Talking Takapuna

While it’s been an unusually hard few winter months, we’re so glad to see the sun again and see some warmer temperatures back in Takapuna. On behalf of all our local businesses – thank you to all of you that have been making the effort to support and shop local where possible. It is a tough time out there for businesses, but the community support being shown is making all the difference – so let’s keep it up! Treat yourself to your morning coffee from the café down the road. Forget fighting with your partner or kids over the leftovers for lunch – grab a sandwich or quiche from the place next door, or catch up with your long-lost friends for some after work drinks at your local establishment. You can also share your positive experiences on social media and review your favourite places online, you can recommend a store to your friends – or you can simply pass over a compliment or some encouraging words to a staff member when you’re making your purchase. There are many ways to support local during these times, and we thank you for all the ways you are.

As we welcome the warmer spring months into Takapuna, we also celebrate all things hospitality for the month of October! We’re giving you the chance to Dine & Win in Takapuna, with over $4,000 of dining prizes to give away when you support local during October. Simply spend $20 or more in any participating hospitality outlet in Takapuna, enter your transaction details on our website: ilovetakapuna.co.nz, and you’re in the draw to win! Visit our website for all the competition details, terms and conditions.
As spring turns into summer,  events start to cautiously come back to Takapuna – and if everything goes to plan, this summer might just be one of the best yet!
Repco Takapuna Rocks is again set for Labour weekend - Saturday 24th October. Featuring classic cars, hot rods, a vintage market, rock’n’roll entertainment and live music, this is a family fun day out not to be missed.
Before you know it, the spring days have flown by and it’s already time to start thinking about Christmas! The annual I Love Takapuna Christmas Carnival will be held Saturday, 5th December from 10am – 8pm at 38 Hurstmere Rd. The day will feature many kids' activities, entertainment and shows, as well as live music, food and drink, and of course, market stalls. This year, we are proud to be partnering with the team from the Market Collaborative to bring you a wonderfully curated, boutique market – the perfect place to pick up those special Christmas gifts! Check out the I Love Takapuna Christmas Carnival event page on Facebook or @takachristmascarnivalmarket on Instagram for all the event updates and information.
While we still may not be able to travel very far for our summer holidays, why not enjoy a summer staycation this year? The I Love Takapuna Summer Days Festival will be back on Saturday 23rd January and will be the perfect thing to keep your summer holidays going. Summer Days is a fun, family day out on Takapuna Beach, with games and things to keep the kids (big and small!) busy all day, then kick back and relax into the early evening with some live music and probably the best view in town. Keep an eye out on our social media channels and website for more details.
If you’re seeking an escape from the sun for a while, why not catch a movie at the newly renovated Monterey Lounge Cinema and treat yourself to their new food and drink menu! Or catch a show at the Bruce Mason Centre and treat yourself and your friends and family to a delicious meal in one of Takapuna’s fabulous eateries – try Regatta Bar and Eatery or Tokyo Bay for dinner with a view; Nanam for some fine dining Filipino cuisine; The Elephant Wrestler for some relaxed, family friendly dining and atmosphere; or Mexico for a fun family fiesta.
We’re looking forward to the new Gasometer carpark opening soon, boasting 420 new carparks. This will bump carparking in Takapuna to over 4,000 spaces! The perfect place for some weekend shopping, leisurely strolls, a brunch with friends – or all of the above. With the upgrade of Hurstmere Rd set to be completed mid-late next year, Takapuna really will be the best place to live, work and play.
Make sure you keep updated on the latest in Takapuna by following us on social media: @ilovetakapuna or signing up for our newsletters from our website (www.ilovetakapuna.co.nz). Dust off your jandals, apply that sunblock and see you in Takapuna! 



Business Profile Lydia Lovell, Zomer Cafe

Role & journey to Zomer: At Zomer I am the 2IC as well as the café baker so I am very proud to say all the food is made in store and always fresh!  I have also taken on the job of revamping the café, bringing a bit of freshness into the place. As for my journey to where I am now, it’s definitely been interesting. Previously I was working part time in my local supermarket over lockdown as I was made redundant from a small bakery business due to Covid.  Prior to that I was living in Berlin, Germany, for three years working in fabulous hotels and restaurants. I’m a self taught baker; I love the freedom and creativity of baking. For years I worked alongside my parents who owned a café in Warkworth. We started it with no idea what we were doing but we created an amazing café. Seeing the ins and outs of the business, the people and the atmosphere, it’s really a fast rewarding industry. 

