ED SAID - The Equation of Change

When I was younger – much younger – it seemed things with which I became familiar had been around forever: Watties baked beans, Hugh Wrights menswear, the New Zealand Herald, Aunt Daisy on radio. I recall feeling a tad miffed when Watties modernised their baked bean label. It just wasn’t the same anymore and took time to get used to yet though it changed, it basically stayed the same.

New Zealand was known as the ‘40 hour, quarter acre pavlova paradise’ by the rest of the world but nowadays those forty hours may be shared between two or three workers whose time is divided between several pre-schoolers. The quarter acre has now been subdivided into three lots each supporting four home units and the pavlova is under threat of being claimed by the Aussies.

Generally speaking it’s just a re-arrangement and, in the New Year that’s what we’re doing with The Focus. Initially the current production days suited us when our individual circumstances were different though largely relating to staff working from home while taking care of toddlers.

Seven years down the track and those toddlers are closing in on Intermediate and Secondary School. Where we accepted having to work weekends, those weekends are now chock full of sports and other activities which may even extend to three or  four day missions bringing into play the ‘square peg, round hole’ equation – thus an eight hour working day might not begin until 9pm.

Delivery of the paper is not a perfect science. Some deliverers sit on them until all weeklys or fortnightlies have arrived then deliver in one big and often ugly bundle. While this is understandable to a degree it sometimes means that The Focus we deliver to a depot on a Thursday may not get to letterboxes until the following Tuesday or even later by which time it is ‘last week’s paper.’

So, from our first 2013 issue, we will be working, to some normality, Monday to Friday. The Focus will be sent to print PM on Friday ready for delivery to outlets on Monday rather than the current Thursday. Those on rural delivery should then receive their copy within a day or so which means it’s still ‘THIS week’s paper.’

Coming after a Christmas break we doubt few will even notice the change. All that’s in the paper will also be on our website and accessable from anywhere at anytime at the press of a button.

Everything will proceed as usual  and we’ll get our weekends back. A good deal for all.

Cheers

Rob & the team.