NZ Herald - Plus Feature March 2021

Tuesday, March 23, 2021

AGEISM

The last “ism” after racism and sexism p6

THE FUTURE OF

TRAVEL

Will it ever be the same after Covid-19? p4-5

THE DATING GAME How single seniors are taking to online dating p8-9

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Common sense for your dollars and cents New rules around financial advice came into play this month. The Financial Markets Authority explains the changes and why they are good news for everyday New Zealanders.

‘M

aking money is a common sense. But unfortunately, when it comes to money, common sense is uncommon,’ wrote Robert Kiyosaki, probably the world’s best-known personal finance guru.

That’s why many Kiwis — unsure what to do when faced with financial decisions such as health insurance, retirement planning or structuring a mortgage — consult a financial adviser.

So there’s good news for thousands of New Zealanders: the rules governing financial advisers have been updated to improve the quality of advice and offer better protection for the public.

Overseen by the Financial Markets Authority (FMA), the rules are designed to ensure greater consistency and transparency for both advisers and their clients.

They include a new code of professional conduct, setting industry-wide standards and requiring advisers to put the client’s interests first and act with integrity.

They affect all types of financial advisers, including investment, insurance and mortgage advisers.

Advice around KiwiSaver, health insurance cover and most other areas of financial health are also covered.

Under the code that now applies

to everyone giving financial advice, they are required to: • Treat you fairly • Act with integrity • Give suitable financial advice • Ensure you understand the advice • Protect your information • Keep their competence, knowledge and skill up to date.

Advisers must now make information like fees, commissions and any conflicts of interest clear at the outset. They must disclose how they are paid, what companies and products they represent, and whether that affects their recommendations.

The new law aims to make it simpler for people accessing financial advice and covers digital advice, such as chatbots or automated exchanges on financial websites.

All advisers must operate under a financial advice provider licensed by the FMA and registered on the Companies Office’s Financial Services Provider Register (FSPR). People looking to consult an adviser are encouraged to check the individual or their company is registered on the FSPR website.

The FMA website has everything you need to know about finding, choosing and working with a financial adviser.

See www.fma.govt.nz.

The FSPR website is: www.fsp-register. companiesoffice.govt.nz

Clive recommends using a financial adviser / Photo supplied

Many New Zealanders use financial advisers to plan for their future / photo supplied

A GOOD FINANCIAL ADVISER IS THE RIGHT PLACE TO START Who should consult a financial adviser? Anybody and everybody, according to Clive. The British Army veteran, wife Kathy and two sons emigrated to Tauranga in 2009. Clive tells their story: We were living in rental properties and eventually saved enough to get a deposit on a property. It wasn’t the property we wanted to live in so we rented it and a few years down the line used the equity to gain some leverage into our own property.

So we had a couple of properties but we were aware we hadn’t organised the home loans as neatly as we could, and we didn’t feel we were optimising our situation.

We decided to find a financial adviser. She assessed our situation and went to work with us to get our money to work for us. She moved everything to one bank and structured things much more simply.

The qualities we were looking for in an adviser were a wealth of experience; we liked that she is straight-talking – she doesn’t sugar-coat things and you want that when you’re seeking financial advice.

She’s not judgemental — anyone wanting financial advice doesn’t want to be judged.

She’s not pushy — if we go to her and say, this is what we want to do or, we want to release certain money, she’ll very quickly give us the pros and cons. Once we’ve made the decision, she’ll help us put a plan in place.

With the global effects of Covid-19 on investments, we were unsure whether we were in the right KiwiSaver plan. Our adviser didn’t feel she had the full skill-set to advise us so she put us in touch with another adviser. Kathy and I have re-organised our KiwiSaver to make sure we’re optimising our money in the current climate.

From our experience with seeking an adviser’s help, and through changing situations over the past five years, I’d recommend anybody and everybody to seek similar advice.

WHY YOU NEED A ‘MONEY COACH’ ON YOUR TEAM Think of a financial adviser as your “money coach”, says John Botica, the FMA’s director of market engagement. “They can help you identify your financial choices and goals, to prepare you for the future.”

