Editor’s letter
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE between being in your happy place and being stuck in a rut? I’m not sure I know. According to perceived wisdom, ruts are not good but happy places are. One person’s valley of contentment could lead another to the slough of despondency. Mostly I feel like I’m on a slalom course and although I’m still upright, it’s not a well- negotiated run. Life pushes me onward to the gates through which I twist and turn haphazardly. At times I leave decisions too late and take out a pole. Other times I manage a tidy turn and fly on unimpeded. There is a bright side to a life-less- ordered; unpredictability can be beneficial to the brain (see Well & Good page 59). A ‘same- old, same- old’ everyday leads to ‘ruts’ in the grey matter but new challenges, requiring unexpected mental manoeuvres to navigate, develop neural pathways. The people you’ll meet in this issue have given those pathways a thorough workout with some launching different endeavours at an age when previous generations were retiring to tend their tomatoes. There’s courage in their stories, with many ‘going again’ into brave new worlds – pioneers in fresh territory. Our country’s food producers are among our most innovative businesspeople which is why we support the Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards – which this year received nearly 190 entries (results page 128). Supreme Champions Helen and Richard Dorrestyn (founders, owners and chief workers of Clevedon Buffalo Co), epitomize the courage needed to launch food products in today’s market. The only ruts in the Dorrestyns’ lives are those made by the hooves of their water buffalo, whose sweet milk they credit for the company’s success. After much research and a considerable appetite for risk, the Dorrestyns recently introduced a marinated buffalo feta to market – and it’s a champion, making the award judges moan in delight. Champion in the Earth category of the awards, Mike Kloeg of The Clareville Bakery and Café in the Wairarapa, got up at 4am on judging day, baked his sourdough miche, drove to Wellington where he boarded a flight to Auckland, and then Uber- ed to Mount Eden to deliver his fresh loaf to the panel. His story won my admiration and brought to mind the comment of a friend who, explaining why he enjoyed NZ Life & Leisure said, “The people you write about have stylish lives, yes sure, but they’ve all worked hard to get there. You ought to publish that on your covers: ‘ It’s been a bloody struggle to get here.’”