http://www.dennis.co.nz/latest-gossip Latest Gossip en-us Sun, 05 Sep 2010 22:12:54 GMT http://www.dennis.co.nz/latest-gossip/~d/2010-07-18/post/facebook-is-alive-and-well/id/215/

I've put it off for years. I had it but didn't work it, much if at all. I had other things more important but now on the other side of the world (well actually only fours hours by plance if you want to be honest) I am finding friends and acquaintances that I never spoke to back in New Zealand able and willing to chat again. I like this. It's kinda like I was too busy to be firnds in person but can still be "friends" remotely.

So . . . Facebook rocks. And of course I'll be putting updates on FB rather than in here. I'll flick links to various aspects of life back here as appropriate. I have a mix of business, religious and family tuned in to FB. It's nice to have a new challenge writing for a mixed audience.

Add yourself - I'll never say "No!" after all who wouldn't want to be friends? Actually one business contact didn't. I only use FB for family, not business friends she said. Ummm, I found you through one of your business friends? Guess some people are not friendly.

Anyway I'll be your friend if you want! You'll find me here

]]> Sun, 18 Jul 2010 00:15:18 GMT http://www.dennis.co.nz/latest-gossip/~d/2010-07-18/post/facebook-is-alive-and-well/id/215/ http://www.dennis.co.nz/latest-gossip/~d/2010-07-08/post/a-challenging-month/id/205/

According to the smiles on their faces and feedback from a variety of lonely men here who are already broken hearted missing them, they enjoyed their stay. A local guy Edwin Joseph [don't forget the von Kurt now] Schmidt, a.k.a. "Force" was their body guard and put them at ease amongst the wilds of other Samoan suitors. Measuring 6ft from top to bottom and 6ft 3" from shoulder to shoulder, with dark, deep-set eyes, this dude looks like a monster but he has a heart of gold. A great body guard who can scare even the Samoan men and easily benchpress those in his care will do me!

The whisper is that Force is the senior half of G-Force, a local rap band that was a hit in Samoa when they launched a year or two ago. Force is furiously knocking up an album in their recording studio. Photo of the recording studio above. Note the PS3 alongside of a home-made Bass speaker (drum attached to a smaller speaker!), and a broken notebook held together with a bush-knife/machete. Aparently their only microphone is attached to the earphones (Yup!). Hard life over here for music stars!

Mati, my off-sider for the last three months has gone. He got caught with his hand in the till and helping himself to a few things that weren't his (burglaries, breaking and entering actually). We might see him again in 7 years when he gets out. His girl Iva might also be spending a few lonely nights with other crims too. Sad really. Biting the hand that feeds you happens a bit over here. Dumb is a word that springs to mind quite often when I think about them. It's set me back a bit but has caused more nuisance value delaying things here rather than any real long-lasting damage. Mati will be a little embarrased now that he's visited every second village with me in both Upolu and Savaii. They're already asking me where he is. He might have an interesting life when he gets out with his deeds and nature known far and wide throughout the country.

We're currently waiting on the Minister of Tourism to give us a date to open The Airport Lounge - possibly early August, late July. TAL is looking good with Internet now installed, the Ninth Heaven bowls on display and our office taking shape.

We've done a couple of trips to Savaii and are setting up a training seminar for a few of the local attractions on value-adding. We will be offering our services (The SWAP Foundation) to help lift their Internet profile. Some of them will want to participate in our programme and we may look to invest into some of the more promising ones.

Samoa is a brutal country - the weather is a challenge, the culture is very different and a challenge to come to terms with, but there can be a great things here - as many Palagi have told me, you've just got to be very very careful. The last month has taught me this big-time!

Winter has kicked in here. It's a cold 25 degrees some nights and often doesn't climb past 30 in the day. Humidity is right down so it's quite comfortable living here. We struck an all-time low when travelling the cross-Island road late one night - 21 degrees outside at the top of the hill. I put the window down to actually feel it - the lowest since I got here and it was (comparatively) freezing - had to put the window back up quickly!

My, my this is different from my snowboarding days with a minus 5 degrees and 30 knot breeze making a wind-chill factor of minus 30 or similar!

Cheers!]]> Wed, 07 Jul 2010 19:46:07 GMT http://www.dennis.co.nz/latest-gossip/~d/2010-07-08/post/a-challenging-month/id/205/ http://www.dennis.co.nz/latest-gossip/~d/2010-05-29/post/9h-is-underway/id/191/

This little gem of a village is located at the end of the line - literally. You have to travel to the end of the Fagaloa Bay road and then up over a goat track with 4WD and you can get to their little village of less than 200 people.

