It's a great time to be a New Zealander, whether it's rugby, sailing or business you're following.
Not to mention the fact that, according to reports, much of the world is investigating moving here, given recent world events.
This week Emirates Team NZ has brought home the America's Cup, 14 years after losing it and following on from a brutal loss in San Francisco in 2013 when it was so closely within our grasp.
A massive well done to everyone involved for their innovation, expertise, brilliance, confidence under pressure, entrepreneurial skills to finance the project (a huge shout out to Sir Stephen Tindall!) and their impressive fighting spirit, amongst many other things. It was a magnificent spectacle with global exposure, played out by heroes and villains we love to love and hate.
From failure comes innovation, creativity and doing things differently… The Kiwis are good at that.
More Kiwis doing things differently were all around me last week, as I MC'ed Kea's (Kiwi Expats Abroad) INSPIRE event in Auckland and then attended Kea's World Class New Zealand Awards the following evening. Sim and I are honoured to be two of Kea's World Class New Zealanders.
Injecting some of the ol' Superstar Sewell sparkle into the event, I was proud to sing and introduce six inspiring speakers to an audience filled with young and old; the evening was all about teaching old dogs new tricks and motivating the next generation to think outside the box regarding what 'success' looks like in various arenas.
The Kea World Class NZ Awards was also insanely inspiring; six Awards granted to awesome Kiwis punching high above their weight on the world stage, one 'Friend of NZ Award' to the wonderful Pippa, Lady Blake, and the Supreme Award went to the partnership of Sir Peter Jackson and Fran, Lady Walsh – filmmakers extraordinaire.
Sim and I came away from these events feeling like our hair was on fire! Passionate, brave, intelligent – and often claiming to feel 'different' – souls engaging us with their stories, from humble beginnings to changing the world!
Who wants to be a 'sheep'? NZ has plenty of those. What makes you 'different' or 'weird' is your strength!
'Kiwis have a rational view of obstacles in our way and an irrational view that we can overcome them' – Dr Privahini Bradoo (winner of one of the World Class NZ Awards, 2017).
And finally, speaking of love, our Incognito family has something very exciting to celebrate… drumroll please… our Sales Manager and all round wonder woman, Katherine Paterson, just got engaged in romantic Italy to the charming, debonair, and lucky, Matt Williams – BOOM! Ahhh, ain't love grand. These are two of life's greats. Our Kat is bright, witty, beautiful inside and out; very deserving of an epic love story. The champagne's flowing, the roses and cards are filling up IA HQ. Congratulations Kat and Matt!