How has Covid changed things for Zomer? Covid has changed our business as it has for everyone else. We’ve really had to adapt and be flexible in the way we work. It’s been a challenging time; we’ve had to go back to basics and flow with the restrictions. It’s also been a positive journey: we’ve taken the downtime to give Zomer a bit of love like a fresh lick of paint and make a few other changes to the place. It’s worth popping in for a coffee to see but there are still plenty more changes to come!

What are your tips for other hospitality businesses through this tough time? Best advice would be to take it as it comes. Obviously we can’t predict what’s ahead. Stay positive and keep doing what you’re doing because people will always come out of isolation for good coffee and comforting food! At Zomer, we’ve been taking it week by week and we’re always amazed by the turnover in this difficult time, thanks to our supportive community.

Zomer gives such a great service with a smile? How do you keep the team morale up and smile on everyone’s faces? At Zomer, we love knowing our customers leave feeling satisfied and full with our hearty meals. We’ve got our cabinet filled with the classics that take them back. We serve our coffee extra-hot with a chocolate fish that brings a smile to everyone’s face. And if you’re a regular, we’re probably already making your coffee as you walk in the door. As for team morale, we’re all very relaxed and enjoy a good giggle here and there, if not all day. Poor Saul, the manager, has to put up with almost an all girl team; it can be tough.

Tell us your favourite dish & what you have for lunch everyday? Favourite dish would have to be the big breakfast, a full English is always my go to! Can never be dissatisfied by sausage, bacon and eggs! For lunch every day, I go a little healthy and have the Thai chicken salad, full of flavour, to keep my tastebuds happy. Sometimes if I’m lucky, there will be one last date scone at the end of the day. 


Business Profile  Denise Bertaut, Crombie Lockwood

Please tell us about your role and journey to get there? On leaving school I worked for NZI in their Marine Department and then as a domestic insurance consultant in the old South British building in Shortland Street where most of our job was to serve clients from desks in reception.  From there I became the domestic manager working with the commercial and body corporate team.  As the insurance industry started changing I moved from NZI to working for an insurance broking company and eventually to working for Crombie Lockwood.

My role now is Group Broking Manager – Auckland North & Northern Personal Lines at Crombie Lockwood. This involves looking after 16 staff spread over four branches in the Takapuna, Whangarei, Kerikeri & Kaitaia regions. The most rewarding aspects of my role include mentoring the younger staff to help them develop their own career within the insurance industry, and ensuring that we continue to deliver outstanding client experiences for our clients.

How has Covid-19 changed the insurance world? Covid-19 has had major impact on the insurance industry and there is still a lot of uncertainty around its long term impact. Cover for infectious disease and pandemics is typically excluded from New Zealand policy wordings so while the direct impact to date at a local level has been muted, insurers are still facing a reduction in premium income, depleted investment income, and potentially increased reinsurance costs. The industry is largely considered an essential service so when lockdown came about it had to quickly adapt to redeploying its entire workforce to working from home and developing new ways to do business and keep in touch.

What are your tips for ensuring your clients have the right level of cover? For Personal Lines clients it’s all about getting the right advice by talking to your broker. All policies are not created equal so you need to know what you are buying to ensure that your assets and liability exposures are properly covered.  Making decisions based solely on price with no additional expert advice or discussion can often result in less or no cover when it matters the most. Generally speaking, insurance companies strive to settle all claims as quickly as they can when there is a valid claim against a policy. Therefore having the right cover in place from the outset is key to ensuring you get the right outcome when you do need to lodge a claim.

Crombie Lockwood has a fantastic team environment and culture – how do you achieve this? Working together as one team is one of the core values at Crombie Lockwood. Our core values determine how we approach our work and interact with each other at all levels, and are adopted by everyone in the company from our executive leadership team down. We work hard and we back each other, allowing everyone to have a voice and ensuring that their ideas and concerns are always heard.     

Tell us your favourite spot in Takapuna for a business meeting or catch up with a friend? My favourite spot in Takapuna would have to be Regatta. I love the vibrant atmosphere, the excellent service, and as I am a seafood lover it goes without saying – the food is superb.  When you put this all together in a location where you can sit with a great view across the most iconic beach on the North Shore – it doesn’t get much better than that.


Issue 114 October-November 2020