They are well known for their bowl carving pedigree - generations in fact and are just keen to sell their bowls. Kitting out our shop has enabled me to buy at least one item from every family. Believe it or not we have visited EVERY house in the village in the last few weeks!

A big thanks are due to Tavita, Vinetta and Samita from the village who all want to help lift the value of these exquisite collectable items. We are hoping that the 9H brand will eventually become a great and well-recognised product internationally.

The SWAP-Mobile (Prado) has arrived at last - it took the team 1/2 hour to bust it - pusahing too many buttons at once we think!. A fuse took out the aircon, windows, dashboard but still left the DVD and radio system. All fixed now.

A recent trip to Matafaa was unsuccessful as the sea was up and the canoes couldn't get out there. It will wait.]]> Fri, 28 May 2010 19:19:45 GMT http://www.dennis.co.nz/latest-gossip/~d/2010-05-29/post/9h-is-underway/id/191/ http://www.dennis.co.nz/latest-gossip/~d/2010-05-15/post/airport-lounge-underway/id/189/

TAL is a prime-site on th emain road opposite the end of the Faleolo Airport from which I will be running the various touristy things I'm involved in. It gives me a little base from which I can run the Limo (if or when it can ever get approved for import), the bus and service any rental car businesses that wants to use us. It is essentially a 24/7 information centre with couches, movies, a small tourist shop and other services. Samoa doesn't really have anything out at the airport once you have checked out of your hotel. We aim to fill that gap as well as helping inbound tourism with bookings etc.

Ben has made progress on The Samoa Story DVD and Matt is slowly working through the PHP worklist after spending a week moaning and groaning with nigh on 100 tropical illnesses. Kylie has powered through the core content of the website and has now got real-life experiences for her section on health in Samoa. "Thanks Matt" she says!

I'm in-the-construction-groove" again so to speak with the local boys having erected walls around an existing 12m x 7m Fale and aircon and tiles to be done next week. The eight main poles are nicely carved now in Samoan style and the fitout will probably take a couple more weeks - hopefully in time to open when The Samoa Story is ready to roll.

All this of course is pending approval of the friendly Immigration Department who said their response to my application would take about 20 working days, about 20 working days ago.]]> Fri, 14 May 2010 19:12:56 GMT http://www.dennis.co.nz/latest-gossip/~d/2010-05-15/post/airport-lounge-underway/id/189/ http://www.dennis.co.nz/latest-gossip/~d/2010-04-30/post/savaii/id/181/

Standby for some stories of beaches, blowholes, turtles and waterfalls from the team next week!

Oscar the SWAP dog didn't make it through the night. Sad. At least he had have a dozen friends in his last week.

We've got our SWAP corporate uniform under way. Ben's going to puke that he'll have to wear a skirt and beads whenever he's got a camera in his hands but them's the breaks when you're shooting for SWAP in paradise - eh?

Our first meeting of next week is with Digicel talking technical. Then we'll talk about sponsorship if they can do what we want. SamoaTel didn't turn up to our meeting this week and hasn't contacted us. Typical Samoa! Digicel corporate colour is RED, mate. Like a fire engine. Like vodafone. It woiuldn't take much to rebrand ourselves RED, mate. Like a fire engine too. We'll see what eventuates but I wouldn't say no to letting Digicel being our primary sponsor and whacking a red logo on all our gears.

The weather over here is cooling off. Nights are still the best in terms of temperature but the days can even drop below 30 degrees. Sweet!]]> Thu, 29 Apr 2010 20:00:51 GMT http://www.dennis.co.nz/latest-gossip/~d/2010-04-30/post/savaii/id/181/ http://www.dennis.co.nz/latest-gossip/~d/2010-04-25/post/swap-team-going-strong/id/177/ SWAP team hard at work yesterday.

This is a job to die for, for these guys (and girls), and I guess, me. Travelling around Samoa meeting and greeting and enjoying these sorts of places - darn! Some of us have to do it I guess!

This shot was snapped at the most amazing fresh water water pool fed from a spring in a cave at Amaile.

Our rental car has now been changed. We can just squeeze five of us in. We're all looking forward to the arrival of the Prado SWAP-Mobile which should be in NZ by now and getting ready to come our way soon.

