Groomed slopes at Coronet Peak have the appearance of corduroy material. Photo / Brandon Stanley, NZSki
Groomed slopes at Coronet Peak have the appearance of corduroy material. Photo / Brandon Stanley, NZSki
Opinion by Sue Foley
OPINION
In the early 2000s, Tranz Rail wanted to see just what people really thought of the company. It turned out not that good, as the person the average punter most associated with the organisation was a homeless person living on a park bench wearing corduroy trousers.
I never didfind out why people were so emphatic about the corduroy but you get the picture, Tranz Rail clearly had a lot of work to do on its brand positioning and reputation.
Fast forward to May 2023, and it would be interesting to research how New Zealand is viewed, internally and externally. Are we a Simca (yes, there is such a car, my brother gave me one for free) or are we a Tesla?
What has focused me on this is my hairdresser’s concern that New Zealand seems to have lost its way. Normally, the conversation with him - remembering this is provincial New Zealand - is how the duck shooting season is going or who has recently died or is in hospital.
But he was really worried. I do feel from a communication point of view, it’s quite understandable.
When former All Black Stephen Donald was interviewed recently about the pending Rugby World Cup and asked what visibility New Zealand had in Paris, he replied none but he was sure there must be something lined up. What happened to the giant rugby ball Tourism NZ used in a previous Rugby World Cup in the same city?
A giant air-supported structure shaped like a rugby ball in Paris during the 2007 Rugby World Cup. Photo / Supplied, File
It’s a known corporate device to ask what an organisation’s/company’s elevator pitch is. In other words, if you are in a lift and someone asks what your company does, you have a few slick one-liners. If you were in a lift with someone and they asked you about your country, what’s your reply?
Clean and green and 100 per cent pure from days-gone-by may today sound more like you’re offering an illegal substance.
Is this the time for us to be brave? We have had everything thrown at us from earthquakes, eruptions, pandemics, cyclones, and fires. We deserve a break and something to make us all stand together and be proud. Not apologetic or the other extreme, just downright nasty, which seems to fill most of the airwaves these days.
In 2002, when I started as Chief Press Secretary for then Opposition Leader Bill English - as shallow as this may now sound - my first observation was, I could walk through an airport with him and few people seemed to know who he was. This was in stark contrast to Mike Moore where we often nearly missed flights with people wanting to stop and yarn. Bill is a top guy and we knew the more people got to know him the more they would like him.
At about the same time an old mate Dean Lonergan called and said he had another Yellow Ribbon Fight for Life Charity Boxing match coming up; Would Bill be interested in taking part?
A short time later, Bill, Dean, and I caught up at Bambina in Ponsonby. To this day, Bill swears, he can’t recall saying yes. Next minute, as they say, he was one of the headliners on the card.
This was no mere stunt, as the charity helped raise awareness around mental health and Bill had not that long ago lost a family member. He was willing to go in with as much heart and soul as needed.
The night came around and hardly anyone knew that, in the week prior, Bill had received some pretty hard knocks from sparring partner Frank Bunce. Showing the deep courage and commitment those close to him saw on many occasions, Bill stepped into the ring with entertainer Ted Clarke.
Sue Foley. Photo / Supplied
He didn’t win but he never walked through an airport again unrecognised; many acknowledged his courage. As an aside, years later, Bill did say, “I’m a firm believer in testing yourself and giving things a go but I also believe that if you do that and you discover you’re not much good you should cop it and move on – hence you haven’t seen me in a boxing ring since and you won’t again.”
The key point here is doing the same changes nothing but brave and courageous can benefit many.
If the hairdressers of New Zealand are saying we have lost our way, it’s time folks to be brave and look at how we can create pride and unity in this great country we call home.
I think entrepreneur Sir Ian Taylor summed it up when he quoted the Māori whakataukī: “Ko nga tahu a o tapuwai inanahi. Hei tauira ora mo Apopo.” The footsteps we lay down in our past create the paving stones we stand on today.
We are a long way from being perceived as the homeless guy wearing corduroy. Then again how many could honestly say as a country we are perceived as leading the pack?
Sir Edmund Hillary said “I have discovered that even the mediocre can have adventures and even the fearful can achieve.”
- Former press secretary Sue Foley is also former director of corporate affairs with Westpac NZ and GM Corporate Affairs at TollNZ.
