Ngahi Bidois: Visit warms soul after winter to forget

As we move into spring/summer and we visit or host people, we ought to remember the example that the people from CINZ showed us on their visit here. PHOTO / KELVIN TEIXEIRA

Wow that was a tough winter but spring is finally here and new life with it.

I use several indicators to monitor how tough a winter is. The first is the volume of firewood sold and how quickly merchants sell out. This year I reckon they sold out faster than the previous three years, signalling it was a very cold and wet winter.

The second indicator is the number of people who pass away and this year had to be one of the worst with many well known people passing unexpectedly.

My third indicator is the amount of road accidents due to icy and wet conditions and even here this was a horror winter.

My final personal indicator is how many videos I hire, because it is just too miserable to do anything else - and yep I hired a few more this winter.

But spring is finally here. On our property the daffodils have come and gone, the lambs are born, the flocks of tui have eaten their fill and the silverbeet has shot up in the garden.

Spring is also a time for new things and last week I attended a hui with the people from Convention and Incentives New Zealand (CINZ) who visited Rotorua.

It is their role to increase the New Zealand convention and meeting activity from domestic and international sources.

Their hui was held at the Blue Baths to present their three-year strategy, their accomplishments over the past 12 months and what is in store for the next 12 months. The CINZ team consists of events and marketing director Heather Cornish, their hosted buyer manager Amy Griffith and chief executive Sue Sullivan.

What's that got to do with spring and me I hear you say?

While listening to the excellent CINZ presentation I recognised a few indicators that can help us monitor our professional and personal life developments and achievements. The first is 'Te Kanohi i kitea' or the face that is seen. The CINZ team left their office in Auckland and visited Rotorua in person - to be seen by us.

Ko Te Atua te timatanga me te whakamutunga - they started and ended their hui with karakia providing sustenance for our wairua as well as our hinengaro. Speaking of the mind, they frequently asked us if we had any questions indicating they were here to serve us before concluding their hui by providing a small kai afterwards - sustenance for our bodies while allowing time for whanaungatanga.

In other words, their actions spoke louder than their words - just like the season of spring.

As we move into spring/summer and we visit or host people, we ought to remember the example that the people from CINZ showed us on their visit here. If their main role is to increase the New Zealand convention and meeting activity from domestic and international sources then they are leading by example, and summer is just around the corner. Nga mihi ki a koutou CINZ.

-Ngahihi o te ra Bidois is an international leadership speaker, VIP host, author, leader, husband and father. See www.ngahibidois.com for more.