Our presentation to a few of the local chiefs, and others interested on Friday was a great kick-start to the business. We were honoured to have George Meredith and his wife Viva attend.

Work will power on now in lots of different departments - video photography for the DVD, PHP for the backend and content for the website. ]]> Sat, 24 Apr 2010 17:17:31 GMT http://www.dennis.co.nz/latest-gossip/~d/2010-04-25/post/swap-team-going-strong/id/177/ http://www.dennis.co.nz/latest-gossip/~d/2010-04-09/post/swap-hq-up-and-running/id/157/ Thu, 08 Apr 2010 21:24:29 GMT http://www.dennis.co.nz/latest-gossip/~d/2010-04-09/post/swap-hq-up-and-running/id/157/ http://www.dennis.co.nz/latest-gossip/~d/2010-03-13/post/exploring-opportunities/id/119/

Samoa is not an easy place to emmigrate to. A tourist is always welcome, but the Samoan people are highly resistant to change and are essentially suspicious of Palagi who do more than just come here as a tourist. I think that with a legacy of self-interest from the Germans from 1900 to 1919, through to the Kiwis until their independence, this caution is steeped in historical precedent and thus probably well justified. I don't begrudge that, even though it makes it a lot more difficult to do business here. As an ultra-creative entrepreneur, I do seem to specialise in doing the impossible at times!

With the people of Fusi Safata changing their mind, and therefore arrangements for building the first Honeycomb Resort falling through, I've been forced into a searching mode, spending most of my time seeking out investment opportunities (mainly based on land and land use) but also boats and the Internet.

Land ownership and use is a big thing over here. Samoan people have a deep association with land, particularly customary land, and their identity is strongly associated with the village from where they "came from". This is not so noticable from Samoans born overseas, but to those born in Samoa their village, within a clearly defined land boundary is large part of who they are. A Palagi using Customary Land for business or even philanthropic purposes is not an easy ask.

They say however that despite laws prohibiting offshore land ownership and Customary lands being effectively unavailable, anything can be done here if it is done the right way with the right people. I am learning patience and spending a lot of time visiting villages, talking to many people and absorbing the culture and the ways things are done here. I'm not yet a Samoan but may be be becoming like one in some ways. I think the fact that I appreciate relationships and work hard to build them means that I CAN actually work here with Samoans quite well.

I've looked at more than a dozen opportunities thus far, freehold land, village land, a boat business and of course the Internet. I have rented an old 3 brm house in Lotopa, just out of Apia (not the greatest of districts, but enough for a start) and we will do it up as a home, office and bunkhouse for visitors once my containers are off the wharf in a few weeks.

An Australian chippie Trevor MacKay has joined me for a recon visit. We've spent a lot of time checking out land, meeting people and thinking through the various options available to us. We're currently thinking that the Aleipata Region holds out good hope for establishing the first Honeycomb Resort. I am thinking that a boat would run quite well around the Malaela, Namua Island and wharf areas. Once the wharf is repaired and shipping between Samoa and American Samoa is restored, this area is likely to develop more than others. We have been talking with local MP George Meredith about these options and have built a good working relationship with him and his family.

Other options we have seen are a section with spectacular ocean and inland views in Vailele; bush settings on the Cross Island Road; and another we are looking at in Fagalo Bay where the people are known as the only wood carvers in the country. It will take time to settle on one project and location to start with but Samoa seems to have plenty of time!

Now that I have a business license I am starting to work on the SWAP (Samoan Web Ambassadors Programme) project in which we will bring overseas bloggers, Internet Marketers and others of influence into the country with the view to developing a UGC (User Generated Content) portal website. I've invited the local IT society (www.sits.ws) to be involved and will invite other local web developers to share in the project. We'll no doubt see who wants to step up to the plate over the next few weeks. I expect to be putting most of April and May into the portal website with a possible soft launch in early June 2010.]]> Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:25:33 GMT http://www.dennis.co.nz/latest-gossip/~d/2010-03-13/post/exploring-opportunities/id/119/ http://www.dennis.co.nz/latest-gossip/~d/2010-02-22/post/a-week-in-samoa/id/117/

Samoa is an interesting place. It has strong cultural aspects that constantly create in the Palagi (not just me by the way) a love-hate relationship. For a tourist it can be a delight to experience the big Samoan smile and a taste of the South Pacific magic. Yet this is often mixed with revolt at what is often called "poor service" and a land where it seems the people really actually don't care! I'm sure to talk more about this in due course in the Samoa Philosophy section of some website, so I'll leave excessive negatives for the moment.