The FMA is responsible for regulating the activities and enforcing laws covering the financial markets, including financial advisers.

Botica says people may benefit

from financial advice when facing important decisions, such as wanting to invest, getting a mortgage or planning for their long-term future.

Research conducted by Financial Advice New Zealand in its “Trust in Advice” report last year found 55.3 per cent of Kiwis who received financial advice say they feel extremely secure for their future, compared to just 38.9 per cent of those who have not received financial advice.

Just over 50 per cent of Kiwis who’ve used an adviser say they are at least reasonably prepared for retirement, compared to 26.4 per cent of those who’ve not been advised.

Financial advisers offer a professional perspective which can be helpful when making decisions, says Botica.

“You might be nearing retirement or about to buy a home, and advisers can help you think about things to consider. They can point out things you may not be aware of,” he says.

Botica says an adviser will look at your individual situation and help you understand what’s right for you and what different choices might bring.

“They should ask questions to understand your goals and needs, and speak to you in a language you understand.”

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nzherald.co.nz | The New Zealand Herald | Tuesday, March 23, 2021

PLUS CONTENTS

P6 The last

frontier: How Covid-19 has brought ageism into focus in the workplace

P4-5 How travel

will change - what we can expect by 2028

P8-9

Online dating: The big way over-50s have embraced the internet

P10

Sarah O’Neil’s gardening tips

DAMIEN VENUTO Digital Business Editor

P10 Some coyotes have two legs

FRAN O'SULLIVAN

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WILL TRAVEL EVER BE THE SAME AGAIN? It’s supposed to take seven years for travel to recover from Covid-19 but, as Ewan McDonald discovers, the future of travel is unlikely to look like its past.

“F

LIGHT 123 is now ready for boarding at Gate 45. Please have your boarding pass, passport and Covid-19 vaccination documentation ready for inspection.”

“Good grief,” says a woman in the queue.

“We’ve had the jab for five years now. When are they going to stop this nonsense?”

“Who knows?” says her partner.

“Remember how long Security confiscated our water bottles after 9-11?”

With vaccine jabs beginning worldwide, many hope the pandemic’s end is in sight.

But Bloomberg calculates it will take seven years to get back to life without masks, social distancing, Zoom parties and shuttered borders.

So, what might this departing couple’s overseas trip look like in 2028?

Some of the new tech is here. Avalon Airport, Melbourne, has unveiled a vision of future flying, when travellers return.

CT security screening means electronics and liquids stay in your bag rather than each passenger unloading laptops, tablets or phones at the X-ray machine. That eliminates public “touch points” and crowding.

Check-in screens and bag drops are touchless. Passengers can scan in and out of the terminal, like our QR codes, for contact-tracing if necessary.

In the plane, seatback pockets will disappear: safety cards and menus will be on-screen, orders via phone, cashless payments only.

Ditto digital toilets to manage queues, and ultraviolet lights to disinfect germs after each visit.

Air New Zealand and others are trialling a passenger “vaccine passport” and pre-flight health verification apps. That could go further: airlines may monitor passengers’ health and vital signs.

“Like FitBit can track your sleep, an airline will be able to track your temperature, for example. You may well not have one when you board the aircraft, but you could develop one in-flight and the airline will be able to detect that and take the appropriate steps before landing,” predicts Elenium Automation CEO Aaron Hornlimann, who created the Avalon site.

The elephant in the room – not talking about a 15-day African safari – is, how many air and cruise lines will still be afloat and how will a more cynical world feel about mass tourism in seven years?

Up in the air On March 1, 2020, more than 2 million people were flying in the US every day.

One month later, fewer than 100,000 went through airports each day. Airlines for America (A4A), a trade group, calculated that last happened in 1954.

That will give some idea of the – gosh, can’t say crash landing – dramatic reduction in air traffic. Coronavirus has wiped out tens of thousands of jobs and billions in revenue. A4A estimates nearly 17,000 airliners were grounded at the pandemic’s peak; nearly 20 per cent of US fleets were in long-term storage at October

25, 2020. Due to obsolescence, wear and tear, most will never fly again.

