October 8, 2025 • 40 mins
Dame Wendy Pye is one of the most successful businesspeople in New Zealand.
She’s a rich-lister, her publishing company Sunshine Books has sold over 300 million books worldwide, she's met countless more world leaders, and she was the first living woman to be inducted into the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame.
But it hasn’t all been easy. Dame Wendy has gone through a life changing redundancy, legal battles, and had many deals that couldn't be closed.
She joined Newstalk ZB's Kerre Woodham in studio for the first episode of Bosses Unfiltered.
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
The big winds and the big losses, the hurdles, the
pivots and the emotions, raw and honest New Zealand's great
business minds like you've never heard them before. This is
Bosses Unfiltered with Kerry Woodham used talks' be.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Dame Wendy Pie is one of the most successful business
people in New Zealand. Her publishing company, Sunshine Books, has
sold more than three hundred million books worldwide and it's
made of a rich lister. She's taught countless more children
how to read and was the very first living woman
to be inducted into the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame.
(00:39):
But it hasn't all been easy. A life changing redundancy,
legal battles, many many deals that weren't closed. I'm Kerry Woodham.
This is Bosses Unfiltered and interview series about the hearts,
souls and minds of New Zealand's most successful businesses. Dame Wendy,
how do you get rich running an ethical business?
Speaker 3 (01:00):
Well, I always believe that you must do the right
thing by people. And if you believe in the product
and you can sell product, I mean you do have
to make money because without money you can't employ people,
and you can't do projects and make them work. Actually,
so I don't see any problem in making a profit
with a company or developing a strategy that makes money.
(01:21):
And I think that that as long as you keep
it and long as you do it in an ethical way,
I believe.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
And is that how you began. You wanted to do
good by teaching kids to read, but you wanted to
make money doing it.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
Well, I really didn't look at the money side too much,
but of course, but I you know, I do enjoy money.
I do enjoy, you know, a few little baubles in life,
like a few emeralds and a few things, so, you know,
and drinking champagne and racing lots of horses.
Speaker 4 (01:48):
That's expense, which was expensive.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
But I really believe that, you know, when I first began,
it was really when I met some children. I never
actually met anybody who couldn't read. We grew up in
a family where my mother was always We had a
very basic background, but my mother read to us, and
we read lots of books, and she read from the library.
Speaker 4 (02:10):
She went to the library and got.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
Books, and so it was really a rich literacy background
that I grew up on, even though it was in
a quite a primpt way and a farm, and I
just didn't understand how anybody couldn't read. And when I
read met these people who couldn't read, I thought, how
did they get on in life? You know? And someone
told me they go to the supermarket and I look at
the cans of baked beans, and they know that's baked beans.
Speaker 4 (02:32):
You know.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
I thought, you know, he's looked at the picture. You
know how you need to read? And I had never
met anyone. And then I thought, why don't we do
something about this? And that's when I linked up with
Joey Cowley and other authors in this country.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
And you basically built an internationally successful publishing company twice
because when you first linked up with those authors, the
first time it was for other people New Zealand News.
The second time it was for yourself.
Speaker 4 (02:58):
Yes, it was in the corporate world. Really.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
I rose in the corporate world from you know, like
sort of typing letters and doing things because I'd been
in an agency world in Australia. I immigrated from Australia.
We called it an immigration. Probably emigrated from Australia when
I met my husband. I married in a New Zealander.
My mother never forgave me for five years because Australians
don't marry in New Zealanders. But you know, anyway, with
settleday in New Zealand, and you know, I rose through
(03:21):
the through the company in a traditional way, and then
and then I worked, and then I became a senior
executive within the group. And then when Ron Briley and
his team took over the New Zelland News Group, they obviously,
you know, they really believed that they knew all about
newspapers and magazines and things. Of course, lots of people
(03:41):
believe they know about magazines and newspapers, but of course
they're not media people, are they.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
So so tell me about that redundancy because reading reading
about it in your book, it wasn't just getting rid
of a change merchant, somebody who had been bought in
to make change and then off you go, because it's
going to be settling having you there under the new regime.
It sounded really personal.
Speaker 4 (04:05):
Well it was personal. Really.
Speaker 3 (04:07):
It was a difficulty I'd been I had to look
after eight companies. I rose to the highest level in
the corporate world apart from Jemichard, who was editor for
the Woman's Weekly. At the time, she was a director
of the company, and there was a takeover and basically,
you know, I was put in charge to look at
a whole lot of projects and things like that, and
(04:28):
you know, I don't know, I still don't know, but
we had to change the weekly, and we left it
too long and the weekly was being eaten alive really
by glossy magazines. Generations were changing like they are now
looking at social media. Generations were changing. Women demanded, you know,
seeing something that wasn't three dimensional. You understand what I mean,
because it was printed on newsprint before and the weekly
(04:50):
was sort of like the mainstay of the country. And
I was put in charge to reconstruct the weekly. It
had been too late.
Speaker 4 (04:56):
Really, it was too late.
Speaker 3 (04:57):
But of course I probably was a sacrificial now to
a degree, you know, because it wasn't working fast enough
for them. When they fired me, it was almost incredible. Really,
think why they find me, you know, to be escorted
off the place like a criminal was quite incredible.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
You can't have had much experience with setbacks, because it
was you went from job to job and each one
was more interesting and better, and then all of a
sudden you rocked back on your expensive leather hills.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
Well, I think redundancy is I think the other thing
that I found quite interesting was the people who reached
out to me, Not only the clients I'm talking about class,
came from all around the world and said what have
they done? Even Bruce Hancocks and the Braley group said
what have they done? You must have flattened the managing
director or something and punched him in the nose or something.
(05:44):
Said no nose, but you're one of our champions.
Speaker 4 (05:46):
What have you done?
Speaker 3 (05:47):
And so it was really interesting time for the time,
and you can reflect. I think redundancy is quite interesting
because you learn to reflect on your life and you
reflect on where you were going and what you really
want to achieve and what's the next step in your life.
It's an important time. You know, you don't need to
rush out. But I had huge overwhelming response from everybody,
(06:08):
and that was sort of like people just rang me
and said what do you need? You know? Some great
publishers came to me and said what else do you need?
You know? And other people said, like Heineman Publishing a
u K. Said well, buy all your product. What are
you going to produce? For us, come up with a chart,
get on the plane and come to London. You know.
I mean, when you have that sort of support, it's
(06:29):
really welcoming. And my staff, of course, who are still
with me now, they all joined me from the core pressing.
We didn't have much money, you know what I mean,
but we made it work, and I actually i'd work
for I had to get a job, I think with
Lotto or something. I got a job with the Rubert
Murdock group because of the Rubert Murdoch group was around.
So I got a job with them too, you know,
just to pay some bills. They made me something to
(06:51):
do a report anyone, you know, write these results for people,
you know, consultancy. I hate consultancy because you give people
your ideas eventually and then they become rich and you
don't become But you know, it was an interesting time.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
But when it comes to setting up a company, was
it easier to set up Sunshine because you'd set up
a company once before, you had the contacts?