Without going into a lot of detail, the detailed arrangements I made with the people of Fusi Safata were changed in my absence - they now don't want to have Palagi visitors and their leaders now wish to emigrate to New Zealand.

Bother! This required a very big adjustment of which I needed every hour of the full three days I seem to need to process life's biggies!

A million people here have told me what I already knew, that Samoans do this all the time. It is definitely a land of "Yes that never happens". While disappointing in some regards, and a pretty big challenge to my life flexibility and self-esteem, it opens other doors and opportunities here that wouldn't have opened previously.

Not having a specific village to work with in the short-term means that I will be looking to develop projects on freehold land until other rural village opportunities open up. Hopefully the government will be happy to extend me a visa and opportunities will arise.

I'll keep you posted as things develop.]]> Sun, 21 Feb 2010 21:29:10 GMT http://www.dennis.co.nz/latest-gossip/~d/2010-02-22/post/a-week-in-samoa/id/117/ http://www.dennis.co.nz/latest-gossip/~d/2010-02-12/post/farewell-drinks/id/115/ Thu, 11 Feb 2010 12:52:52 GMT http://www.dennis.co.nz/latest-gossip/~d/2010-02-12/post/farewell-drinks/id/115/ http://www.dennis.co.nz/latest-gossip/~d/2010-01-13/post/confirmed-travel-date/id/113/ TIDES tourism event.

Assuming that I have appropriate permits and approval I am currently aiming to get established in the month of March and be back fully online and available mid March onwards.

Some have asked if I am excited, or and others nervous. Yes and No. Emmigrating is a big call, but I am quite at peace with the move. There are definintely some interesting logistics (such as transporting gear, permits, new relationships and other things to work through) but I also have a lot of support from people in both countries that makes it quite easy.

I'm not really excited by the move to Samoa per se (I would actually be happy living in a shoebox on a deserted island if I had to!), but I am pretty excited at some of the things I plan to do - building hexagonal pods, helping the locals with tourism and webby things.]]> Tue, 12 Jan 2010 21:42:32 GMT http://www.dennis.co.nz/latest-gossip/~d/2010-01-13/post/confirmed-travel-date/id/113/ http://www.dennis.co.nz/latest-gossip/~d/2009-12-06/post/relocating-to-samoa/id/104/ for what I expect to be a long stay, assuming of course that the Samoan Government will let me in.

Having spent more time in Samoa over the last couple of months than in New Zealand, I'm now beginning to adjust to life in a foreign country - the tropics, no less. I will commute between the countries as necessary for business and family.

Current plans are to contract Go Kiwi Marketing sales and inductions to Rob Laidlaw, our top performing web development Agency, and I will move there in early February. I will establish the technical aspects of Go Kiwi Internet and the training for Go Kiwi Marketing in Samoa alonside me and intend to work to help lift the local Samoa developers game (I spoke to the Samoa IT Society the day before I left to return).

The family home is now on the market (actually this is the first time in 47 years) and the big move will happen shortly.

Relocating to another country is a big call, but the timing is right, with my children spreading their wings and a little spark of life still left in me! Another ten years and I'd be knocking retirement age and it might be a bit more difficult to change.

I'm going for a number of reasons. As always with me, the first thing is that I believe that the Lord has engineered the move, but there are also other reasons apart from the "God thing". I see quite a lot of business opportunity in Samoa. I know that with my skill-set and experience I can make a big difference for the country, utilising business creativity and my knowledge of the web and Internet Marketing. I have also befriended the Matai (chief) of a rural village family from Fusi Safata that has gradually become my adopted Samoan family (not sure whether I adopted them, or they adopted me, actually).

I will be establishing a Go Kiwi Internet Agency in February and developing some inbound tourism and marketing programmes. We are establishing a Charitable Trust that will assist the local people develop sustainable tourism businesses - under the name Eco Tours Samoa. I will also develop a portal for Samoa - it needs it badly. One of the fun things I want to do is take a limousine up there and use it to generate high quality inbound tourism. I call this the SWAP programme (Samoa Web Ambassadors Programme) where we want to bring in high powered Internet Marketers who can generate more traction to bring in Goodwill Investmentors, as well as more retail inbound tourism business.