Companies brought to the brink, or collapsed, include Virgin Australia and Virgin Atlantic, Flybe, South African Airways, LATAM and Avianca.

IATA, the international aviation body, predicts passenger numbers will return to pre-pandemic levels in 2023; others cite 2024 or 2025.

Meanwhile carriers will have to invest in climate change plans, buying carbon offsets or funding research.

European governments have imposed environmental reforms as conditions of bailouts. Air France has been warned it can’t fly domestic routes if there’s a railway alternative.

By 2028 expect more airlines to go out of business or be bought by bigger carriers.

Airlines will have smaller fleets and smaller planes, single-aisle jets flying A to B rather than the old hub-and-spoke model that saw Kiwis flying through Dubai or Singapore to Europe. No one will want to hang around in gigantic airports for a connecting flight or layover. Our national carrier will likely be a sleeker, slimmer domestic and regional carrier.

All at sea The Turkish port of Aliaga never featured in glossy cruise-line brochures but it’s become one of the most-visited destinations in the past year: it’s where cruise ships go to die.

Some 34 ships were sold or scrapped in the first six months of the pandemic,

almost 10 per cent of the global fleet. Many lines went bankrupt; Norwegian, one of the biggest, was on the verge of bankruptcy until rescued by a $2b loan.

Pre-Covid, cruising was the golden – no, platinum; no, titanium – child of global tourism. Some 30 million passengers cruised in 2019, a $US150m industry ordering gigantic new ships like Big Macs.

Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian, 70 per cent of the industry’s fleet, are facing multiple court cases from people who lost relatives and crew in the first wave. Carnival faces US and Australian investigations for allowing infected passengers to disembark.

The Miami Herald reports just 82 people are thought to have died from coronavirus caught on cruise ships and executives say their industry has been unfairly tarnished.

Bailouts? Unlikely. Cruise lines are mostly registered in tax havens such as Panama and the Bahamas, not endearing them to US or EU authorities.

Apart from coronavirus fears, campaigners have long claimed cruise ships litter the environment with noxious discharge and damage habitats. Others criticise labour practices. Those practices face greater scrutiny.

What does cruising look like in 2028?

Unlikely we’ll see ships like Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas, five times the size of Titanic. Cruise Addict reports 88 per cent of readers would not be deterred because of coronavirus and more than half have booked a new cruise since

the pandemic began. But it’ll be hard to persuade newbies to come aboard.

Green lands The biggest enemy the travel industry will face over the next decade is: itself, and its success.

Simon Upton, our commissioner for the environment, has just filed a major report insisting the planet demands tourism be re-engineered, and he’s not alone among global experts.

Upton proposes a departure tax on flights leaving New Zealand, ring-fenced for research into lower-emission aviation fuel and aiding Pacific nations at severe risk of climate change.

He wants much stricter conditions on government funding to develop tourism that meets locals’ and manawhenua wishes and requires infrastructure to pass high environmental standards. That includes concern about “over-tourism”.

To protect “wildness and natural quiet” in conservation areas, he favours limiting activities and capping visitor numbers.

You knew it was coming: stricter rules on self-contained freedom camping vehicles.

AUT professor Michael Lueck is disappointed Upton’s report didn’t address cruise ships.

“Time and again research has shown that this type of tourism causes a plethora of social and environmental problems, and there is an urgent need to reduce vessel size and the number of visits to ports in Aotearoa New Zealand.”

The UN Sustainable Development Group suggests a frequent flyer levy, incentives for domestic tourism, restrictions on flight advertising, no more airport expansions in high-income countries and better alternatives to aviation.

Globally, Susanne Becken, sustainable tourism professor at the Gold Coast’s Griffith University, favours more shortdistance travel; conservation levies (hattip to Aotearoa); travellers donating time, money or expertise to environmental restoration; businesses that “give back” such as Himalaya trekkers buying and carrying solar panels to villages.

