As we pass the two week mark of the COVID19 lockdown, I thought I’d give a quick update on what I’ve been up to. The short version - working.
I’m very fortunate to be employed at a company that has been deemed an essential service (under legislation and through registration with MPI). We provide food safety and assurance services to the primary industries and our team is working hard to support these critical industries. I take pride in working for an organisation that’s ensuring that the food we eat is safe, well produced and in good supply.
I’m on our Business Continuity team at work, made up of the CEO and full Executive team along with key representatives from across the business. We’ve been meeting for months and our plans were well advanced before they had to be enacted. This work is a natural fit with my work as the board secretary (writing papers, minutes and chasing actions) and in business improvement. Plenty of new challenges and opportunities as the situation evolves. This has been keeping me very busy, everyday and some weekends. As we start to settle into the new normal, the workload is settling down too into a new regular pattern.
Like many kiwis, I’ve been working from home for the past few weeks. It might be weird for an Aucklander to say, but I miss my daily commute. The time on public transport and the walk was a nice separation from work, and good for my physical and mental health. Too easy to take work home, when work is literally at home. But we adjust and adapt. I’m fortunate to have a small home office (previously used for my campaigns) where I can base myself and create a little separation but it’s still been a big adjustment. We’ve gotten used to remote working, to sharing and collaboration through technology.
We had a family video conference on Sunday, which was equal parts chaos and wonderful. I haven’t seen my whānau for a few weeks and it was great to spend some time together (even if it was through a screen). My five siblings, their families and our parents made for a rowdy time - just like real meetups! Outside of this we’re keeping in close contact, with our WhatsApp group busy with updates and a healthy dose of memes.
I’ve ventured out to the supermarket when necessary and want to make special thank you to the front line workers who are operating under some very difficult circumstances. As someone who works alongside essential workers, I have some idea of the additional stresses that this lockdown is placing on them and their families. Friends of mine have a daughter working at a supermarket and she wrote a good piece for the RNZ - check it out if you want a honest insight.
Otherwise I’ve been staying at home, following the rules and trying to avoid the panic. With work keeping me busy, I haven’t had too much time to stress the little issues or get distracted with the absurd political tribalism that is definitely alive and well. It will definitely be an interesting election come September (one I’m glad to be sitting out).
I hope everyone is keeping well, listening to the official advice and staying safe.
From my bubble to yours, take care!