When I look at New Zealand functioning on a daily basis, it strikes me as nothing more than a minor miracle in action. There are – give or take – about 4.4 million of us knocking around the various islands that make up the nation and of this merry band about 500,000 are enjoying retirement, a further 900,000 are under working age, 285,000 are currently between jobs and 7,000 are experiencing a temporary loss of liberty at the pleasure of our judicial system.
Employing some very basic man maths, this leaves 2,708,000 people to ensure that everything requires doing in the 268,670 square kilometres of Aotearoa gets done. And the miracle is that – once Auckland’s trains are taken out of the equation – by and large, it works.
The farming community maintains a strong enough breeding programme to see we don’t fall short of milk and beef, enough people learn to wear suits to fill the corridors of Wellington, multiple generations of baristas keep Jafaland in lattés and there are still enough Kiwi grafters are left over to ensure the important stuff – cleaning streets, maintaining utilities, automotive journalism and so forth – gets done.
The countdown for petrol has begun
But there are some areas where it is always good to have a little help from time to time and one of these is Chartered Accountancy. Thanks to more people needing boxes ticked at certain times of year, the current Mrs Grimley’s firm – and I suspect others like it – fly in support staff from the various corners of the globe to pick up our bean counting shortfall.
The latest – a pair of South Africa’s finest which have been trained to answer to the names ‘Albertus’ and ‘Claire’ – arrived seven months ago and slotted rather neatly into our lives. In our short time together we’ve had numerous days out, a romantic weekend on Great Barrier Island and even managed to share the joys of the Rugby World Cup. And now they’re going.
My life has been made so much richer by my new friends that I’d simply convinced myself that they would be around forever. And the sudden, crushing realisation that this is not going to be the case is shaping to leave a hole that, until the old miracle healer Time works his magic, will be a huge scar on my landscape. Read the rest of this entry »
occasion Car and SUV got reacquainted with the 2011 Land Cruiser Prado to check out the latest deals and rediscover exactly what makes this model line off roading royalty.
increasing in popularity in this country so Kia is hedging its bets with a single model offering; the well equipped EX. Does this Korean cruiser have the mechanical package to back up its striking looks? After a week piloting the 2011 Optima, Car and SUV thinks so – here are the reasons why.
four-door sedan and three-door sports hatch following next year.
sedan named the Fluence. While the Megane is pegged to be the volume seller, it’s booted brother the Fluence has been given the tough task of pulling its weight in a market segment that’s recently become more dynamic and much more competitive. Can this Euro four-door trouble more established foes like the Mazda3 and Holden Cruze? Renault wants to find out and gave Car and SUV a test drive in the Fluence for a taster of French motoring in Aotearoa.
The Mk 3 Focus will arrive in NZ with two body styles, a five-door hatchback and a sleek four-door sedan. Expect a wagon version to arrive in March next year.
vehicle that must be reliable and practical like our much-loved Corolla or Hilux. But on closer inspection this Toyota seems different, it appears strangely familiar but clearly favours form over function, it’s bulky and flashy and we just don’t know. Toyota has certainly thrown the NZ market a curveball with its FJ Cruiser. In an attempt to avoid mass confusion, Car and SUV had some seat time in this distinctive off roader and brought back the results.
diesel-powered pioneering sibling. This new Yeti is a full $10k cheaper and while it offers slightly less than the diesel model, its practicality and driver-friendly nature are shared. Car and SUV was very impressed during its first Yeti encounter last year and again after a fresh sighting of the new-to-NZ petrol model. Now we can answer the questions of curious kiwi motorists.