I enjoyed a fantastic cup of coffee this morning at one of the many fantastic cafes in the fantastic country of New Zealand, which is the best country on planet Earth – and I say that despite the many, many problems facing us, and the deep divisions inour society.
I went up to pay, and the waitperson said, "How was your coffee?"
I said, "Fantastic. The fact that it came in a cup – I felt that was a defining moment. It contained the liquid. That was its ambition, and it saw it through with confidence. So really right from the moment it arrived, I saw it as a positive experience."
"But let's not overlook the fantastic performance of the saucer," I said. "You can see it as the cup providing an aspirational example to the saucer. The cup held the coffee, sure, but the saucer held the cup. It's really a form of transport, and that's a subject I know quite a lot about as the former CEO of Air New Zealand."
It's hard to tell a person's expression behind a mask.
I decided against a tip because at the end of the day – with her silence, and her inscrutable demeanour - she hadn't really matched the coffee, the cup, or the saucer in giving fantastic service. She was at the bottom of that rung and we need to focus on people who want to be positive and ambitious and aspirational and confident.
If we reward bottom feeders then it's a negative experience for everyone, certainly for those at the top.
TUESDAY
I was walking down the street this afternoon when a beggar called out, "Excuse me sir, do you have any spare change?"
I could have just kept walking but there comes a time when we heed a certain call, when the world must come together as one.
I stood over him, and said, "I have to be honest with you. My general theme is I think we've been playing quite a small, negative, inward, fearful game. I'm ambitious for every New Zealander. I want all New Zealanders to be able to flourish in this country. I want everybody to realise their potential."
He said, "I'm hungry."
I gave him directions to a fantastic cafe.
Christopher Luxon has ambitions for all New Zealanders. Photo / Alex Burton
WEDNESDAY
I met with one of our donors this evening at a restaurant serving a seven-course degustation for the fantastic price of $195.
I said to him, "My observation is that we have to bring our centre-right politics principles and beliefs to solve the biggest problems in New Zealand, which are things like mental health and inequality and poverty."
He was about to eat a forkful of saddle of coastal lamb with red pepper, preserved lemon and anchovy, but paused, and said, "What?"
I wiped my mouth on my napkin, and said, "We will lower taxes."
He continued eating and savoured the taste.
THURSDAY
I was enjoying a tour of a family-operated civil engineering contracting company today when I was told that the owner was heavily involved in the occupation at Parliament, and had been filmed dancing in his underwear to Baby Shark.
We all need to dance more. It lifts our spirits and puts us in a positive mood to go out and meet the challenges of the world.
FRIDAY
I was at an office today with a tank of tropical fish in reception and noticed that some of them rose to the top but others fed from the bottom.