I'll share more about Goodwill Investmentoring in due course but this concept involves investments from people who want to make a difference into the country/society that they are investing into. The big problem with most investment is that it is done on a for-profit basis. We usually invest into something for a financial return. Furthermore we often invest and rely on others to do the work and make a profit. Many times the investor has more expertise available than the people or country they are investing in. Far better to invest and mentor at the same time. Investing into an asset that still creates or retains value but at the same time helps another society to grow is a better (and in a Christian context, a more biblical/godly) long-term solution.

It's all going to be fun!]]> Sat, 05 Dec 2009 20:54:07 GMT http://www.dennis.co.nz/latest-gossip/~d/2009-12-06/post/relocating-to-samoa/id/104/ http://www.dennis.co.nz/latest-gossip/~d/2009-11-30/post/a-month-in-samoa/id/102/

I have been working with the local village chief (Matai) and his family to build a tourism business they will call Eco Tours Samoa. They are located in a little town called Fusi Safata (the district is Safata, the village is Fusi, pronounced with a short "U" not "Foosie").

Talk about a challenge! I'll blog a lot more about the experience over time (which was a mixture of spiritual revelation, business opportunity and forging good friendships) but imagine this:

• No running water. Push start an old Toyota ute and drive 2km to the neighbouring village with eight 20 litre buckets to fill from a friends town water supply - the tap is low pressure and sometimes can push water 2m to an overhead tap/shower, sometimes it can't so you shower local style by scooping water from the bucket with a bowl.
• Gasoline is a two hour bus trip away. Take a 20 litre plastic (water) container with you on the bus for two hours into Apia. Fill it with $30.00 worth of gas (NZD $15.00) which will last you one week or less if you have to share it with extended family. After you return (another 2 hours on the bus) you will put the plastic container behind the passenger's seat (that is fastened to the floor with only one loose bolt!) and then insert the plastic hose that goes directly to the carb.
• You can't afford $2.00 for a roll of toilet paper or $1.90 for a cake of soap so you have to borrow from extended family until you can sell some Taro at the markets.
• Work the morning in the plantation - a one hour walk or a 10 minute ride in the ute if it is working or has gas. Return with a couple of baskets of Taro to sell at the markets. A good day will get you $200.00 ($100.00 NZD) but the price has fallen recently so this may be as low as $100.00. Don't forget the two hour bus ride there and back.
• Sleep on a thin coconut leaf woven mat on the concrete floor in a Fale (house) with no walls.
• Spend the night swatting mosquitos and the day swatting flies.
• Cook on an open fire using coconut shells and husks as fuel.
• The air temperature is around 30 degrees Celcius. Any office with air conditioning set at 24 degrees feels like a fridge!
• Go to church on Sunday (get fined if you don't) and pay your tithe (compulsory).

I will be relocating to Samoa on 16th February 2010, and will commute as needed to run the various businesses in both countries. I will be helping establish the pilot tourism operation (Eco-Tours), establishing a not-for-profit timeshare (once again a pilot for Samoan villages to adopt), develop a Samoan web portal, assisting with a new locally run Go Kiwi Internet agency and developing S.W.A.P. (The Samoan Web Ambassadors Programme) a project to encourage key web marketers to come to Samoa and promote Samoan tourism and what I call goodwill investment (semi-commercial investment designed to leave the bulk of the profits in Samoa. Most historical investment thus far has been foreign investment that has effectively stripped/raped the country).

Samoa is a land of contrasts. I find it a challenge doing business and living there but business is all about people, and I understand the culture and get on well with the local people. Apart from the challenge and my belief that it is my destiny to be there at the moment, my interest in Samoa is primarily to establish not-for-profit operations that help the local people tap into the enormous international goodwill that exists toward Samoa post-Tsunami, although of course I need to do some commercial business to make a living.

I'll share more about how we are making this all happen in due course.]]> Sun, 29 Nov 2009 19:38:18 GMT http://www.dennis.co.nz/latest-gossip/~d/2009-11-30/post/a-month-in-samoa/id/102/ http://www.dennis.co.nz/latest-gossip/~d/2009-11-23/post/in-samoa/id/100/

I am back on Monday 28th November.]]> Sun, 22 Nov 2009 12:13:11 GMT http://www.dennis.co.nz/latest-gossip/~d/2009-11-23/post/in-samoa/id/100/ http://www.dennis.co.nz/latest-gossip/~d/2009-10-18/post/samoas-really-got-it/id/96/

We slipped out of AKL to Apia via Tonga a week after the Tsunami hit them. As with Fiji, you're immediately hit by the heat the moment the door to the plane opens. You stand by the fan in the baggage collection room listening to the Samoans singing "Fai Fai Lemu" a song that typifies Samoa (take it easy) while you wait and wait and wait for the local baggage handlers to it seems, casually wander back from the plane with your baggage. Don't expect much action over there from a population that seems to make a pasttime out of sitting, has to be the slowest walking nation on earth, and a speed limit of 40km per hour (and they keep to it too). Hey, this place is actually quite loveable!