Speaker 3 (07:11):
I mean obviously there was I don't think I don't
think it was easier because I was being sued, of course,
I mean, you know, people come after me, lots.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
Of people that's what I mean about it being personal.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
Well, they really make it personal. You know, how DAEs
she go? How dares she go out to the world
and do that? And you know, almost on Christmas Eve
they serve notice on me. But I had very very
good legal people, and I always advise in my book
that you never ever think that you don't need good
legal people, because when the chips are down, it's a
lonely business. Running your own business is quite lonely. It's
(07:39):
not a in the corporate world. It's really wonderful sometimes
because you can have a coffee with a colleague, or
you can share with somebody that you're fed up with
that person the way they treat you, or you can
do all sorts of things like that. But when you're
on your own, when you're the lone star in other words,
it's very difficult, very lonely, and it's not an easy
(08:00):
thing to do. And so you have to have a
good lawyer who can become part of your family in
other words. And you know, and we had some wonderful
stories about that.
Speaker 2 (08:09):
They tried to sue you about the show.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
They basically wanted me to not publish and they said
that I had copied, well, I built the corporation. I
built that company for them. I'd gone out to the
world and sold it. But never mind. The thing is
that you can't be better. You know, I'm not better
with anybody. I just wish them luck. I don't think
they're around it anymore anyway, but I wish them luck.
Maybe maybe we can look up at the sky and
(08:33):
wish them luck. So how's they kiss?
Speaker 2 (08:35):
Bless and release? I think as one of the phrases
to I mean, I found I found that really quite
painful reading that section of the book. There was a
lot you didn't say, you do.
Speaker 3 (08:46):
You do feel destroyed and really, basically they try to
destroy me completely. It's a huge to destroy me credibility.
And it was a tough time because we were heading
into the stock market crash. When we think of New Zealand,
we will think twenty percent interest was the average interest rate.
Twenty percent interest was the average interest rate. When you
have to run your own company, you have to actually
(09:07):
look at money. You have to get money to pay staff.
I mean, you know, I mean I worked as a consultant.
I can always earn some money as a consultant, and
you know, to pay the staff wages and you take
no wages yourself. But it was really, you know, ridiculous,
really because you had to. And that's why I went
offshore to borrow the money. I went the only time
I've ever borrowed in I never used the money, No,
(09:28):
you never did. I never used the money.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
I love that story of you meeting the man on
the plane marching into the bank in Hong Kong.
Speaker 4 (09:34):
It's a story of my life.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
It's a fabulous story.
Speaker 4 (09:37):
It's a story of my life.
Speaker 3 (09:38):
I meet lots of wonderful people, but you see, when
you do I really believe in the philosophy is that
if you do good and if you put something back
into the world, you get rewarded, and you get rewarded
so much that it's unbelievable. That's not money reward I'm
talking about. It's a personal reward you get if you don't.
(09:58):
You know, if you spend your life cheating people and
trying to maneuver people and do all sorts of things
to people, what sort of a life is that? I
think it's just the lonely life really.
Speaker 4 (10:08):
You know.
Speaker 3 (10:08):
I know, for example, if my car breaks down and
I'm in Wanganui, I know, there's a parent will have
me for lunch?
Speaker 4 (10:14):
How's that? Or something?
Speaker 3 (10:16):
You know, because all of these wonderful people around the
world around New Zealand have grown up on Sunshine books
and they're three generations now.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
I do wonder sometimes, like a lot of the times
when you walk into a meeting, things happen like as
you say, you know, wonderful things happened when you were
there in person. Do you think you've got an indefinable
X factor that other winners pick up an I'm.
Speaker 4 (10:42):
Not really, I think really, I don't know.
Speaker 3 (10:44):
It's just been good, Like there has been a whole
lot of bad days too, you know, not always good.
I mean most of the time it's bad anyway. But
the thing is that I think you have to just
look at it. You have to try to develop something.
If you're selling something, for example, you really have to
package it in a way that they will understand the
person you're selling it and also they will believe what
(11:09):
you're saying. I think the hardest thing for me is
most people in New Zealand don't believe that it's very
unusual because people don't understand, you know, the sun never
sets right now, right someone in the world is learning
to read on product we've developed, on the talent of
New Zealanders. How we've developed that. You know, I'm so
proud of that. Aren't you proud of that? Isn't that fantastic?
(11:29):
You know, we need to go into the world and
scream about it and say it's fantastic.
Speaker 4 (11:32):
You know, it's not all doom and gloom and doom
and gloom all the time.
Speaker 3 (11:36):
And you know, I like to think that, and I
like to look at my watch and think, who in
the world. I mean, they're coming on stream now in
West Australia as we talk now, they'll be coming on
stream soon after that. They'll be coming on in Turkey
across Turkey, and then they'll be moving on to England
as well, and they're all learning to read on product
we developed.
Speaker 4 (11:54):
I think that's so wonderful.
Speaker 3 (11:56):
It is wonderful. It is absolutely special. It's special, you
know what I mean, it's really special. I know we
do everything, and you know it's all great and the
you know, we do things in milk and butter and
whatever we do or something, but this is so special
because it touches the hearts of people and makes people
really helps them becomes good citizens.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
I am so with you on the literacy because I
think that our prisons are full of people who can't
read and write. If you can't express yourself, if you
can't if you can't see the richness the world has
to offer you through reading. You might come from a
background that's impoverished, but your mind doesn't have to be
you know, it's limitless. That's when books are given to
(12:40):
you as a child. You can escape the misery of
your childhood with books. And I don't know what's happened.
We used to be at the front of education, at
the forefront of education, and now we're just well.
Speaker 3 (12:53):
I suppose you know, in probably my major disappointment, my
major disappointment, if I had disappointments in the sense of
why can't we embrace that, Why can't we look at
private enterprise and government working together. Private enterprise and government
work together. For example, you know, building going to be
investing in buildings, right or something? Private enterprise and government
(13:16):
work together. In the fishery industry and other industries. I
work with hundreds and hundreds of schools across this country.
In fact, one thousand schools across this country. Why can't
we celebrate that? Why can't we say, you know, are
they afraid that I'm going to earn a little bit
more money. That's ridiculous because I donate a whole lot
of things through my Foundation for Digital for Mari Pacific
old and Children. I'm really committed to helping children earn
(13:38):
to read. We're a small country. We have to we
have to solve the literacy problem of this country. We
are a very small country. We've got limited resources that
we have assault so goodness say, you know, let's get
off our pedestal and make it happen.
Speaker 4 (13:54):
And am I know the million, the.
Speaker 3 (13:56):
Thousands of parents have been listening to this, have grown
up on Sunshine books anyway. But you know.
Speaker 4 (14:01):
There's a reluctance. I don't know why. What is this problem?
Speaker 2 (14:07):
It's yeah, it's fascinating because do you believe that you
can solve the literacy problems we have in New Zealand.
Speaker 3 (14:14):
I think the first problem is we've got to get
all the children to school. I think there should be
a major, major you know, I've worked in Northland. I
was just going to say under projects I've done in
Northland under my foundation, I've given a lot of money
to schools and my foundation of my foundation, and I think,
you know.
Speaker 4 (14:30):
The problem is we're going to get because of school.
Speaker 3 (14:32):
Once you get them in the school gate, we can
do lots of things with them, right, but there are
thousands of children who are not going to school, so
we need to get them to school. There's also we
have lost three years in education with many children not
attending school. We have a crisis on our hands. This
is a crisis. Basically, we need to make sure that
everybody puts their shoulders to the wheel.
Speaker 4 (14:55):
That's not only me, but.
Speaker 3 (14:56):
Other publishing houses, the government, everyone worked together, listen to
what we can do. But we've got to get the
children to school. And my solution to that is, for example,
in the Northern Project, my simple solution is that I've
worked with senior Mari women many, many times across the country.
