One of the ad team at Trade Me flicked me an interesting graph this morning. A daily breakdown of the August traffic to New Zealand’s largest home page, Trade Me, and runner up, YahooXtra as independently measured by Nielsen Online from tags placed on our pages.

Trade Me is New Zealand's favourite home page (August 2009)

I was surprised at the low weekend rating of YahooXtra; don’t people check their xtra mail accounts in the weekend? You would want a big discount if you advertised on their Saturday. Interestingly, Stuff.co.nz is now New Zealand’s third largest website and New Zealand’s most popular news and entertainment site, bigger than nzherald.co.nz.

Check out this brilliant new song for homesick kiwis by the very clever writer, Justin Brown. He’s quickly weaving his way into our local folklore.

This television commercial appeared in the late 1970’s and helped Kentucky Fried Chicken take the number one spot in this category from Homestead Chicken. I’m not sure the same messaging (or images) would be appropriate in 2009! Please no vegan-spam. Just sit back, turn up the volume and enjoy this nostalgic TVC from my childhood.

Audience participation was required partway through this number in Auckland’s Vector Arena last Saturday as the sound system failed Art and Paul.  I was lucky to be there for their first venue in their final world tour and must admit to having a tear in my eye as the whole arena picked up the tune where Simon & Garfunkel left off.  It was a truely special moment for everyone there.  Shame about the individual singing on this clip.

find out more from http://twitter.com/williecass

Many of you will remember the 1980’s television commercial starring botanist, David Bellamy who implored us to rid the nation of the invasive plant pest, Old Man’s Beard, Clematis vitalba.

Well, a modern day repeat of this campaign is now overdue. Plus action.

Background … I’ve just spent Easter in the idyllic Marlborough Sounds. As I drove my guests around the windy Queen Charlotte Track, the flowering, fluffy seed heads of the rampant climber were everywhere to be seen. Almost every corner was turned to the sight of this weed enveloping native bush on both sides of the road. It was pretty frustrating but typical for this time of year in the Sounds, I recalled.

The bach has been getting a bit overgrown so I got stuck into some gardening. This included ripping out some Old man’s beard that had re-sprouted in the five years since I bought the place and spent days combing the hillside on the back of my property, chopping the leathery tenticles of the OMB as is the legal responsibility of every property owner. It was clear that I would have to do this every few years to knock it back and keep it under control. This got me to thinking.

First, I wondered whether the property owners of the Sounds, DOC and the Marlborough District Council (depending on location) could be prosecuted for not removing the weed as per the bylaw. I guessed they would be exempt from legal action. Then I moved on to wondering why the PD gangs, community service folks, etc couldn’t be press-ganged into action. This moved to a strema of consciousness discussion with those around me about utilising our newly unemployed. But the reality is that the answer lies with the residents and home owners who use and enjoy the Sounds. There’s no point blaming the council, government or wishing for free labour. It’s up to us.

So I’m thinking about launching an ‘Old Man’s Beard Must Go’ Day. One day each year when we will join forces to tackle this pest. We can use social media to promote and educate, garner support from those with access to tools, resources, people, passion and energy. We can clamber up the hills and slide down the gullies of the Marlborough Sounds and reclaim our native bush. For one day, every year, we can demonstrate not only that Old man’s beard must go, it will go. Shall I do it? Are you in?

Trade Me turns 10 - view the story on 3news.co.nz.  Some interesting statistics towards the end of the piece …

“The numbers speak for themselves. Every day around 180,000 items are listed on Trade Me, of which 60,000 are sold. There are well over two million active users, and every day almost 500,000 different people visit the site.”

As I lifted effortlessly towards the mercury-glazed mirror of trapped air above me, I felt like a character in a science fiction movie.  I pushed a neoprene-gloved hand through the bubble, and slid a full head and shoulders into the dimly lit dome of air.  I was in Bernies Cave, Middle Arch, Poor Knights Island, some 14 metres under the sea level, 24 kilometres from Tutukaka in Northland, New Zealand.

Thanks to the organising of Trade Me colleague, Matt Duguid, I’ve just returned from three days of diving the Poor Knights Islands, aboard the good ship Mazurka. The PKs are rated as one of the top ten dive sites on Earth by none other than Jacques Cousteau.  It was formed as New Zealand’s second marine reserve (no fishing or disturbing marine life for 800m acround the islands) in 1981.

The sight of XOS Snapper, crays and Moki proved difficult to resist for some of our team, more commonly used to diving for a feed of kai in the Marlborough Sounds.  Instead, we kept busy taking video and photos.

Here’s some footage filmed by Matt of myself (with torch) and Daniel Feutz cruising through Northern Arch, surrounded by circling kingfish, huge snapper, trevelly, sandagers and demoiselles.  This huge archway (43m from sea level to sea floor) provides food-bearing currents with fish lining up to dine and incredible water clarity as you can see in the video.  This location was one of the most spectacular dives I have experienced.  We’re sitting at around 30 metres deep, Matt is filming from 35 metres.

Here are a few assorted photos from the trip (click on them to enlarge).

The Institute of Directors is running an Aspiring Directors dinner series in Wellington.  I’m thinking of rocking along.  Will have to dust off the dinner jacket though.  I can definitely make the first two: 8th & 25th June.  These cover Requirements of Directors and Competencies.  Unfortunately I can’t attend the final one on 8th July which is on Marketing Yourself but reckon I’ve got that one covered!   There are some who say he …

Anyway, there are a few people I know who should consider coming too … Damas, Alex, Christine, Ben, Nigel, Matty B.  The Zoo (and other local/central govt entities) needs you.  Numbers are limited to 16 so get in quick.  Please let me know if you’re attending.

I think I’ve found what was added to our nation’s collective town supply late last year.