Our baggage was loaded into the transfer minibus through the window - well why not, I guess? Four hundred judder bars and an hour later, and we arrived at our budget accommodation an old "hotel" room inhabited by a 4cm cockroach, louvre windows and one solitary ceiling fan. The next morning we hastened to upgrade to a relatively luxurious airconditioned unit next door.

We really had to take a taxi into Apia even though you could walk it in 5 mins on the map because the reality of the constant 30 degree heat necessitates a vehicle. Apia seems to have more police per square kilometre than New York and the traffic jams, heat from the concrete, buildings and "village" atmosphere of the central business hub was mesmerising. The TV3 boys were staying at the same hotel, and were on the last legs of a 10 day stay in Samoa, and so we hung out with some of their team for a while. An evacuation from Apia after an earthquake in Vanuatu was also a way to kill another day. Nobody bothered to return to work so the whole city town closed down for the afternoon! No such thing as "rush back to work" after it was over. Actually the word "rush" doesn't translate into Samoan at all. It's a foreign concept to them.

Getting a phone book, cellphone SIM card, cash, setting up business meetings and catching up with Greg from SPBD took a day or two and a day in the field with the micro-finance organisation he set up in Samoa 10 years ago. He's doing good work up there. I attended meetings with UN people, NGOs, government officials and local business people which was all kinda fun - a different holiday for us both because of the Tsunami issues but really good nonetheless.

Getting out to the South coast where the Tsunami hit was interesting. It's not a total devastation for everyone up there but certainly some serious damage to things in the low-lying areas in the South East like the beachfronts. We met a local family from Fusi by stopping to play volley-ball with the children. They took us out on dugout canoes to the island that saved their village from the Tsunami and climbed a coconut tree, caught a couple of coconut crabs, and generally mucked about with us for a day. The family "adopted" us and we've now got a Samoan "family" up there if we ever manage to return. A rich Palagi visitor was a source of importance for this local Matai (chief) and his extended family.

They killed a pig and cooked it for us because I said I loved roast pork (Rost Poa'a in Samoan). Taro, coconut, other root crops and leaves all ended up tasting quite nice actually once you got used to the difference. It was really strange eating dinner in front of 20 odd people watching us finish before they started theirs. Fortunately after they called us their Samoan family we insisted that they ate with us.

Cellphones are everywhere but forget the Internet. Dial-up is $WST40.00 per hour and wholesale bandwith charges, while dropping shortly with deregulation, are astronimical. Anything outside of Apia is pretty much a joke.

We passed through ground zero and saw the cleanup underway. We spent a few days in the top island Savaii staying at ex-pat Kiwi Trevor Stevenson's resort (Stevenson's at Manase) and tiki-touring our way around the island before racing back to Apia to meet with the Dep. PM and others and then get on home to Godzone.

Samoa's definintely got "it" if you want a new experience. The people are lovely and genuine. The tropical bush, coconut trees and banana palms, resorts, activities and beaches are all great. It's an emerging third world country so the construction standards and infrastructure are not up to that of the Bahamas or the Gold Coast but they've done a lot in the last few years and are committed to keeping on that investment.

Before you go give yourself a "Shall I go to Samoa" test. Get into some jandals. Put on an open neck short sleeve shirt. Wrap a small cotton sheet around your waist (like a towel). Walk out to your car at the slowest amble that you can manage (without walking backwards or standing still). Imagine that you are now sweating in the heat of the day then very slowly accelerate to 40km an hour and maintain that speed for just 60 seconds before you slow down to avoid a pig, chicken, dog or people on the road before you accelerate back up to 40kph. If that turns you off and you couldn't handle it for a week or so, then stay home. Samoa's not for you.