I find fabulous. There's some Mari people that are fabulous, right.
I know, people think, oh, they may be protesting or
(15:17):
whatever I'm talking about. There's some really really fabulous people
Mari people. Right. I would go to those people and say,
I'm going to give you four families, four families in
the next two terms. I want those children at school,
go and find out what the issues are. I pay
them some mileage or whatever. It's only peanuts stuff to
get the kids to school, right, Get them to school,
(15:38):
whether it's a minibus or whatever it is, get them
to school, and then we can make a difference in
looking at what we can do. But if you can't
get them to school, you're not going to make a difference.
Speaker 2 (15:48):
Then what about the dyslexia? Does each child need a
teacher aide with them?
Speaker 3 (15:52):
While well, we need some infrastructure in that. And you know,
education is a big budget area and we do need infrastructure,
and we don't need to look at you know, you
can change policy, you can change all sorts of things,
but you know what you need is you need a commitment.
I work with hundreds and hundreds of teachers across this
country and they really stress.
Speaker 4 (16:13):
At the moment. You know, we can't just push any
more on them. They're stressed.
Speaker 3 (16:17):
We've got children who need help. They need help in
the school. They need they don't need necessarily trained teachers
to work with those individual and they just listen to
listen to their reading. We're doing a project with a
team at Otoho College. At the moment you're on a project,
and there's an example where business people have extended out
and working one to one with the boys there. These
(16:38):
are twelve and thirteen year olds. Don't read this is
a disaster. I mean, what are these you're going to do?
Speaker 4 (16:43):
Right?
Speaker 3 (16:44):
You know, we are creating a social welfare system which
will grow right, and we can't afford that as a country.
So we really need to work together. We need people
to come up with ideas, come up with innovative ideas, right,
and how is this going to happen?
Speaker 2 (17:00):
So that's what you're doing. You've got two really exciting
projects on the go. Tell me about those.
Speaker 3 (17:05):
What has really fascinated me is the gaming industry. I
think the gaming industry is the most amazing industry because
it actually most.
Speaker 4 (17:15):
Of it was rubbish.
Speaker 3 (17:16):
I don't believe in a lot of the games, but anyway,
but it has captured the minds of many people and
the gaming has become so successful. So what I thought was,
can I imagine if we put an educational publisher, pure
educational publisher like me, and we can put it with
the second second largest gaming company in the world, a
billion dollar company, and we put those two together, and
(17:38):
I learned from the gaming, and they learned from me
right and the education, and we created a game and
then we put the right colors in it. We made
it colorful of what we know that helped dyslexic children.
So I invited is a company called actually it's a
spin off of a company called gl which is on
the nastic actually in America. Did my Chinese friends and
(18:01):
we sat down the route right and we said, okay,
so I'm going to do this. So we did the prototype.
We brought it back to New Zealand, we bought it,
were working on it. Our team and the other team
were working on it. We brought it back and we
tried it with some four year olds. Couldn't put it down.
Isn't that amazing? Every day they learned to read. So
that's one of my projects I'm working on. And then
the second project I'm working on is that I'm to
(18:24):
me the greatest probably invention since the Internet. And I
grew up with the Internet, remember the Internet when I
first started my publishing. How the Internet didn't exist, but
I know didn't exist, and we didn't have you know,
we had the first fax machine and was wonderful little computer,
those Apple computers with the screen that was so tiny
and well stood around and wondered what was going to
happen near you buy.
Speaker 2 (18:43):
Shears and Apple. You were one of the first people to.
Speaker 4 (18:45):
Work ten Yeah.
Speaker 3 (18:46):
I bought them for five dollars. Actually I yeah, good lord.
Someone said to me there was a sheerbroker who said.
Speaker 4 (18:54):
That company will never do anything.
Speaker 3 (18:56):
Hello, that's the advice you get from financial advisors, critical
fin what I'm thinking. But the situation is that the
thing is that, you know, I believe that you AI
is probably the greatest and one of the greatest inventions
since the Internet, you know, because previously, of course, you know,
(19:16):
the Internet was invelched, and I thought we could teach
kids to read. Right, I cashed up and I'd made
a lot of money in America, and I came back
to New Zealand and I built a building in Mount Wellington,
and I've got a whole lot of team of people,
and said, why don't we create something like we've done.
You don't put a piece of paper on the wall
and create a reading program on the internet. People said,
you're mad. No one's going to use the Internet for that.
(19:37):
And then I produced the prototype. Then I went out
to the world, and everyone just laughed at me and said,
it's ridiculous.
Speaker 2 (19:44):
I think you're a bit ahead of your time sometimes
reading in the book, some of you know, when you
did have another idea and another idea, you were just
ahead of the curve, weren't you.
Speaker 3 (19:53):
Well, we were really ahead of the curve in this time.
I mean the British telecom people. I remember sitting in
this very boring office and people very you know, very
voices saying to me, you know, Queen's vannersh brother was saying,
the Internet will only have messages on it.
Speaker 4 (20:08):
I said, really, you know, that's interesting.
Speaker 3 (20:10):
I wish I'd taken their business card because I could
go back and haunt them.
Speaker 4 (20:12):
Now, probably the Internet was great, and then about.
Speaker 3 (20:17):
Probably April last year, I just really couldn't believe what
AI could do.
Speaker 4 (20:25):
I couldn't believe that this is.
Speaker 3 (20:27):
People who are big, successful people in the mass market
in America have said at this moment, AI is like
the dial up of the Internet. Remember we had the
dial up, which you know, most people listening they not
remember that, but you know, used to cut off and
we used to do drag and drop and we used
to take sit there for about two minutes, three minutes,
(20:49):
Wait it comes on the screen because it was so slow, right,
I mean, you know it was very slow.
Speaker 4 (20:55):
And they said to me, Wendy, it is like the
dial up. We are at what we call the stage
of revolution. How exciting, how exciting to.
Speaker 3 (21:05):
Live through hot metal to begin with in my life,
to then see the computer, to then walk into us,
to walking the studio today, for example, walking past all
those screens, to be in the newspaper industry when a
screen didn't even exist in a linertop operator and we
then they would lock up the stone and you would
(21:27):
have to do the proofing and the magazines.
Speaker 4 (21:30):
How fantastic.
Speaker 3 (21:31):
And then move to computers and then move to the
world of what we know now just as a global
village and the world never stops.
Speaker 4 (21:38):
And then move to social media and what we're doing.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
The honor story of being in business talking the wins
and the losses bosses unfeltered with Kerry Woodham on iHeartRadio.
How would my news talks be wins, losses and the
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Speaker 2 (22:04):
What's AI going to do for literacy?
Speaker 3 (22:06):
Well, AI can At the moment. What we're working on
is we're working really on taking the printed We've come
out with the next range of printed books for the
intermediate school and junior high school children who have missed
many formative years during the COVID years. So we've come
up with a wonderful series of New Zealand authors as
(22:27):
well a series very structured, very structured phonics books, fiction
non fiction. I've sold those around the world already and
now what we're going to do. What we're doing is
we're assessing. So basically, you read the book and then
the AI does assessment. We can do individualized assessment in
this previous world or the world that exists at the moment.
