NZ Persimmons

I fell in love with this fruit the minute I got introduced to it nearly six years ago.  It is delicious to eat, should be eaten when they are firm like an apple, with an even orange/red colour.  I love it's crunchy flavour.  I'm just not yet that adventurous to try eating the fruit with the skin on.  Persimmon is a relatively new commercial crop here according to the Persimmon Industry Council in New Zealand.  It is exported primarily to Australia and Asian countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Singapore.  Primarily grown in the Gisborne area and North and South Auckland, this could be a good mix to our exports.  Normally harvested during Autumn, I'm savouring the last few times this fruit is readily available.

Q&A - Phil Goff, MP (Labour)

In my quest to present as much information about our MPs, I've sent emails to many of them. But only a few were gracious enough to answer.  Phil Goff from the Labour Party is one of them.  I haven't met him personally, I only know him from what I see on TV.

I almost always count on my gut feel in most things, people included.  That's just me.  I know it's not scientific but hey, it's my opinion, it's my perception, it's how I visualise people and things.  When I see someone there is always that inner feeling that guides me to either believe or not the person.  So far, with Phil Goff, I see no reason not to believe him.  Here's my Q&A with him:

Q: What's your proudest achievement up to this moment?
A: In political terms the negotiation and signing of the China Free Trade Agreement, which has contributed to New Zealand exports to China going from $2.5 billion to $10 billion in just six years.

Q: Name three people, dead or alive, you'll like to have dinner with, and why?
A: Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi and Ed Hillary because they were all people with great achievements but real humility who worked hard to make life better for other people.  Actually I did have dinner several times with Ed Hillary when we were together on a visit to Antarctica in 2007.

Q: Are you a cat or dog person, and why?
A: A dog person.  I have two --- a Jack Russell and a Huntaway.  They are good companions, loyal, you can take them for walks, use them to help round up farm animals and they have a lot of character.

Q: Where in NZ is the place you can call as your sanctuary, and why?
A: We have a humble old fashioned bach, a holiday home at Orere Point on the Hauraki Gulf.  It has a beautiful view over the Gulf to the Coromandels, is peaceful, simple, unpretentious and I can catch fish and gather shellfish.

Q: Something not many people know about you?
A: I ride horses and like gardening.

Q: If you could travel back in time, where and when would it be, and why?
A: The mid 1930s in New Zealand when the First Labour Government had just been elected and set about transforming New Zealand to lift people out of poverty, give them security and started to build a better New Zealand at home and take an independent stance in the world.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
A: To keep working 80 hour weeks to get a Labour Government elected on September 20, 2014.

Thank you Mr. Phil Goff for agreeing to this Q&A interview.  Good luck in the  forthcoming elections.