Toadies and some new stuff...

Catering is coming to Toadies

In another life I worked in the Business Improvement team for New Zealand Post Group. I was an administrator and training coordinator in those days, supporting Project Managers in data gathering and process mapping. Our job was to find inefficiencies and make improvement recommendations.

Later I worked in the Change Management team. This involved supporting Change Project Managers as they implemented change into a process.

These two area's of work have helped me in my own business. I do constantly look for ways to improve our processes. The key factor is, one problem should not be 'fixed' which creates a greater problem down the line. Which is why the whole end to end process must be mapped.

One of the processes we have been looking to improve for our guests is catering. Cooking can be a challenge for our larger groups. They are busy - often not getting back to the house until evening.

Helpful parent support is not what it used to be. Time and cost has led to many of our teams arriving with the minimal quota of staff and coaches allowed for travel. They are stretched.

We provide breakfast - tick
We do a uniform laundry service for teams - tick
We are now working on a catering partnership...nearly ready to tick.

I'm not ready to spill the beans on who we are collaborating with just yet. Talks have gone well so far and we look forward to progressing a catering package for our teams soon.

The risk for us....their scones might be better than mine...that will be hard to swallow!

Once a Toadie, always a Toadie!

came about in the good 'old days of international travellers staying for harvest at Toad Hall. The average stay was around three months to fill up their bank accounts before heading off to explore Aotearoa. Many returned to Toad Hall before leaving the country. When these Toadies returned, we would find them a bed.

 

I put a roll-out bed in the linen room once for a Toadie whom returned without warning.

We were full.

But no Toadie got turned away in those days.

We've met dozens of Toadies over the years.Two Americans, now married and living in Blenheim, met here at Toadies. The Scottish Sinatra, Our Canadian daughter.. And now our wine-makers from the Season of 2023.

The six wine makers we hosted for harvest, have completed their 12 week season. Over the past few weeks they have each made plans and hopped off. We have just one left. When guests stay in the house for this long, we get to know them. 

The Mother-Bear in me feels protective of them. 

They become Toadies.

Recently, four of our wine-makers went for a week-end trip to New Plymouth with the intent to do some hiking.

It was the weekend of the landslide on Mt Taranaki.

I messaged them all as soon as I saw the report.

'Tell me you are all safe and sound'

They were.

Not all Toadies are with us for a long time. Some come and go often and the bond is built that way. Like The High Society Swingers and The guy that works at the Port and The guy that runs demolition. Various sports coaches have returned with a new team each year.
It's different but the same.
Once a Toadie, always a Toadie.

Julia is a returned Toadie.

She is back in Aotearoa with a plan to become a resident Kiwi. Now living in Christchurch, Julia was able to come up for my birthday gathering.

We first met Julia as a fresh faced German backpacker 12 years ago. In those days the international backpackers we hosted for the harvest season were a great base for a gathering - and we had plenty of them.

Undies on the Outside - what was that?

Undies on the Outside was an easy dress-up event. Everyone had undies. Everyone wore them on the outside.

We had a race to the Cathedral Fountain and back. (approx 200m). Entrants had to hop, undies had to be dipped in the fountain, to prove you had gone the distance.

Our winners Roman and Julia got new knicker packs for their efforts.

Introducing...Lilly, the Lilac Dragon.

Lilly lives in my smart watch. A birthday gift from my brother and his wife. Very cool!

Lilly is going to help me train for the Hawkes Bay Marathon.

Originally scheduled for May, this event is now in August. 

This gives me 14 weeks to train for the Half Marathon event.

Along with training for the run, I will also be learning how to use the features Lilly has to offer. Given my cultural and intellectual relationship with technology, learning to run 21k again will be the easier of these two challenges.

Regardless of how much change we make, or how much we embrace new technology the essence of Toadies will always be in the people.

If you think hosting people comes without emotional tugs...you're wrong.

We care about our guests.

That will never change.

Even the ones that crash tackle rubbish bins and wake the neighbours.