If you think you can handle it, Talofa Lava. You're bound to love it.]]> Sat, 17 Oct 2009 21:43:08 GMT http://www.dennis.co.nz/latest-gossip/~d/2009-10-18/post/samoas-really-got-it/id/96/ http://www.dennis.co.nz/latest-gossip/~d/2009-09-23/post/tofa-nz-talofa-samoa/id/86/ Tue, 22 Sep 2009 21:33:47 GMT http://www.dennis.co.nz/latest-gossip/~d/2009-09-23/post/tofa-nz-talofa-samoa/id/86/ http://www.dennis.co.nz/latest-gossip/~d/2009-09-23/post/synomosia-has-arrived/id/84/ Synomosia!

Synomosia is Greek for a conspiracy, generally a derogative "put-down" of political skullduggery of likeminded groups, parties or cartels.

Of course this is a perfect description of many of the powerplays undertaken in the world today.

Don't you just love the intellect and social skills of those Greeks? Put their influence together with Roman might, with Jewish genius and cunning . . . mix in the technology of the Western world and you'd probably have something getting pretty close to a New World Order.]]> Tue, 22 Sep 2009 21:21:58 GMT http://www.dennis.co.nz/latest-gossip/~d/2009-09-23/post/synomosia-has-arrived/id/84/ http://www.dennis.co.nz/latest-gossip/~d/2009-08-19/post/the-time-has-finally-come/id/73/ PA.

It had to come sooner or later. It'll be an interesting job for the right person - managing ultra creativity is a challenge but for someone capable and with a bit of maturity it will likely be a real opportunity to shine. I look forward to getting a few things going better once they have got their teeth into it. Spread the word if you know of someone special on the Shore.]]> Tue, 18 Aug 2009 21:08:09 GMT http://www.dennis.co.nz/latest-gossip/~d/2009-08-19/post/the-time-has-finally-come/id/73/ http://www.dennis.co.nz/latest-gossip/~d/2009-08-10/post/speaking-at-etourism-conference/id/71/ eTourism Conference 1st/2nd October, 2009 in Wellington. Organiser Lea Boodee picked up the Internet UNMASKED!! book and has invited WDANZ to have a stand. Good work Lea, past attendees have got a real buzz from the webthoughtleadership training materials.]]> Sun, 09 Aug 2009 13:34:49 GMT http://www.dennis.co.nz/latest-gossip/~d/2009-08-10/post/speaking-at-etourism-conference/id/71/ http://www.dennis.co.nz/latest-gossip/~d/2009-08-02/post/christchurch-franchise-show/id/61/ Seminar and Workshop training for business. I'm presenting the same content to a large bunch of business people on the Friday arranged by our new Christchurch web design Agent.

Go Kiwi Internet is at the WDANZ stand at the Business Opportunities and Franchise expo on Friday 14th - 16th August at Auckland. I'll be presenting the same Seminar on all three days and have offered to fill in doing the SEO Seminar in the case of illness of other speakers.]]> Sat, 01 Aug 2009 23:04:49 GMT http://www.dennis.co.nz/latest-gossip/~d/2009-08-02/post/christchurch-franchise-show/id/61/ http://www.dennis.co.nz/latest-gossip/~d/2009-06-04/post/rent-a-dent-conference/id/42/

It's nice to have a repeat invitation as this means it's likely that we've done something right for them in the last year or so.

The rental car business is a highly competitive industry and like all others involved in tourism these guys have been hurting with the downturn. Go Kiwi Internet gave their web presence a big tickle-up and this seems to have helped them claw their way back up to their rightful place in the Search Engine rankings.

I will be sharing big picture stuff on what makes the grade on the Internet nowadays (fresh, meaningful and unique content) with plenty of link-juice. There will be an element of motivational stuff mixed in with a few stern words, along the lines of "Come-on guys, you gotta take responsibility for your own backlinks, and marketing efforts!".

I look forward to it all.]]> Wed, 03 Jun 2009 22:15:10 GMT http://www.dennis.co.nz/latest-gossip/~d/2009-06-04/post/rent-a-dent-conference/id/42/ http://www.dennis.co.nz/latest-gossip/~d/2009-05-20/post/bad-boys-face-their-music/id/41/ Brendan Battles and bankrupt 2Talk reseller Mike Hart. I can confirm that both these dudes are definitely under investigation by the appropriate authories.

The long arm of the law was bound to catch up with these guys in the end and while it's sad that people will go down as a result, if they've done the crime, they should do the time.