“Tourism brings many economic, social and cultural benefits. But it’s time the industry seriously reconsiders its business model, and overall purpose in a post-pandemic world. Unfortunately, there’s little evidence that global tourism is looking to transform.”

Premium economies You’d probably have a better chance of winning Lotto than getting travel insurance these days. You’d probably need to win Lotto to pay the premium.

AUT Law School lecturer Christopher Whitehead canvassed the issue of travel insurance in pandemic times in a LawNews interview, noting the point of insurance is to pay a benefit if an uncertain event happens.

“So, if the customer catches Covid-19, that is uncertain. When [insurers] say ‘we can’t pay for this’, [what they really mean is] ‘we don’t want to’ or ‘if we do, it’s going to be too expensive’.”

The customer isn’t always front and centre in the insurer’s mind, says Whitehead, who questions the doctrine that people need to read the policy and ensure it meets their needs.

“I don’t know how anybody could know what their needs are in advance,” he

says. “Comparing two policies is almost impossible. They can be very similar but you can write a whole thesis on how they are different.”

Standard policy forms would prevent some of the ‘ordeal by insurance’ many suffered after the Christchurch earthquakes. Insurers would have to price in risks they weren’t normally inclined to cover.

“The Financial Markets Authority could say ‘you need to have Covid cover in it’.

The government and insurers can work together to make it happen.” Insurers would then compete on price and service, he says.

Getting down to business Remember travel agency c’mon ads for flight and hotel packages in Vegas, Fiji, Bali?

The industry’s secret was that it wasn’t really the vacationer they hunted: the big

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game was the truly frequent flyers and conventioneers.

Jeff Pelletier of Dallas-based Airline Data estimates business travellers made up 12-15 per cent of passengers. Sitting up front, they contributed 75 per cent of profit on some routes.

They are gone, probably never to return, according to Scott Gillespie, whose tClara consultancy advises Fortune 500 firms, major American airlines and the US government.

He cites working from home – “if you don’t need to go to the office to work, why do you need to travel?”; virtual meetings – “if you can meet virtually, why do you need to travel?”; and sustainability – “business travellers and their employers will increasingly factor a trip’s impact on our climate into their travel decisions.”

Compelling reasons, Gillespie says, for a CFO to bounce any request for businessrelated travel.

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nzherald.co.nz | The New Zealand Herald | Tuesday, March 23, 2021

ARE OLDER KIWIS FACING A FUTURE OF LONG-TERM ‘WORKLESSNESS’?

Ageism is one of the last “isms” to be confronted but, as Ross Barrett reports, there may yet be light at the end of the tunnel.

Many older Kiwis are now finding the Covid-19 pandemic is making their plight worse when it comes to securing or keeping jobs.

Ian Fraser, a recruitment executive who operates employment website Seniors@ work, for those aged 55 and over, says he fears for the future job prospects of older people: “These age-groups have always struggled to find jobs compared to younger people and, because of Covid, it won’t get any easier.”

He says figures released by Stats NZ (for the period to September 30, 2020) prove the point: These show the number of people aged 55 and over wanting to work who are either unemployed or underemployed rose from 57,000 in June to almost 61,000 three months later.

“This represents 16 per cent of all people of those ages who are available for work,” he says. “Because of Covid ,they are now competing for jobs with a much bigger pool of people – many of whom are Kiwis returning from overseas and likely to be younger people with more appeal to employers than older age groups.”

Fraser, who also runs a Facebook page with links to businesses, says he has “door-

knocked” hundreds of employers seeking to fill vacancies on behalf of his clients or to secure job listings.

“I can assure you, getting a response has been very challenging. I would say my ‘hit’ rate where a company invites me to meet them, accepts a listing - or merely acknowledges my request - would be somewhere between 10 and 30 per cent… which I think is pretty low.

“I fear for older people because ageism is right up there with other biases (in the job market) such as race and gender.”

But he says it is important older people remain positive: “Unemployment in general is lower than first feared (Stats NZ data put it at 4.9 per cent to the end of December) and while Covid-19 knocked my listings around, I’m now back to the numbers I had before the pandemic struck – so I feel we have re-gained some momentum.”

