases the stiffness of the speaker cabinet, dramatically reducing internal resonance and resulting in more precise and natural sound reproduction. You get to enjoy both lovely looking speakers and a sensational sound.

RRP: $699Available: Noel Leeming

not just toastBodum Slotless Toaster This is the trendy slotless toaster that can toast any type of bread, regardless of its thickness. Like the companys conventional toasters this model is available in eight different stylish colors but has a stainless steel flatbed cooktop to toast unfriendly items like croissants, baguettes and leftover pizza slices. Theres a simple dial allowing you to specify the level of browning, and when not in use the flatbed toaster can be stored on its side, freeing up counter space.

RRP: $89.95Available: www.bodum.com

finding flavour Vinturi wine aeratorWine which has been allowed to breathe tastes better. As wine breathes, it opens up, and releases its intended aromas and flavours. Traditionally, decanters were used to aerate wine. However, decanting is time consuming, cumbersome, and inconvenient. Vinturis patented design delivers perfect aeration in the time it takes to pour a glass. Simply hold Vinturi over a glass and pour the wine. It draws in and mixes the proper amount of air for the right amount of time, allowing your wine to breathe instantly. Youll notice a better bouquet, enhanced flavour and smoother finish. Red and white wine aerators are available.

RRP: $81Available: www.newzealandvinturi.co.nz and www.brightidea.co.nz

www.aucklandtoday.net.nz December 2011/January 2012 | 19

Editorial Special |OfficeTemptations

WrathThe sin: Losing your temper and lashing out in anger at a colleague/junior/boss/the wall. We all make mistakes and how management deals with them is crucial to running a good business. It may be tempting to go Old Testament and scream hellfire and damnation at a newbie when they lose you a sale or mess up an order, but

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Auckland Today Magazine Issue# 92