I’m writing this just as Auckland has come out of Level-3 for the third (and hopefully the last) time. Although it was shorter it also felt harder; scrambling around to reschedule photo shoots, juggling work commitments and missing out once again on visits from out-of-town friends. But, I’m well aware of how lucky I am: a number of my friends have been made redundant, many of us are looking at reduced incomes and with the prospect of more job losses, and the very real crisis of food security that is growing day by day, there is a growing sentiment of making this a year we all want to erase. Yet it is an opportunity too – to reassess what we are doing, how we can help others in a tangible way, and what changes for the better we can make in our own lives.

Frankly, the very thought of having people over for a drink and food seems so remote and faraway that I’m struggling to even contemplate what it will look like or what form that will take. But we need to have something to look forward to, even if it is just the quiet optimism that a New Year always brings. And if Christmas is going to be a struggle for many then it’s the little things we do, and who we choose to support, that will make uncertain times a little more bearable. Never has it been more important to choose how we spend each dollar we earn and to spend what we can on our local growers, producers and businesses.