The plight of older workers in the age of Covid was highlighted last year in a study conducted by the Commission for Financial Capability (CFFC). In a survey of 500 companies, 65 per cent agreed older Kiwi workers can face barriers to being

hired because of age, even though they are capable of doing the work.

At the time these findings were released, retirement commissioner and CFFC head Jane Wrightson said the next five or 10 years “are going to be tricky” and acknowledged that ageism is one of the last “isms” to be tackled.

Internationally, the outlook is also bleak. In the UK the Centre for Ageing Better says Covid-19 has triggered a labour market crisis and could result in many older workers slipping into “long-term worklessness”.

Research conducted on behalf of the centre found the number of older workers on unemployment benefits in the UK has doubled as a result of the pandemic, rising from 304,000 last March to 588,000 by June.

“Just one in three (35 per cent) of over-50s who lose their job return to work quickly, compared to two in three (63 per cent) of workers aged 25-34,” the research found.

“Over-50s who are unemployed are twice as likely as younger workers to have been out of work for over a year.”

In New Zealand, the issue is likely to impact on more people in the future.

Already CFFC figures show a third of our workers are aged 55 and over, while we have one of the highest rates of people aged 65 and over still working – at 24 per cent. This compares to the UK (10 per cent),

Australia (12 per cent) and the USA (19 per cent).

Fraser says the main driver for people continuing to work longer is, sadly, financial. “A lot of people simply have to keep working, others want the social interaction work can bring while some are looking to keep their brains active.”

“There are jobs tailor-made for older age-groups. I recently had someone looking for the voices of older people to use in podcasts and he was inundated with people who sent in voice recordings.

“Covid-19 has created a shortage in seasonal workers in horticulture and I’ve contacted orchards and other operators for example,” he says. “It involves hard work but even here there are roles within the industry suitable for those 50 and over.

“There are other ways older New Zealanders can enhance their job prospects,” he says. “Many employers tell me people can brush up their CVs – they say too many are not up to scratch and often include far too much detail.”

But, he says, older people bring knowledge, experience, life skills and a good work ethic to any workplace.

He believes it is a myth they are off sick more often or that they can’t handle new technology.

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nzherald.co.nz | The New Zealand Herald | Tuesday, March 23, 2021

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WHERE TO FIND 33,000 POTENTIAL LOVE MATCHES Online dating is a modern phenomenon but, as Joanna Mathers reports, it has spread happily to the ranks of senior citizens.

David Boyle, 75, is looking at a picture of a 65-year-old woman on an online dating site. She is extending a middle finger to the camera in the well-known but impolite digital gesture.

She is sitting in a bar and is fairly obviously a hard case – but Boyle is not interested: “Here’s an example of what not to post as your personal photo,” he chuckles.

After losing a partner of many decades, Boyle (who lives in the Tauranga region) has decided to seek love online. He’s not alone: “There are literally thousands of people on these sites. You really can be as picky as you want.”

Widowed, divorced, long-time single– whatever the status, 50-pluses are

discovering the potential of online dating.

A Pew research survey from the United States established that 13 per cent of people aged 65 and over had used online dating services; given the size of the States, that’s a big number.

In New Zealand there are a range of companies catering exclusively to older Kiwis: Single50plus, Olderdatingonline, and Olderdatingcompany all have New Zealand websites. Findsomeone and Tinder also enable you to select an age range, but these aren’t dedicated sites for older people.

Boyle says websites like Older Dating Company are invaluable and thinks online is the best way for people his age to connect with others: “Older people

don’t tend to spend time socialising, apart from at places like RSA’s and Senior Citizens clubs. These clubs are not set up to provide suitable introductions to eligible members of the opposite sex.”

Although he has only been online dating a short time, he’s already been approached by a very wide range of people: “I received an approach from a 38-year-old looking to have a family and a 100 year-old looking for a long-term relationship.”

Those at the coalface are seeing the uptake in interest first-hand. David Cliff is the owner and founder of UK-based Older Dating Company. He says there’s been a paradigm shift in the years he’s been working in the dating industry.

