New to Kerikeri, Tiffiney Gee invented a plan to meet 32 people over coffee in 32 weeks. Photo / Jenny Ling
New to Kerikeri, Tiffiney Gee invented a plan to meet 32 people over coffee in 32 weeks. Photo / Jenny Ling
Moving from a high-flying corporate job in Sydney to being self employed in a small Far North town has sparked a caffeine-fuelled project to meet new people.
Tiffiney Gee was working as head of digital with Rugby Australia when she was made redundant at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Gee and her husband decided to move to Kerikeri in October 2020 with their young son to be closer to her parents.
With no friends her own age - only her family, their friends and a handful of people she met through her 6-year-old son - she invented a plan to meet 32 people over coffee in 32 weeks.
Gee put a call out on the Kerikeri Noticeboard Facebook page offering free coffee in exchange for fresh company.
"I wanted to meet different people than I would normally," she said.
"What I understood of Kerikeri there's a lot more than meets the eye. I wanted to have a broader view of what's going on in the community rather than just my select group of friends."
In a bid to meet people, Gee became a trustee on the Bald Angels Charitable Trust board and joined several community groups including Kerikeri Rotary, Ngā Wāhine o Te Tai Tokerau and the Bay of Islands Business Women's group.
Tiffiney Gee, pictured with husband Christo and son Callahan, put a call out on social media offering free coffee in exchange for fresh company. Photo / supplied
She also kickstarted a new career as an end-of-life designer, or doula, establishing her business called Finity End-of-life Services.
But she became frustrated that she hadn't achieved more during her time in Kerikeri.
"Coming from a senior corporate role and moving from big city to small town, I was used to being busy and doing all sorts of things.
"I felt I didn't have as much structure and I wanted to have something to say that I'd done. I've met lots of people now, which is great."
Gee started her coffee meeting idea in July 2021 but only managed five sessions before the second Covid lockdown derailed her plan.
It's now going great guns, and she's had about 50 coffee meetings with a variety of people.
"And I don't even drink coffee – I'm a tea drinker," she said.
"When you work from home you're often on your own and it can be easier to become detached from the community. For me it's about really putting yourself out there.
"It's easy to get stuck in your own group and keep to our own areas. It felt like a missed opportunity to get to know more broadly the people in the community and some of the issues they're experiencing."
The 44-year-old said though mainly women had approached her, some men have reached out, along with people from further afield such as Kaeo, Moerewa and Kawakawa.
Gee has no plans to stop meeting people over coffee and tea; the 32-week project is now an ongoing challenge.
The process had been "enlightening", she said.
"I've met some awesome people. Some people who dropped in I haven't seen around or kept in contact with but others I have. It's been fun but it's also interesting to see the different views of Kerikeri."