(22:49):
It's very teacher driven. What happens is a teacher has
to assess you individually, right, so it takes a lot
of time. You know, the teacher sits down and you
read to me, which is quite embarrassing. If I can
read very well, you read to me and then I
mark you. You know, okay, it's gone. Now. What we
do now is we take that you read the text
(23:10):
and then I can just worry about that child's reading ability.
So basically I can do an assessment, a quick assessment.
Just put the headset on, put the computer over the corner.
AI does it and then records the entire thing. You
can imagine we will save teachers hundreds and hundreds of
hours of time because a teacher at the moment is
(23:31):
we need the teacher to concentrate on helping children. We
need the teacher not filling out forms or you know,
doing a whole lot of other things. We need the
teacher to the magic of teachers is to give the
skill to work with a child is to achieve success.
But I need to know at any time whether that
(23:51):
child is really being successful. So this is incredible. AI
records it all with the words, test the child and
comes out with all the results, and the principal can
see it as well. And so we could assess the
entire country in New Zealand. I could assess the entire
country of New Zealand of every eleven and twelve year
old in this country. But they have to obviously use
(24:12):
my books as well. But you know, the situation is,
I suppose I've come up with this bloody hell what fun.
Oh by the way, when we tested this product before Christmas.
We tested it with some children. Do you know, it
was wonderful. It was mainly boys who were twelve, eleven
and twelve who really had trouble reading. And so you
(24:35):
know what they found was if I said to you,
I'm going to test you today, you know you're very
you get quite nervous about it, right and read this
passage to me and you know, and you're sitting there
and I'm listening to the child read that. But what
we found is when they worked directly on the computer,
they talked into the computer.
Speaker 4 (24:54):
It was like a game.
Speaker 3 (24:55):
In other words, they we're playing a game, because these
are great gamers, by the way, many of these children
are excellent at gaming, excellent gaming. And so you know,
they didn't feel embarrassed. You know, they were doing something
themselves and it wasn't like somebody watching you. Because if
you know, I don't know about you, but you know
I've said, if I'm going to do something and somebody
stands over me, you know, I'm quite nervous. It's a
(25:16):
nervous time. But this, of course is magic, and can
we do it? Can I save? All I'm trying to
do is I'm trying to hug the teachers of this country.
I think we need to celebrate the teachers every day
they go to work. They've got lots of children with issues.
I've got lots of problems. I think we need to
hug them. You know, I need to give them a
big hug and say we can do it together. We
(25:37):
can make a difference. You understand what I mean. Are
totally a virtually because they are the special people in
this country, you know, I know that. But their challenge
at the moment is very complicated. It's very difficult because
of the children.
Speaker 2 (25:51):
How do you sleep?
Speaker 3 (25:52):
Aren't you scared that one of your ideas having burying
it is sixty years? Which is quite a miracle, isn't it?
How are you're still given given up with me?
Speaker 4 (26:05):
Well? I do. I find it so exciting.
Speaker 2 (26:07):
But is how do you close your eyes when all
those ideas?
Speaker 3 (26:10):
No, I do close my eyes. But sometimes I'm working
on a project. I have a farm at Whitford and
basically I have a studio at the back which I
can go out there and not annoyed people and think
of it when the sun coming up over the harbor
and things. This morning it was beautiful the sun was
coming up, and you know, I don't know. I'm just
an energetic person, but maybe sometimes I get weary and
(26:33):
sometimes I haven't got an idea. But you know, when
you come up with a new product and you can
see the vision. And what I did last year, I
sent my team. I've got a great team young people,
people coming through, oh fabulous, sent them off to the
biggest tech show and said, blow your mind. You know
what you got to do is you got to take
(26:55):
people along with you. You can't just you can't just
be the super boss and you're coming to any mem
you know, Dai da. What you've got to do is
listen to what the people are doing as well and
just blow their mind.
Speaker 4 (27:05):
You know.
Speaker 3 (27:05):
They went there and they said, oh my god. You
know Google was doing this and Google was doing that,
and they came back with huge ideas and things.
Speaker 2 (27:11):
I actually wanted to ask you about your husband, because
he's vitally important to you and your success. But he's
very very quiet. He reminds me, and I know you're
a country Western fan, but he reminds me a bit
of Carl Dean to your Dolly Parton, you know, like
he's absolutely integral to what you're doing. Now.
Speaker 3 (27:28):
He's definite in his ideas. I'm probably you know, I'm
a Gemini, so I can be two things. You know,
I'm a housewife as well. I do cooking and preserving,
and my preserves a fabulous I've got a whole cupboard
full of preserves now. I make jam and chutney and
all those sort of things. No, I tend to live
I have, you know, it's this is the business world
I try to work in, and he puts up with it,
(27:49):
and then I work and you know, my private life
is really quite devoted to him and doing things.
Speaker 4 (27:55):
I think he just sits there waiting for another meal.
He's but it is.
Speaker 2 (28:00):
I mean I remember him seeing a business women's meeting
and one of the women racked up the audience a
bit when she said, one of the most important things
that you can attribute your success to is marrying the
right man or having the right partner.
Speaker 3 (28:14):
I think it's very challenging for women. You know often think,
you know, like I often think about you know, when
I go away. For example, he's coming with me to
London next week, but normally he would never come with
He doesn't come with me. I go on my own
I go off to New York or something for a week,
and you know, things like that, and I think of
all the things I have to do, make sure the
(28:35):
cat food's there, and this happens, and you know how
many frozen meals were gotten and whatever, you know, that
sort of thing. And then I think of our current
prime minister, for example, he jumps on the plane. Does
he have to think about the cat food and things
like that? You know, there's quite different. Women are different, really,
and it's very challenging if you have a partner, I think,
I say it's challenging because you have to consider the partner.
(28:58):
You have to think about their birthdays, be moulum away
are you know, if there's all this other things that
you have to think about. Where men have a large
you know men, I'm sure they have all the suits
laid out on, the underwear already packed in the case,
and then they go away, right, so they don't have
to think. And on the committees that I've been on,
many predominantly men male committees, and so they don't have
(29:22):
to think like that, which is quite different, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (29:24):
It really is. But it's a tricky dynamic so that
they understand that they are absolutely vital, but you're the
one getting all the attention.
Speaker 4 (29:34):
Well, they have to be quite.
Speaker 3 (29:37):
They have to be quite sort of broad minded about
it into a degree because a lot of people, you know,
New Zealand is still a male basically a male dominated country.
It's not necessarily not. You know, most women are in
public companies, they have their own private companies.
Speaker 4 (29:56):
It's quite difficult for them. I don't think it's easy.
Speaker 3 (29:59):
I think that younger women coming on have it a
bit easier, you know, they're sort of in corporations and
things that.
Speaker 4 (30:06):
Yeah, I think it's still tough. I think it's still tough.
Speaker 3 (30:09):
I think mentally we still are, even though we do
have some strong women in the current parliament, we mentally
are still very much male orientated. I believe that's not anyway,
and we're very agioist.
Speaker 4 (30:24):
You know. They have this thing about age.
Speaker 3 (30:26):
You know, sixty five today, I'm retiring today.
Speaker 4 (30:30):
What's that all about. I don't actually understand that.
Speaker 3 (30:32):
I mean, hello, unless they're working in a behavior construction,
So why are they're retiring. I mean, they can do
a huge amount in the community. You know, even if
they are retiring, they should be getting, you know, helping
out in the community and various other things.
Speaker 4 (30:43):
There's many things to do.
Speaker 3 (30:44):
Right, people sit around and what should you do today?
