Tag Archives: behaviour

Staying vigilant

As we watch and wait it’s important not to be lulled into a false sense of safety in this new uncertainty.  The experts tell us that we will likely experience a lag before we detect cases and confirm that there are indeed more omicron cases in the community. So, we need to maintain our safe […]

Stop telling me to calm down

“Stop telling me to be calm!” And anyway, why’s it so important? You’ve had the experience of people – me included – telling you that being calm is important, right? Often, telling us to be calm produces the exact opposite effect. For example, remember being told, ‘don’t jump on the bed’? What did you do? […]

​​We have complex feelings about the pandemic response right now. Here’s why.

Impending doom and an overwhelming sense of grief for all that we may have lost, even as the pandemic has played out over the last 20 months in New Zealand. This is the gist of just some conversations and expressions I’ve heard over the past few days.  Why are we feeling like this? Why now? […]

One degree of separation: New Zealand’s Superpower and Covid-19 Vulnerability

We’ve all experienced the superpower. You meet someone and it turns out you both know someone in common. It can happen anywhere, in New Zealand, and even around the world when we travel. And it usually happens pretty early in the conversation too. It’s the social glue that is our superpower It brings us joy, […]

When the trajectory changes again. And again.

In preparing for the next stage of the pandemic, there is a risk that we project what we wish to see for our futures, what we hope and desire, into a physical world that doesn’t care. It’s not that it doesn’t want to care: it can’t. The coronavirus pandemic doesn’t have feelings or desires, hates […]

Do the mahi, get the treats

With Auckland at Level 3 and Covid-19 cases still in the community, our behaviour is more important than ever in staying on top of the spread of the virus. What we choose to do *does* make a difference. What YOU do makes a difference If you hate lockdowns and you want to have a glorious […]

When the flightpath changes

Imagine you’re on a glide path to landing on the runway after a long and bumpy flight. You’re uncomfortable, and aching to stretch your legs, arrive at your destination and indulge in some home comforts and company. But suddenly, there’s a gust of wind, and a storm blows up out of nowhere. The tannoy bings […]

Keeping Well in Alert Level 4 New Zealand 2021

We are well into our first day back at Alert Level 4 as an entire nation, and I’m watching the 1pm update as new cases are announced and the genomic sequencing points to the variant originating in NSW, Australia.  If you’re feeling anxious, it’s important to understand what stokes your anxiety and what calms it. […]

What Effect Will The Wellington COVID19 Episode Have On Potential Vaccine Uptake?

We will know more about the situation in Wellington soon. But I’ve been thinking: what might happen when vaccines become more widely available at the end of next month? It’s clear that NZ is vulnerable right now With variants circulating around the world and entry points into NZ, people maybe taking a more careful look […]

How to prepare for the impact of low-frequency events or HILFs

What can we do to prepare for the impact of low-probability occurrences but with the potential of huge impact? Climate change, solar flares, biological accidents or attacks, and technological malfeasance can all be included in this category – though the probability of these are changing al the time e.g. cyber attacks. Governments should invest in […]