“I started back in 2006. I can vouch for how much attitudes and the willingness to try online dating has changed.”

He believes social stigma associated with saying, ‘I found my partner online’, are now long gone: “Today online dating is highly accepted and in many markets is one of, if not the most popular ways to meet a new partner.”

Cliff attributes the rise in online dating for singles to the fact people are living longer, staying single longer, having more partners in life and divorcing later. He believes online dating provides a less intimidating forum for older people to meet someone new.

“The days of hanging around in bars in your 20s are a distant memory,” he says.

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nzherald.co.nz | The New Zealand Herald | Tuesday, March 23, 2021

Older Dating Company has sites in Australia, USA, Canada, Ireland and South Africa, alongside the New Zealand site – only members with IP addresses based in New Zealand can join.

“This deliberate ‘country exclusivity’ positioning importantly keeps the membership local and relevant to that country. We find this is important and what our members like and want from a dating site,” he explains.

With 33,000 members in New Zealand, it has a significant database of potential matches – but finding humans behind the walls of technology that cocoon online dating apps requires a Herculean effort.

Cliff was located after a month of to-ing and fro-ing and there seems no easy way to contact the site if things go wrong.

However Cliff claims they are committed to keeping their members safe: “We take the security of our members very seriously. In the unlikely event that any member has a bad experience on the site then, once we are made aware, this will be escalated, investigated and the correct actions taken to resolve the situation to the members’ satisfaction.”

Boyle says that it’s important to maintain certain standards online and that some behaviour can be off-putting.

“Bad photography on the members’ profile pages or someone expressing a rude gesture [is offputting]. Some photos are

withheld so it’s very difficult to determine if you wish to meet up with that person.”

Although he’s only met one person in real life (IRL) so far, he believes maturity takes the edge off the dating experience. He didn’t find the experience embarrassing or awkward: “We were both mature people and had no problem relating to each one’s experiences. I have had 75 years of experience dealing with people and having been brought up with good manners, have no problems.”

Experience and manners are oldfashioned words, maybe, but something older people are likely to bring to the dating experience.

That view is supported by etiquette experts De Brett’s who published a guide to online dating for over-50s in 2018. Often the advice encourages silver surfers to ditch the habits they picked up in their youth in favour of a more easy-going approach - first date kisses included:

• De Brett’s advise publishing a representative photograph no more than a year old, including a full-length body shot and a closer portrait. The profile description should be neither overly self-deprecating nor self-promoting.

• Women can now take the initiative in online dating.

• Keep the first message light-hearted and brief, and make it personal: mentioning something you particularly like about a person’s profile will show that you’re singling them out. Don’t be creepy, though: no come-ons or innuendo.

• Be open-minded. Don’t dismiss somebody because you can’t stand their outfit.

• On the first date, revolve it around shared interests. It’s more relaxing to get to know each other while indulging in a shared interest. Avoid anywhere too extravagant or expensive: big spending might make the date feel uncomfortable.

• As for who pays, whoever issued the invitation should expect to pick up the bill though some might prefer to alternate rounds if just meeting for drinks.

If your date insists on paying, accept graciously and promise to reciprocate next time.

• “Treat them mean, keep them keen,” might have been applicable once but a strategic delay isn’t always required - or desired - in the high-speed world of modern dating. A friendly text message or email within 24 hours will reassure the other person that you’d like to keep the conversation going…but don’t overdo it.

• After three or more dates, you might have a sense of whether or not you would like to make it exclusive – taking yourselves off the market, maybe forming the first stage of a relationship. If that’s the case, don’t be afraid to initiate the conversation.

• Be open about children and ex-spouses but take your time before you introduce family members to a new partner. It’s wise to wait until you have agreed to make things exclusive.

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nzherald.co.nz | The New Zealand Herald | Tuesday, March 23, 2021

HOW TO ENJOY THE COLOURS OF SPRING

GOOD GUY WITH BAD ATTITUDE DOES GOOD

Gardener, writer and blogger Sarah O’Neil says spring bulbs can bring out the best in our gardens.