I walked my dog and I say I did a
contract with Hong Kong and a few other things, and
then they won't talk to me anymore.
Speaker 2 (30:56):
But yes, I mean, I think you are quite unique though,
in terms of your energy, your open mindedness, That's what
I mean. There's that indefinable something that you have that
that makes you stand up.
Speaker 4 (31:10):
Well, thank you for that.
Speaker 3 (31:11):
I would hope that we can contribute to the country.
We be a good citizen. And I mean in means
of good citizen, I hope that every child has learn
to read and becomes productive in the country. You know,
I always say to people, it doesn't matter what a
person does. You know, people go on going on to it.
And I said, they don't have to necessarily be, you know,
geniuses or whatever they have, but if they can read,
(31:35):
they can do something. They feel good about themselves. I've
seen that transition. I've seen it so many times. I've
seen the most wonderful things happen to children in a classroom.
I've been in classrooms all across the world, I've had
the fortunate life. In fact, I've had such a neat life. Really,
you know, I hope I'll get this. AI think game.
But anyway, so people haven't stopped me yet. But I think, yeah,
(31:58):
I think if you have something in a purpose, it's
a challenge. I love the challenge of the hunt, you know.
I love to think. Here we are as a little company.
You know, we're an eldeslie, this little company sitting here
and we're taking on the world. You know, we're gonna
We're gonna take on the world with all these people,
and we can do it. You know, we can make
it happen. But that really you can, exporters, you.
Speaker 2 (32:18):
Can, But have you got a succession plan? Have you
got somebody will be sold?
Speaker 3 (32:22):
The company will be sold. There's no success plan because
none of my relatives ever wanted anything to do with
the company. And you know, obviously I work for charities.
I have charities involved. I represent multiple Cross you know,
I help Model Cross with those and I also you know,
I have the hearing house. I'm very interested in cop
the rear transplant and the work there. And I'm interested in,
(32:45):
you know, and helping charities and Paralympics and things that people.
Speaker 2 (32:48):
So you know, you have given a lot, like in
terms of the ability teaching kids to read, You've given
a lot in terms of charity. Do you think it's
been a fair arrangement? Have you got back from the
people who matter.
Speaker 3 (33:06):
Well more than anything really? I mean, look, look, you
know I became a Dame, which was a great honor.
I've got the MBE before that, which is a great
honor because you can have your funeral memorial service in
Saint Paul's, you know that love a little chapel with
some balls.
Speaker 4 (33:22):
That's good. That's a good thing. I'll dig that in
a box, right, That's a good thing.
Speaker 3 (33:26):
And then and you know, I was made an honorary
doctorate in literacy from MASSI, which was a great honor
to be part of that. And I've been Entrepreneur of
the Year, and I've had awards internationally. I've had awards
one of the great exporters from Australia. I've had awards
at the Opera House. You know, I think maybe I've
(33:47):
had all those. I don't need any more awards. I
want awards to go to younger people.
Speaker 4 (33:51):
I just hope that.
Speaker 3 (33:53):
You know, we can inspire younger people, young women coming
on and men true that are coming on that really
can make give it a go, you know, give it
a go, you know, go out there and make it happen.
That's what I hope to do.
Speaker 2 (34:06):
And what's the best part of not having to worry
about paying the bills? What's the best part of having
a good stonking chunk of disposable leftover?
Speaker 4 (34:15):
I'm still, you know, reasonably responsible. I suppose.
Speaker 3 (34:22):
You're not having to think too much, but I still
use gravy beef for example. I wouldn't use I won't
use villa a state in the casserole. I think we
never changed, do we really? As our childhood, you know,
we were taught to have be respectful and we were
taught to live within our budget and things like that.
I don't, you know, I'm not frugal, but I still
(34:42):
think that I'm responsible and a good housekeeper. I would
say I'm a very good housekeeper. Actually, I mean goodness me, yes,
a very good house I just cooked a sponge yesterday
and I bought it to the office this morning.
Speaker 4 (34:54):
Everyone said, that is a very good sponge.
Speaker 2 (34:57):
But the race horses must be fun because even having
a tiny share of a race horse who don't care
whether they win at pied or or if they've won
the Wellington Cup. That warners the thing, isn't it?
Speaker 3 (35:07):
Well, yes, it's a sort of a racing Breeding race
horses and racing them is a great passion that Don
and I both have, right I can share it with
my husband.
Speaker 4 (35:19):
I can forget about.
Speaker 3 (35:20):
And the interesting thing about racing horses, it's made up
of everybody. It's made up of you know, probably people
who are Marjoram who knows what they're up to with
the crooks, and the other people who are wealthy, and
other people who have a dream, and other people who
have thing. And that's a good thing about it. But
breeding them is the ultimate to me. Anybody can buy
a race horse, you know, you can be rich and
you gone by racists. But I like to breed them.
(35:41):
I like to breed the champions. And to me, that
is the answer is when you bread the horse. And
so that's what I really like. You know, I like
the thought that you and my husband is very talented
and thinking about how you know, how you can look
at that stallion with that mayor you know what the
combination is and everything, and so we've had a bit
(36:02):
of fun with it. It's long term, of course, and
you know we do have and but it's good fun.
Speaker 2 (36:07):
I'm just going to ask you some quick buyo questions.
Then what are you reading at the moment.
Speaker 3 (36:15):
I'm really struggling with el muss book. I don't blame you,
really struggling. How do you switch off?
Speaker 4 (36:27):
How do I switch off?
Speaker 2 (36:28):
I don't think you ever do.
Speaker 3 (36:29):
I swim most mornings and sit in the spark pool. Oh,
We've had lots of horses, but probably Cycladius was one
of the best ones.
Speaker 1 (36:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (36:39):
Do you care about cars?
Speaker 3 (36:41):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (36:41):
Yes, I have to have a car.
Speaker 3 (36:43):
Overtake everyone in the lights and I often follow people
who intersept me and basically say, you know, I'm going
to follow you by the company and fire you.
Speaker 4 (36:53):
So I drive it.
Speaker 3 (36:54):
I used to drive a sub and the acceleration is
very good. You know, I prefer I wouldn't. Actually, you
know a Ferrari. I've got a Ferrari bushbike. Actually I
bought in New York. Actually, would you believe? So I've
got a Ferrari in the garage. It's a pushbike. People say,
have you got a Ferrari say yes, yes, I've got
a Ferrari Bushpike in the garage.
Speaker 2 (37:14):
Favorite place in the world.
Speaker 3 (37:19):
Hm. That's difficult, really, but I like New York. I've
got a beautiful apartment in New York.
Speaker 4 (37:28):
I like New York.
Speaker 3 (37:29):
I'm right around the corner from Trump Tower in New
York and Central Park.
Speaker 4 (37:33):
But it's difficult, you know.
Speaker 3 (37:35):
I think home is good to sitting at Witford looking
out over the harbor, and I have a huge vegetable
garden and I grow on my own vegetables and things.
Speaker 4 (37:43):
Yeah, you know, difficult.
Speaker 2 (37:45):
One mistake you'll never make again.
Speaker 4 (37:51):
Not owning the product.
Speaker 2 (37:54):
Your weakness.
Speaker 4 (37:56):
Impulsive.
Speaker 3 (37:58):
I have learnt I should really not rush into something.
Often I've fallen in love with something and I've rushed in.
I should take a deep breath and sleep on it.
