Cook Island diary: good company, pristine beaches, financing growth

Sunday

My working week almost always starts on a Sunday.

In the Cooks we are situated just to the right of the international date line - which runs through the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

This creates a time zone difference in which in Australia and New Zealand it is everyone else’s Monday - so for me there are usually some meetings as well as emails to attend to.

I treat it as a slow workday, so I will go for a run and then have a leisurely breakfast before opening the laptop at home.

I also use the day to organise myself for the rest of the working week. I like to prioritise the tasks that need to be worked on to ensure I get things done.

Monday

My weekday routine is always the same.

I wake early and go to the gym for a quick workout before heading up to the stadium for a run.

It helps clear my head and I always feel better knowing I have done a little bit of exercise to start the day.

A quick shower, get changed and a five-minute drive to the office.

Rarotonga is a small island. The road around the island is about 30 kilometres so doesn’t take long to get anywhere. Although I’m now so acclimatised to this place, I consider a drive to the other side of the island as a big trip!

I start the day reviewing information from a potential client who is constructing a new resort.

I have a commercial background and have always enjoyed working through the details of a deal. Our team are also quite busy and rather than have them engage the customer now, I try to collate further information before getting them involved.

Around mid-morning we have our local Leadership team (LT) meeting where we discuss our ongoing projects and focus for the week ahead.

All areas of the business are busy working through competing priorities and it is important that we are all across what we are doing and how we are tracking. I am lucky to have a resilient team with much experience – we always find a way through.

After the LT meeting, I have a series of meetings, including one with the Ministry of Finance’s senior economist. 

With so much going on, I am first to admit, I am not across the detail and I rely on various project teams, review teams and of course the local team to provide their subject matter expertise.

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Tuesday

Business Continuity Plan testing day!

Our Chief Operating Officer provides us with the scenario – due to a potential asbestos contamination at the Ministry of Finance, they have advised all businesses within a 2 kilometre radius they cannot access their premises, which includes our branch.

Our Situational Management Team run through the scenario and we organise our testing to be done for the day. Working in the Pacific, you must be prepared for things to happen.

In February we had a close call with a cyclone looming, but we were lucky it did not cause too much disruption and we were able to open the branch.

Running through these scenarios allows to test our critical functions to ensure we minimise disruption to our customers.

After the meeting, I head off to the Taki Tahi Women in Business Summit to present on E-Gate.

This is our web-based online payment platform which can be integrated into business websites. About 60 business owners are present and there was some great questions and feedback.

I get back just in time for the Small to Medium Enterprise Well Managed Forum. No issues or call outs thanks to our vigilant Relationship Manager, Marian Gosselin who runs a tight ship!

I spend the rest of the afternoon finishing Cook’s Commercial Markets Retail Committee (CMRC) pack. This a bi-monthly forum where we discuss these business areas in detail.

In the evening I attend a community consultation presented by the Ministry of Finance on their plans to establish a Sovereign Wealth Fund for long-term investment.  

It’s a long meeting with plenty of questions and suggestions. Overall, it is well received and plenty for the Ministry of Finance to consider.

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Wednesday

A “free” morning to catch up on work.

I circulate the CMRC pack to committee members, review emails and reply to customers and stakeholders who have requested information.

For work not yet completed, I provide updates and expected timeframes for completion. Communication is so important to set expectations and I am constantly reminding our team to ensure we do this.

It not only keeps our customers and our internal stakeholders informed, it reduces the amount of follow ups and complaints.

I struggle to sit in front of my computer for too long without a break, so in between tasks I pay a visit to the teams to see how they are going and what they are working on.

The rest of the day its more meetings. I head home and review the updates and revise my never ending “to do list”!

Thursday

A little bit of time to catch up with the Commercial team on a few customer matters before going to the Chamber of Commerce for a consultation session with the Ministry of Finance on proposed legislation known as the Retail Payment Standards Act.

I get back just in time to catch our Chief Risk Officer before going straight into our CMRC meeting. There is a lot of discussion and good progress but there is more to be done.

I get the afternoon to work on some of the action items raised as well as getting information together for my client visits tomorrow.

I have a catch up with another customer this evening and it is an opportunity to build our relationship further. He’s a real estate agent and provides freat insights into business activity across the island. Not only informative, but he’s also good company and a great way to end the day!

Friday

One of the benefits of the time zone difference is that its everyone else’s Saturday so no meetings, emails or phone calls from outside of Cooks!

It’s a fantastic day to catch up on work and customer visits. Today I’m off to Aitutake to visit two of our resort clients.

Aitutake – a group of islands captured in an atoll – is a 50-minute flight from Rarotonga. It has a beautiful lagoon surrounded by a barrier reef and is one of the most beautiful places on earth.

Unfortunately, I’m only here for about five hours, just enough time to visit both resorts. One of them is well established and has been working on some improvements. The other resort recently completed its second and final stage.

It looks fantastic and it’s great to hear both are enjoying good occupancy levels and strong pre-bookings.

I land back in Rarotonga late afternoon and head home to review the week that was. Friday evening is a time I reflect on the progress made and the big picture. The time flies but I feel lucky my job is so diverse. No day is the same.

Saturday

On Saturdays I try and avoid work and focus on downtime.

There are some magnificent hiking trails with stunning views. The beaches are beautiful and we have a favourite spot for a picnic and swim. Also a good day to have an afternoon nap before it starts all over again!

Jason Murray is Country Head for ANZ Bank in the Cook Islands