I'm not saying that they are both guilty, although I do believe this to be the case to me, but I AM saying that they ARE both being investigated. It's interesting the power of blogging too. In both instances this blog has created interest, and in one case will likely be used as an initial statement in court!]]> Tue, 19 May 2009 22:18:16 GMT http://www.dennis.co.nz/latest-gossip/~d/2009-05-20/post/bad-boys-face-their-music/id/41/ http://www.dennis.co.nz/latest-gossip/~d/2009-04-20/post/monday-20th-april/id/35/
The new PDB Product Database Module is working well. This Module will be used by a small percentage of clients but it has a big impact on the Go Kiwi Internet offerings and is quite powerful.

Two new Go Kiwi Internet Agencies about to kick into gear are looking strong - Justin and Greg are getting into it now . . . announcements will be forthcoming on the GKI website in the next week or two.

The Lipstick on a Pig manuscript, cover and layup are now fully complete with the internal illustrations 75% complete. I'm just waiting on the Foreword now and it can go to print. John Massam from Challenge Weekly will most likely be the printer.]]> Sun, 19 Apr 2009 14:57:31 GMT http://www.dennis.co.nz/latest-gossip/~d/2009-04-20/post/monday-20th-april/id/35/ http://www.dennis.co.nz/latest-gossip/~d/2009-03-22/post/word-has-it/id/131/

Indiana Jones Bus aka Initiana Konese Bus
The Samoa Story - everything Samoa
Honeycomb Resorts - Samoa Accommodation
and a whole bunch of generics:
Samoa Accomodation
Samoa Accommodation
thespiritofwisdom.com
spirit-of-wisdom.com
Samoa Car Rentals
Accommodation Samoa
car rental samoam
car rentals samoa
hotels samoa
village stay samoa
samoa village stays
resort samoa
resorts samoa
green samoa
eco samoa
samoa lawyers
samoa bus

samoa helicopters
samoa fishing
samoa diving
samoa surfing
samoa taxis
samoa water sports
maps samoa
samoa sport
samoa weather
travel samoa
samoa cruises
samoa news
samoa education
surfing-samoa.com
samoalodges.com
samoatransport.com
samoaschools.com
samoagovernment.com
samoadirectory.com
samoachurches.com
weathersamoa.com
samoalodging.com
samoatraveltourism.com
samoacruise.com
samoatourismtravel.com
samoaadventures.com
adventuresamoa.com
samoatripadvisor.com
samoaguides.com
watersportssamoa.com
divingsamoa.com
fishingsamoa.com
tripadvisorsamoa.com
watersportsamoa.com
hotels-samoa.com
samoaexperience.com
experiencesamoa.com
samoacanoehire.com
experience-samoa.com
theninthheaven.com
samoaaccomodation.com
the-ninth-heaven.com
samoa-accomodation.com
samoatraveldeals.com
spirit-of-wisdom.com
samoahostels.com
samoa-backpackers.com
samoa-business.com
samoa-tsunami.com
samoa-timeshare.com
samoa-art.com
samoa-weddings.com
samoa-hostels.com
samoa-music.com
samoa-beaches.com
samoa-entertainment.com
samoa-travel-deals.com
samoa-vacations.com
]]> Sat, 21 Mar 2009 22:41:40 GMT http://www.dennis.co.nz/latest-gossip/~d/2009-03-22/post/word-has-it/id/131/ http://www.dennis.co.nz/latest-gossip/~d/2009-03-12/post/thursday-12-march/id/31/
After more than 10 years working from a home office and having five or six people through my office door and commandeering my lounge, it will be a change for us all. The down side of course is that we have more rent expenses, but the team will have easier parking and a more suitable work environment for a business in growth mode.

I've also been preparing the business for Agencies nationwide. The investment in time and resources in what is effectively franching, is not insignificant. John Jones has undertaken the role of Business Development Manager and has moderate targets that should be easily achievable. I look forward to taking the business to the next level over the rest of 2009.

Thanks for the support and feedback over the Conspiracy Corner. A variety of people have expressed interest in my comments. As a result of your feedback I am now motivated to write more and develop a handy resource. While some people have theological or religious perspectives on BIG BROTHER, others have a political or business focus. It reminds me of the blind people who are all feeling an elephant and arguing over what it looks like. The guy with the tail reports something different to the guy checking out his legs and again different to the guy who has a hand on the elephant's trunk.

I think I have a good "big picture" view of the beast, and look forward to painting a good word picture in the Conspiracy Corner. ]]> Wed, 11 Mar 2009 19:57:57 GMT http://www.dennis.co.nz/latest-gossip/~d/2009-03-12/post/thursday-12-march/id/31/