But it is a it is a fault of mine.
Speaker 4 (38:11):
But I'm learning. I'm learning that.
Speaker 2 (38:15):
And what do you wish people knew about you? I
wish they knew that.
Speaker 3 (38:23):
Really, I'm really committed to try to help people in
the world or the thing. And it's not necessarily even
though you're successful in with sales, it's not necessarily if
you're delivering and you.
Speaker 4 (38:40):
Have a to me.
Speaker 3 (38:41):
You have to be accountable, and I want people to
know that I'm actually accountable. If I do something, I'm
accountable for what I've created, not just produce it for
the sake of making money out of it. I mean,
this is ridiculous because it is a world that we
live in. You have to be accountable.
Speaker 2 (39:00):
Do you know what. I just get the feeling talking
to you that you've only just begun.
Speaker 3 (39:07):
The career. I'm going to run out of time. I'm
going to run out of time. I wish I was
fifty with the development of AI now, I wish I
was fifty years of age. I really don't, you know.
It's so exciting and it's so development. What can we
do with this?
Speaker 4 (39:21):
Can we do it?
Speaker 3 (39:22):
Not only in medical science and what we can do?
It's very dangerous as well, and we need to harness it.
But what can we do to support people, to make
it easier for teachers on people and help them not
do the tedious jobs, Help take away those tedious jobs
for them, and allow them the time to nurture children
(39:42):
and to be successful, you know themselves. Really, I think
that's sort of to me as a goal you know.
I know, but I am going to run out of
time because I think that I think time is sticking
away quickly.
Speaker 2 (39:55):
And that was Wendy Pine from Sunshine Books. Isn't you
amazing love to get stuff done attitude. If you've enjoyed
this episode and you want to hear more, please follow
Bosses Unfiltered on iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts.
Next time, we're with Rod Duke from Brisco's, who tells
us why he became obsessed with working in a shop
(40:17):
as a teenager and the secret to a really good sale.
See you soon.
The big winds and the big losses, the hurdles, the
pivots and the emotions, raw and honest New Zealand's great
business minds like you've never heard them before. This is
Bosses Unfiltered with Kerry Woodham used talks' be.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Dame Wendy Pie is one of the most successful business
people in New Zealand. Her publishing company, Sunshine Books, has
sold more than three hundred million books worldwide and it's
made of a rich lister. She's taught countless more children
how to read and was the very first living woman
to be inducted into the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame.
(00:39):
But it hasn't all been easy. A life changing redundancy,
legal battles, many many deals that weren't closed. I'm Kerry Woodham.
This is Bosses Unfiltered and interview series about the hearts,
souls and minds of New Zealand's most successful businesses. Dame Wendy,
how do you get rich running an ethical business?
Speaker 3 (01:00):
Well, I always believe that you must do the right
thing by people. And if you believe in the product
and you can sell product, I mean you do have
to make money because without money you can't employ people,
and you can't do projects and make them work. Actually,
so I don't see any problem in making a profit
with a company or developing a strategy that makes money.
(01:21):
And I think that that as long as you keep
it and long as you do it in an ethical way,
I believe.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
And is that how you began. You wanted to do
good by teaching kids to read, but you wanted to
make money doing it.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
Well, I really didn't look at the money side too much,
but of course, but I you know, I do enjoy money.
I do enjoy, you know, a few little baubles in life,
like a few emeralds and a few things, so, you know,
and drinking champagne and racing lots of horses.
Speaker 4 (01:48):
That's expense, which was expensive.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
But I really believe that, you know, when I first began,
it was really when I met some children. I never
actually met anybody who couldn't read. We grew up in
a family where my mother was always We had a
very basic background, but my mother read to us, and
we read lots of books, and she read from the library.
Speaker 4 (02:10):
She went to the library and got.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
Books, and so it was really a rich literacy background
that I grew up on, even though it was in
a quite a primpt way and a farm, and I
just didn't understand how anybody couldn't read. And when I
read met these people who couldn't read, I thought, how
did they get on in life? You know? And someone
told me they go to the supermarket and I look at
the cans of baked beans, and they know that's baked beans.
Speaker 4 (02:32):
You know.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
I thought, you know, he's looked at the picture. You
know how you need to read? And I had never
met anyone. And then I thought, why don't we do
something about this? And that's when I linked up with
Joey Cowley and other authors in this country.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
And you basically built an internationally successful publishing company twice
because when you first linked up with those authors, the
first time it was for other people New Zealand News.
The second time it was for yourself.
Speaker 4 (02:58):
Yes, it was in the corporate world. Really.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
I rose in the corporate world from you know, like
sort of typing letters and doing things because I'd been
in an agency world in Australia. I immigrated from Australia.
We called it an immigration. Probably emigrated from Australia when
I met my husband. I married in a New Zealander.
My mother never forgave me for five years because Australians
don't marry in New Zealanders. But you know, anyway, with
settleday in New Zealand, and you know, I rose through
(03:21):
the through the company in a traditional way, and then
and then I worked, and then I became a senior
executive within the group. And then when Ron Briley and
his team took over the New Zelland News Group, they obviously,
you know, they really believed that they knew all about
newspapers and magazines and things. Of course, lots of people
(03:41):
believe they know about magazines and newspapers, but of course
they're not media people, are they.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
So so tell me about that redundancy because reading reading
about it in your book, it wasn't just getting rid
of a change merchant, somebody who had been bought in
to make change and then off you go, because it's
going to be settling having you there under the new regime.
It sounded really personal.
Speaker 4 (04:05):
Well it was personal. Really.
Speaker 3 (04:07):
It was a difficulty I'd been I had to look
after eight companies. I rose to the highest level in
the corporate world apart from Jemichard, who was editor for
the Woman's Weekly. At the time, she was a director
of the company, and there was a takeover and basically,
you know, I was put in charge to look at
a whole lot of projects and things like that, and
(04:28):
you know, I don't know, I still don't know, but
we had to change the weekly, and we left it
too long and the weekly was being eaten alive really
by glossy magazines. Generations were changing like they are now
looking at social media. Generations were changing. Women demanded, you know,
seeing something that wasn't three dimensional. You understand what I mean,
because it was printed on newsprint before and the weekly
(04:50):
was sort of like the mainstay of the country. And
I was put in charge to reconstruct the weekly. It
had been too late.
Speaker 4 (04:56):
Really, it was too late.
Speaker 3 (04:57):
But of course I probably was a sacrificial now to
a degree, you know, because it wasn't working fast enough
for them. When they fired me, it was almost incredible. Really,
think why they find me, you know, to be escorted
off the place like a criminal was quite incredible.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
You can't have had much experience with setbacks, because it
was you went from job to job and each one
was more interesting and better, and then all of a
sudden you rocked back on your expensive leather hills.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
Well, I think redundancy is I think the other thing
that I found quite interesting was the people who reached
out to me, Not only the clients I'm talking about class,
came from all around the world and said what have
they done? Even Bruce Hancocks and the Braley group said
what have they done? You must have flattened the managing
director or something and punched him in the nose or something.
(05:44):
Said no nose, but you're one of our champions.
Speaker 4 (05:46):
What have you done?
Speaker 3 (05:47):
And so it was really interesting time for the time,
and you can reflect. I think redundancy is quite interesting
because you learn to reflect on your life and you
reflect on where you were going and what you really
want to achieve and what's the next step in your life.
