What a crazy time it is. Life in a bubble.
A time to reconnect with oneself and others, even without physical contact. A time to re-evaluate, read, watch, learn and listen.
A time to respect a little more our healthcare and other essential workers. Unsung heroes.
A time to spare a thought for our leaders who have been bold, courageous and decisive. Faced with tough decisions, humanity and life over the economy, money and things. Undoubtedly, the long-term impact on people’s lives – will play out for many years.
On the 23rd of March 2020 a State of Emergency was declared in New Zealand and 72 hours later we were hunkered down safe and snug in Alert 4 level lockdown. Full isolation. Amidst a rapidly evolving whirlwind of unprecedented events, wondering what just happened with Kenny Rodgers in the background on repeat.
If you are a client you will be receiving our emails, and if not, check here regularly as we continue to monitor developments. There are a number of valuable resources online, and we encourage you to also monitor & review these regularly.
To access the Ministry of Health’s website please click HERE for the latest information from the medical experts.
In particular we are delighted to see advice for Apartment living has now been provided as follows:
‘All New Zealanders must follow the rules for the government’s Alert Level 4.
This means everyone must stay home for four weeks. It may be longer if COVID-19 is not under control. You must stay in your current living arrangements, including in apartments, except for ‘essential’ workers. You can leave your apartment to exercise, but you must stay local and within your ‘bubble’. Find out more about the Alert Levels.
People living in apartments face some challenges due to shared facilities, so it is important to follow the rules.
Your apartment and those in it are considered your ‘bubble’. This does not include your entire apartment building and means nobody else from it should enter your apartment. If someone living in your apartment building is delivering essential services to you, such as groceries or a prescription, they must leave them at your apartment door.
Communal facilities, such as lounge areas, pools and gyms should now be closed.
Make every effort to stay two metres away from other people living in your building. This means not being in the lift with anybody outside of your bubble or passing things between balconies.
This is likely a difficult time for many people within your apartment building. Do practice a spirit of manaakitanga and show care for other residents. You can do this by calling older residents or people who live alone. It’s okay to talk to your neighbours from the balcony for a short period of time, so long as you stay two metres apart.
Remember good hygiene practices are an important way to avoid COVID-19. See more information about how to protect yourself and others, and how to access Healthline advice if you feel unwell.
Information is also available to look after your mental health and wellbeing, with details of who to talk to if you’re struggling.’
At SCA(NZ), we have also developed best practise guidelines for our members.
We will continue to work closely with industry bodies & government on strategies, initiatives and best practice to keep multi-unit Communities safe and update you in due course.
We truly are lucky to have such a versatile industry and through all the challenges we adapt and evolve. We are all links in the chain and multi-unit developments and the shared spaces we live and breathe on a daily basis suddenly pose potential risks we all need to be aware of.
A huge learning curve & possibly the quickest transition to Body Corporate mum I personally have ever faced. Almost overnight people are depending on our ability to think clearly and make good decisions, on both a personal and business level. The normally challenging role of harvesting the knowledge of every possible tradie, lawyer and consultant evolved overnight into life coach, business coach, pandemic expert and of course Healthline. While no panacea, we have been able to monitor the situation as it continues to develop, our utmost priority being the wellbeing of our team, clients, suppliers and community. I literally had to point a client in the right direction for a rash on his leg last week, assuring him it wasn’t my understanding of a Covid-19 symptom! Never a dull moment!
Infrastructure is under pressure and emotions are running high. This has been challenging for everyone as we try and navigate our way around how to best help and support everyone in their bubble from our bubble!
Both Governance and Practical problem-solving stat! From tears as people feel like pariahs in their own homes while self-isolating under Alert levels 2 and 3 to residents calling the police about someone using a complex pool, security at deserted commercial and retail complexes vulnerable as businesses shut down, complaints about sweaty gym bunnies using common stairwells to exercise, to absolute pillars of humanity using community communication tools to offer to get groceries for others, and that was day 1!
A humble reminder of the need to act reasonably and consider carefully practical solutions to ensure harmony in these challenging times.
Equally importantly, there is an urgent need for us to be able to give politicians a clear view of the challenges that the sector faces – and ideas about how to urgently make processes more streamlined and efficient, without undermining quality or consumer protection in a $40billion industry. Challenges such as provisions for electronic meetings, voting and the ability to provide essential services from a bubble! Advocacy for the industry as a whole still at the forefront for SCA(NZ), albeit now with urgency.
A bigger surprise as we come up for air, is that it’s not all doom and gloom. While online meetings consume much of our days, and the challenges remain, there is an air of peace and tranquillity with no need to rush hither or thither. Time. Precious time.
The even bigger challenge for all of us is that the virus is a crisis which dominates our headspace. The news, the statistics and the unknown.
There are over 500,000 business enterprises in New Zealand. The Chamber of Commerce released survey figures yesterday that indicated 30% of businesses would not make it through the global pandemic. 47% are continuing to operate in lockdown conditions but have had to significantly change how they do business.
Popping the bubble with grace. A major mind shift.
We all face some very big decisions as we think about life after lockdown, perhaps as big or bigger than any we have ever faced. On a personal level, this experience will have changed things forever, and at a business level, we have to think about how our teams, industry and our market has changed and how we best respond to that. It’s time to re-evaluate the status quo.
As always, as President of SCA(NZ), the comradery of the wider international association community has been an invaluable relationship for experience, knowledge sharing and support. Video Conferences with International representatives and the SCA Council to ensure we are all doing our very best to support colleagues, clients, and each other. Presenting alongside NSW President Chris Duggan this week was an opportune time to reflect on how we got to here and share our learnings in such a short space of time. Being prepared to expect the unexpected.
For me personally this year has been a surreal rollercoaster. To wake up and realise 2020 seems to have be cancelled, or at best put on pause & the world is essentially closed until further notice. It is very likely life will never be the same after this, but I’m not sure that’s a bad thing. Things have certainly been put in perspective. Ctrl/Alt/Delete, Iso reset.
We are very fortunate that a significant portion of our workforce already work remotely, meaning we are on hand to support clients worldwide as the situation develops.
Again, these are challenging & unprecedented times and require understanding, tolerance and kindness for everyone. We urge you to follow the governments guidelines & stay safe. We are in this together and the team will be working from isolation to continue to both assist & support you where we can.
When the lockdown is over, I suspect the way we do business will have changed forever and our Sector, as well as the wider Property Industry will need to start working closely with one another to ensure we plan and build communities that meet human needs and are resilient, safe and affordable.
Kia Kaha,
Joanne Barreto
Director, Property 101 Group
