Everyone involved in the service did so from their homes.
As I’ve written previously, Tinui was the first place in the world to hold an Anzac Day service and erect a memorial, on April 25 1916.
Each year about 1000 people come to Tinui, which is surprising because fewer than 20 people live in the village.
It is the encouragement of the wider Tinui farming community that supports the Anzac memory. They have developed an all-weather walk to the Anzac Cross on Tinui Taipo, complete with shelters and a toilet.
On a normal Anzac Day many do the walk.
The Tinui Women’s Institute provides a massive morning tea that is unique. It was sorely missed.
More than 3600 people watched all or part of the virtual Tinui service, three times the normal number.
We had viewers from around New Zealand, Australia and Britain.
It started me thinking.
On the positive side we had a well-attended, low-carbon footprint complete Anzac service.
On the negative side I missed the camaraderie, the locals, meeting new people who visit Tinui and the very special morning tea.
I suspect next year we’ll try to do both.
The lesson for me was that you can do a lot from home and farmers do.
The problem farmers have is a reliable internet service they feel confidant to use.
The Rural Broadband Usage Survey in August 2018 had only 50% of users happy with their speed and reliability. A further 28% was dissatisfied.
For that reason I welcome last week’s announcement of the additional $15 million for rural broadband. It was needed and timely.
It will go a long way to improving the current situation which is sub-standard despite the efforts of the Rural Broadband Initiative.
So, while farmers are used to working from home the current environment has encouraged city folk to do it as well.
That could have a considerable effect on lifestyle, productivity and life in the regions.
For a start if you are able to work from home it doesn’t matter, within reason, where you live.
My consultancy business was infinitely more profitable from isolated, rural Wairarapa than it was in Central Wellington.
We have a good internet service and that’s the key.
Working from home has many additional benefits.
Taking the last month at level four as an example our carbon footprint will have gone through the floor while any change in productivity from those working wouldn’t have been great.
I believe the government has a role in encouraging people to work from home.
For example, how many DoC employees need to go to the office, and you could add Culture and Heritage and Housing NZ. I’d also put Inland Revenue, Internal Affairs, Land Information and MoBIE in the same category and that’s just a start.
In the private sector many insurance workers, investment advisors, lawyers and accountants could do a large part of their work away from the office.
It doesn’t have to be a mass movement away from the office and now. It should be a gradual, planned process.
Working from home has the benefits of reducing our carbon footprint and traffic congestion problems. That has the added advantage to the economy of not having to spend billions of dollars on roads especially around Auckland.
While I accept that if you’re a chef at a restaurant or a builder you have to be on-site many of the occupations I’ve mentioned don’t have to be. They could work from home for a day a week or several.
It lowers the cost of working for the employee as the clothing requirement changes, you can’t go out for a latte and there aren’t travel costs.
If an employee goes into the office just two days a week it’s lowered their transport profile by 60%. Commuting by whatever means for two days a week is a lot less stressful than five.
It also lowers costs for employers as the requirement for office and associated costs are reduced. I don’t see supervision as a problem. Employers can easily tell if productivity is reduced and take appropriate action.
The cities already have fibre, the provinces need fast, reliable internet and I believe that’s coming. It just needs to happen now.
So, our work patterns going forward will change. A positive to come out of the lockdown is that people having been forced to work from home have seen the benefits as would their employers.
That has considerable advantages for the people involved, the economy and the environment.