T

he fading days of summer are always bittersweet as, of all the seasons, summer is the one we all look forward to, with its glorious blue sky days and temperatures we can truly bask in as we enjoy all the holidays that are dotted throughout the season.

With its demise, all we can do is cling to our memories of warmer days and look forward to a time when the casual frivolity of the season returns.

The end of summer in the garden brings with it similar feelings of sadness – knowing the lush fruitfulness is also coming to an end. As crops and flowers finish up and are removed or cropped back, there is a hint of the bleakness ahead as the soil becomes bare and perennials thin out.

The bountiful beauty of a luscious and plentiful garden will return again but, for the most part, the coming seasons are the quiet seasons, when the garden requires little attention or effort and the weather has the gardener preferring the warm and coziness of the indoors.

However, now is the time you can give yourself something to look forward to as we wait out the cold days ahead.

Autumn is the best time to plant bulbs for spring colour and spring fragrance.

There are plenty to choose from to bring the delayed gratification of bold flowers in the still chilly conditions of late winter and early spring – and there is something for everyone.

Daffodils: These come in a range of colours across the yellow spectrum, in all shapes and sizes with frilly petal arrangements or a simpler style. Some are big and bold and others small and delicate.

For fragrance, some really pack a punch and others barely smell at all. To make them look natural in the garden or across the lawn, throw them out where you want them to be and plant them where they land.

Tulips: These bring a profusion of colours to the spring season after months of gloom.

You can have a fabulous display across spring with early, mid-, and late-season varieties. Tulip bulbs often need to be put in the fridge to stimulate a winter chill if you don’t get a good one in your garden.

Get some early, so they get a good ‘cold season’ before planting.

Hyacinth: This has an unmistakable aroma that can herald the start of spring.

The great thing about hyacinths is they can be grown indoors and ‘forced’, so they can bloom much earlier than they do outside

in the garden – just the thing to brighten a gloomy winter day.

However, do take care and wear gloves when handling hyacinth bulbs as they can be an irritant.

Freesia: Another delight to plant now for gorgeous spring colours and a wonderful uplifting sweet fragrance. They make great cut flowers to bring the joy of spring indoors. Technically, these aren’t bulbs but corms that use all their energy in one season. However they leave behind the next generation of corms to continue to produce beautiful blooms year after year.

Ranunculus: Also not a bulb but worth a mention as the spring flowers are delightful with their many layers of tissue-like petals in bold and pastel colours, often referred to as “the rose of spring”. They are also a corm that comes shaped like a claw – but from the strange-looking start comes the most amazing blooms which make great cut flowers.

All these spring bulbs can do well in the garden or in containers for magnificent displays, just when we need it the most.

This is just a small sample of the spring flowers that can be started now in autumn.

Plant some today and fill your cool seasons with the hope of a bright and cheerful new growing season to come.

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Mexico border-drugs misadventure misses a chance for greater understanding.

B

en Clemens is an unusual TV drama protagonist, even for an antihero.

The lead character in Coyote, he is short, rotund, bald – and not just bald but very bald, with a dome like the Sistine Chapel minus decoration – an archconservative upholder of the law who goes rogue in order to protect his estranged family.

Okay, Ben (played by Michael Chiklis; first season on TVNZ On Demand) might be a tad unusual as a leading man by Hollywood and TV standards but he has taken a route increasingly well-trodden in modern drama: the upstanding man with black-and-white principles, forced to compromise those principles and, by doing so, shines a light on some of the difficulties faced by those for whom he was a considerable menace.

Not that Chiklis’ character is particularly empathetic, though you can see his longheld philosophy and respect for the rule of law weakening as he comes to understand more about those he used to police.

A coyote is Mexican border slang for a person who is paid to ferry illegal immigrants across the border and – although there is no mention of it – Donald Trump’s infamous wall. Clemens is a reluctantly retiring member of the US Border Patrol, adept at detecting and arresting illegal immigrants.

