As novelist Henry James tells us, “Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind, and the third is to be kind.” World Kindness Day also reminds us (in case we need it) to take a breath, and be kind to each other, to ourselves, and to the world.

With the shortest day of the year behind us, it is the perfect time for a midyear reset. Every year, I plan to read more than the previous year, some years it happens, others you would never know that I even made an attempt. My list of ‘books I want to read’ continues to grow faster than I can get through them, so choosing which title comes next is becoming increasingly difficult.

For many, 2020 has seen an overwhelming desire to go back to “normal”, how things were before the global pandemic. But I’ve seen viral tweets about how maybe this year was the wakeup call we all needed, to make change and to shake up the status quo.

This year, Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori (Māori Language Week) runs from 14-20th September (Mahuru). It’s theme remains the same: ‘Kia kaha te reo Māori’ – ‘Let’s make the Māori language strong’.

As Matariki draws to a close for 2020, we’re reflecting on what it means for us and how we can use this time of new beginnings to light a spark for the year to come.

Sunday 8th March is International Women’s Day 2020 – a global day celebrating the achievements of women, and a call to action for accelerating gender equality. At ecostore, we’re celebrating New Zealand women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) and highlighting how we can all help more women to create, invent and discover a better tomorrow.

The new year is nearly here, bursting with possibilities and potential. And rather than writing a laundry list of resolutions -that statistics say will be abandoned by mid-January - we're making some plans for 'fresh starts'.