NZ Recap – Autumn 2020

What a crazy time it is. Life in a bubble.

A time to reconnect with oneself and others, even without physical contact. A time to reevaluate, read, watch, learn and listen.

A time to respect a little more our healthcare and other essential workers. Unsung heroes.

A time to spare a thought for our leaders who have been bold, courageous and decisive. Faced with tough decisions, humanity and life over the economy, money and things. Undoubtedly, the long-term impact on people’s lives will play out for many years.

On the 23rd of March 2020 a State of Emergency was declared in New Zealand and 72 hours later we were hunkered down safe and snug in Alert 4 level lockdown. Full isolation. Amidst a rapidly evolving whirlwind of unprecedented events, wondering what just happened with Kenny Rodgers in the background on repeat.

We truly are lucky to have such a versatile industry and through all the challenges we adapt and evolve. We are all links in the chain and multi-unit developments and the shared spaces we live and breathe on a daily basis suddenly pose potential risks we all need to be aware of.

A huge learning curve and possibly the quickest transition to Body Corporate mum I personally have ever faced. Almost overnight people are depending on our ability to think clearly and make good decisions, on both a personal and business level. The normally challenging role of harvesting the knowledge of every possible tradie, lawyer and consultant evolved overnight into life coach, business coach, pandemic expert and of course Healthline. While no panacea, we have been able to monitor the situation as it continues to develop, our utmost priority being the wellbeing of our team, clients, suppliers and community.

Infrastructure is under pressure and emotions are running high. This has been challenging for everyone as we try and navigate our way around how to best help and support everyone in their bubble from our bubble!

Equally importantly, there is an urgent need for us to be able to give politicians a clear view of the challenges that the sector faces – and ideas about how to urgently make processes more streamlined and efficient, without undermining quality or consumer protection in a $40 billion industry. Challenges such as provisions for electronic meetings, voting and the ability to provide essential services from a bubble! Advocacy for the industry as a whole still at the forefront for SCA(NZ), albeit now with urgency.

The new SCA(NZ) Executive are of course disappointed to have had so many plans and efforts deferred, but in times of need have still managed to find the time to rally together that Kiwi spirit and support each other and the wider SCA(NZ) community. A heartfelt thank you to Adriana Radich, Clinton Baker, Elizabeth Bennie, Lisa Mak, Liza Fry-Irvine, Scott Cracknell, Thomas Gibbon and Wendy Baker.

A bigger surprise as we come up for air, is that it’s not all doom and gloom. While online meetings consume much of our days, and the challenges remain, there is an air of peace and tranquility with no need to rush hither or thither. Time. Precious time.

We all face some very big decisions as we think about life after lockdown.. On a personal level, this experience will have changed things forever, and at a business level, we have to think about how our teams, industry and our market has changed and how we best respond to that. It’s time to reevaluate the status quo.

For me personally this year has been a surreal rollercoaster. To wake up and realise 2020 seems to have be cancelled, or at best put on pause & the world is essentially closed until further notice. It is very likely life will never be the same after this, but I’m not sure that’s a bad thing. Things have certainly been put in perspective. Ctrl/Alt/ Delete, Iso reset.

When the lockdown is over, the need for an organisation such as SCA will be greater than ever. I suspect the way we do business will have changed forever and our Sector, as well as the wider Property Industry will need to start working closely with one another to ensure we plan and build communities

Kia Kaha,