He’s reluctant because retirement means life in an empty flat; he lives alone, an estranged wife has re-married and he is only a sometimes dad to his daughter. So far, so formula. But when he heads down to Mexico to help finish the house being built by a former Border Patrol partner, he becomes embroiled in a crime/drugs cartel’s machinations. That is more modern drama schtick – the anti-hero tough guy on the side of the law who is turned against that

law, usually to defend his family. That was exactly the basis of the plot of Your Honour, another compelling TV drama recently finished on Soho but still available on Neon, starring Bryan Cranston as a New Orleans judge battling to save his son not only from the law but, even more urgently, a vengeful crime boss.

Cranston, of course, was the infamous Walter White in Breaking Bad – and Coyote’s links to that acclaimed show are set by Michelle McLaren, much-decorated director of Breaking Bad over four years and who directed the first two, suspenseful episodes of Coyote.

It is a suspenseful show and hard-hitting, though mostly in a shock-the-viewer kind of way rather than coming to any formative conclusion about the Mexico/border/coyote politico-social issues.

There was an opportunity for this show to delve deeper into all that but it may have been affected by the Covid-19inspired decision to shorten the series from 10 episodes to six. What we are left is compelling, yes, but the characterisation (and not just Clemens’) falls short of allowing us to do what the show probably meant us to experience: walking a mile in someone else’s shoes.

It’s all-action and stressful and is worth a watch, but while we see the moral dilemmas that Clemens now faces – usually encapsulated in flashbacks to his old, nasty Border Patrol self – we don’t really get to see how it has affected him.

In other words, he does the right thing but, other than the obvious, we’re not quite sure why. For those of us in a place like New Zealand, more exploration of the social and political pressures that go into a common land border might have been interesting… but we might have to wait until series two, if there is one. – Paul Lewis

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nzherald.co.nz | The New Zealand Herald | Tuesday, March 23, 2021

“Our lifestyle has never been better!”

“We’re so glad we didn’t wait till we got older to move in and enjoy the Tamahere Country Club lifestyle. It has such a community of vibrant people having fun, socialising and looking out for each other in a beautiful, secure environment. We ride the adjacent bike trails together and enjoy the local cafés. It’s a perfect base for our motorhoming but actually, with our spacious entertainer’s house and top-notch village facilities, every day’s a staycation!”

Colleen & William McGrory Residents since September 2020

For sales enquiries call Sandy Turner on 0800 82 62 43 or visit our website tamaherecountryclub.co.nz

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nzherald.co.nz | The New Zealand Herald | Tuesday, March 23, 2021

JOIN US AT OUR

OPEN DAY

WEDS 24TH MARCH 10AM  3PM

RETIRE IN STYLE WITH CAPITAL GAIN Here’s your opportunity to experience the new standard in retirement living.

At our Open Day you’re free to look around at your own pace and discover all the reasons why you have so much more to gain at a Karaka Pines Village.

Homes here are generously sized and beautifully built. The kitchens are spacious, which is great for when your family and friends visit, and the fittings are top quality.

And if you love being outdoors you’ll see that many homes here have their own gardens – that you can tend, or we can look after for you.

But what really sets Karaka Pines Villages apart is value for money. Our management fees are significantly lower than average, and you’ll also benefit from any capital gain in your property. We think that’s only fair, don’t you?

Ask us about the difference capital gain could make to the value of your investment if you decide to sell.

Drop in for refreshments at either Drury or Hamilton, take a look at our brand new show homes and see how good your retirement lifestyle could be.

Just follow the flags to find us.

KARAKA LIFESTYLE ESTATE | 329 BREMNER ROAD, DRURY | CHRISTINA 027 208 9515 ROTOTUNA | 75 HARE PUKE DRIVE, FLAGSTAFF, HAMILTON |AYREN 021 621 377 Karaka Pines Villages in Auckland |Rototuna |Hamilton | Tauranga |Rotorua |Christchurch

IF YOU CAN’T MAKE OUR OPEN DAY, OUR JUST COMPLETED SHOWHOMES ARE ALSO OPEN TO VIEW MONFRI 9AM4PM OR CALL FOR A PRIVATE TOUR

karakapines.co.nz