It's an important time. You know, you don't need to
rush out. But I had huge overwhelming response from everybody,
(06:08):
and that was sort of like people just rang me
and said what do you need? You know? Some great
publishers came to me and said what else do you need?
You know? And other people said, like Heineman Publishing a
u K. Said well, buy all your product. What are
you going to produce? For us, come up with a chart,
get on the plane and come to London. You know.
I mean, when you have that sort of support, it's
(06:29):
really welcoming. And my staff, of course, who are still
with me now, they all joined me from the core pressing.
We didn't have much money, you know what I mean,
but we made it work, and I actually i'd work
for I had to get a job, I think with
Lotto or something. I got a job with the Rubert
Murdock group because of the Rubert Murdoch group was around.
So I got a job with them too, you know,
just to pay some bills. They made me something to
(06:51):
do a report anyone, you know, write these results for people,
you know, consultancy. I hate consultancy because you give people
your ideas eventually and then they become rich and you
don't become But you know, it was an interesting time.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
But when it comes to setting up a company, was
it easier to set up Sunshine because you'd set up
a company once before, you had the contacts?
Speaker 3 (07:11):
I mean obviously there was I don't think I don't
think it was easier because I was being sued, of course,
I mean, you know, people come after me, lots.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
Of people that's what I mean about it being personal.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
Well, they really make it personal. You know, how DAEs
she go? How dares she go out to the world
and do that? And you know, almost on Christmas Eve
they serve notice on me. But I had very very
good legal people, and I always advise in my book
that you never ever think that you don't need good
legal people, because when the chips are down, it's a
lonely business. Running your own business is quite lonely. It's
(07:39):
not a in the corporate world. It's really wonderful sometimes
because you can have a coffee with a colleague, or
you can share with somebody that you're fed up with
that person the way they treat you, or you can
do all sorts of things like that. But when you're
on your own, when you're the lone star in other words,
it's very difficult, very lonely, and it's not an easy
(08:00):
thing to do. And so you have to have a
good lawyer who can become part of your family in
other words. And you know, and we had some wonderful
stories about that.
Speaker 2 (08:09):
They tried to sue you about the show.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
They basically wanted me to not publish and they said
that I had copied, well, I built the corporation. I
built that company for them. I'd gone out to the
world and sold it. But never mind. The thing is
that you can't be better. You know, I'm not better
with anybody. I just wish them luck. I don't think
they're around it anymore anyway, but I wish them luck.
Maybe maybe we can look up at the sky and
(08:33):
wish them luck. So how's they kiss?
Speaker 2 (08:35):
Bless and release? I think as one of the phrases
to I mean, I found I found that really quite
painful reading that section of the book. There was a
lot you didn't say, you do.
Speaker 3 (08:46):
You do feel destroyed and really, basically they try to
destroy me completely. It's a huge to destroy me credibility.
And it was a tough time because we were heading
into the stock market crash. When we think of New Zealand,
we will think twenty percent interest was the average interest rate.
Twenty percent interest was the average interest rate. When you
have to run your own company, you have to actually
(09:07):
look at money. You have to get money to pay staff.
I mean, you know, I mean I worked as a consultant.
I can always earn some money as a consultant, and
you know, to pay the staff wages and you take
no wages yourself. But it was really, you know, ridiculous,
really because you had to. And that's why I went
offshore to borrow the money. I went the only time
I've ever borrowed in I never used the money, No,
(09:28):
you never did. I never used the money.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
I love that story of you meeting the man on
the plane marching into the bank in Hong Kong.
Speaker 4 (09:34):
It's a story of my life.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
It's a fabulous story.
Speaker 4 (09:37):
It's a story of my life.
Speaker 3 (09:38):
I meet lots of wonderful people, but you see, when
you do I really believe in the philosophy is that
if you do good and if you put something back
into the world, you get rewarded, and you get rewarded
so much that it's unbelievable. That's not money reward I'm
talking about. It's a personal reward you get if you don't.
(09:58):
You know, if you spend your life cheating people and
trying to maneuver people and do all sorts of things
to people, what sort of a life is that? I
think it's just the lonely life really.
Speaker 4 (10:08):
You know.
Speaker 3 (10:08):
I know, for example, if my car breaks down and
I'm in Wanganui, I know, there's a parent will have
me for lunch?
Speaker 4 (10:14):
How's that? Or something?
Speaker 3 (10:16):
You know, because all of these wonderful people around the
world around New Zealand have grown up on Sunshine books
and they're three generations now.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
I do wonder sometimes, like a lot of the times
when you walk into a meeting, things happen like as
you say, you know, wonderful things happened when you were
there in person. Do you think you've got an indefinable
X factor that other winners pick up an I'm.
Speaker 4 (10:42):
Not really, I think really, I don't know.
Speaker 3 (10:44):
It's just been good, Like there has been a whole
lot of bad days too, you know, not always good.
I mean most of the time it's bad anyway. But
the thing is that I think you have to just
look at it. You have to try to develop something.
If you're selling something, for example, you really have to
package it in a way that they will understand the
person you're selling it and also they will believe what
(11:09):
you're saying. I think the hardest thing for me is
most people in New Zealand don't believe that it's very
unusual because people don't understand, you know, the sun never
sets right now, right someone in the world is learning
to read on product we've developed, on the talent of
New Zealanders. How we've developed that. You know, I'm so
proud of that. Aren't you proud of that? Isn't that fantastic?
(11:29):
You know, we need to go into the world and
scream about it and say it's fantastic.
Speaker 4 (11:32):
You know, it's not all doom and gloom and doom
and gloom all the time.
Speaker 3 (11:36):
And you know, I like to think that, and I
like to look at my watch and think, who in
the world. I mean, they're coming on stream now in
West Australia as we talk now, they'll be coming on
stream soon after that. They'll be coming on in Turkey
across Turkey, and then they'll be moving on to England
as well, and they're all learning to read on product
we developed.
Speaker 4 (11:54):
I think that's so wonderful.
Speaker 3 (11:56):
It is wonderful. It is absolutely special. It's special, you
know what I mean, it's really special. I know we
do everything, and you know it's all great and the
you know, we do things in milk and butter and
whatever we do or something, but this is so special
because it touches the hearts of people and makes people
really helps them becomes good citizens.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
I am so with you on the literacy because I
think that our prisons are full of people who can't
read and write. If you can't express yourself, if you
can't if you can't see the richness the world has
to offer you through reading. You might come from a
background that's impoverished, but your mind doesn't have to be
you know, it's limitless. That's when books are given to
(12:40):
you as a child. You can escape the misery of
your childhood with books. And I don't know what's happened.
We used to be at the front of education, at
the forefront of education, and now we're just well.
Speaker 3 (12:53):
I suppose you know, in probably my major disappointment, my
major disappointment, if I had disappointments in the sense of
why can't we embrace that, Why can't we look at
private enterprise and government working together. Private enterprise and government
work together. For example, you know, building going to be
investing in buildings, right or something? Private enterprise and government
(13:16):
work together. In the fishery industry and other industries. I
work with hundreds and hundreds of schools across this country.
In fact, one thousand schools across this country. Why can't
we celebrate that? Why can't we say, you know, are
they afraid that I'm going to earn a little bit
more money. That's ridiculous because I donate a whole lot
of things through my Foundation for Digital for Mari Pacific
old and Children. I'm really committed to helping children earn
(13:38):
to read. We're a small country. We have to we
have to solve the literacy problem of this country. We
are a very small country. We've got limited resources that
we have assault so goodness say, you know, let's get
off our pedestal and make it happen.
Speaker 4 (13:54):
And am I know the million, the.
Speaker 3 (13:56):
Thousands of parents have been listening to this, have grown
up on Sunshine books anyway. But you know.
Speaker 4 (14:01):
There's a reluctance. I don't know why. What is this problem?
Speaker 2 (14:07):
It's yeah, it's fascinating because do you believe that you
can solve the literacy problems we have in New Zealand.
Speaker 3 (14:14):
I think the first problem is we've got to get
all the children to school. I think there should be
a major, major you know, I've worked in Northland. I
was just going to say under projects I've done in
Northland under my foundation, I've given a lot of money
to schools and my foundation of my foundation, and I think,
you know.
Speaker 4 (14:30):
The problem is we're going to get because of school.
Speaker 3 (14:32):
Once you get them in the school gate, we can
do lots of things with them, right, but there are
thousands of children who are not going to school, so
we need to get them to school. There's also we
have lost three years in education with many children not
attending school. We have a crisis on our hands. This
is a crisis. Basically, we need to make sure that
everybody puts their shoulders to the wheel.
Speaker 4 (14:55):
That's not only me, but.
Speaker 3 (14:56):
Other publishing houses, the government, everyone worked together, listen to
what we can do. But we've got to get the
children to school. And my solution to that is, for example,
in the Northern Project, my simple solution is that I've
worked with senior Mari women many, many times across the country.
I find fabulous. There's some Mari people that are fabulous, right.
I know, people think, oh, they may be protesting or
(15:17):
whatever I'm talking about. There's some really really fabulous people
Mari people. Right. I would go to those people and say,
I'm going to give you four families, four families in
the next two terms. I want those children at school,
go and find out what the issues are. I pay
them some mileage or whatever. It's only peanuts stuff to
get the kids to school, right, Get them to school,
(15:38):
whether it's a minibus or whatever it is, get them
to school, and then we can make a difference in
looking at what we can do. But if you can't
get them to school, you're not going to make a difference.
Speaker 2 (15:48):
Then what about the dyslexia? Does each child need a
teacher aide with them?
Speaker 3 (15:52):
While well, we need some infrastructure in that. And you know,
education is a big budget area and we do need infrastructure,
and we don't need to look at you know, you
can change policy, you can change all sorts of things,
but you know what you need is you need a commitment.
I work with hundreds and hundreds of teachers across this
country and they really stress.
Speaker 4 (16:13):
At the moment. You know, we can't just push any
more on them. They're stressed.
Speaker 3 (16:17):
We've got children who need help. They need help in
the school. They need they don't need necessarily trained teachers
to work with those individual and they just listen to
listen to their reading. We're doing a project with a
team at Otoho College. At the moment you're on a project,
and there's an example where business people have extended out
and working one to one with the boys there. These
(16:38):
are twelve and thirteen year olds. Don't read this is
a disaster. I mean, what are these you're going to do?
Speaker 4 (16:43):
Right?
Speaker 3 (16:44):
You know, we are creating a social welfare system which
will grow right, and we can't afford that as a country.
So we really need to work together. We need people
to come up with ideas, come up with innovative ideas, right,
and how is this going to happen?
Speaker 2 (17:00):
So that's what you're doing. You've got two really exciting
projects on the go. Tell me about those.
Speaker 3 (17:05):
What has really fascinated me is the gaming industry. I
think the gaming industry is the most amazing industry because
it actually most.
Speaker 4 (17:15):
Of it was rubbish.
Speaker 3 (17:16):
I don't believe in a lot of the games, but anyway,
but it has captured the minds of many people and
the gaming has become so successful. So what I thought was,
can I imagine if we put an educational publisher, pure
educational publisher like me, and we can put it with
the second second largest gaming company in the world, a
billion dollar company, and we put those two together, and
(17:38):
I learned from the gaming, and they learned from me
right and the education, and we created a game and
then we put the right colors in it. We made
it colorful of what we know that helped dyslexic children.
So I invited is a company called actually it's a
spin off of a company called gl which is on
the nastic actually in America. Did my Chinese friends and
(18:01):
we sat down the route right and we said, okay,
so I'm going to do this. So we did the prototype.
We brought it back to New Zealand, we bought it,
were working on it. Our team and the other team
were working on it. We brought it back and we
tried it with some four year olds. Couldn't put it down.
Isn't that amazing? Every day they learned to read. So
that's one of my projects I'm working on. And then
the second project I'm working on is that I'm to
(18:24):
me the greatest probably invention since the Internet. And I
grew up with the Internet, remember the Internet when I
first started my publishing. How the Internet didn't exist, but
I know didn't exist, and we didn't have you know,
we had the first fax machine and was wonderful little computer,
those Apple computers with the screen that was so tiny
and well stood around and wondered what was going to
happen near you buy.
Speaker 2 (18:43):
Shears and Apple. You were one of the first people to.
Speaker 4 (18:45):
Work ten Yeah.
Speaker 3 (18:46):
I bought them for five dollars. Actually I yeah, good lord.
Someone said to me there was a sheerbroker who said.
Speaker 4 (18:54):
That company will never do anything.
Speaker 3 (18:56):
Hello, that's the advice you get from financial advisors, critical
fin what I'm thinking. But the situation is that the
thing is that, you know, I believe that you AI
is probably the greatest and one of the greatest inventions
since the Internet, you know, because previously, of course, you know,
(19:16):
the Internet was invelched, and I thought we could teach
kids to read. Right, I cashed up and I'd made
a lot of money in America, and I came back
to New Zealand and I built a building in Mount Wellington,
and I've got a whole lot of team of people,
and said, why don't we create something like we've done.
You don't put a piece of paper on the wall
and create a reading program on the internet. People said,
you're mad. No one's going to use the Internet for that.
(19:37):
And then I produced the prototype. Then I went out
to the world, and everyone just laughed at me and said,
it's ridiculous.
Speaker 2 (19:44):
I think you're a bit ahead of your time sometimes
reading in the book, some of you know, when you
did have another idea and another idea, you were just
ahead of the curve, weren't you.
Speaker 3 (19:53):
Well, we were really ahead of the curve in this time.
I mean the British telecom people. I remember sitting in
this very boring office and people very you know, very
voices saying to me, you know, Queen's vannersh brother was saying,
the Internet will only have messages on it.
Speaker 4 (20:08):
I said, really, you know, that's interesting.
Speaker 3 (20:10):
I wish I'd taken their business card because I could
go back and haunt them.
Speaker 4 (20:12):
Now, probably the Internet was great, and then about.
Speaker 3 (20:17):
Probably April last year, I just really couldn't believe what
AI could do.
Speaker 4 (20:25):
I couldn't believe that this is.
Speaker 3 (20:27):
People who are big, successful people in the mass market
in America have said at this moment, AI is like
the dial up of the Internet. Remember we had the
dial up, which you know, most people listening they not
remember that, but you know, used to cut off and
we used to do drag and drop and we used
to take sit there for about two minutes, three minutes,
(20:49):
Wait it comes on the screen because it was so slow, right,
I mean, you know it was very slow.
Speaker 4 (20:55):
And they said to me, Wendy, it is like the
dial up. We are at what we call the stage
of revolution. How exciting, how exciting to.
Speaker 3 (21:05):
Live through hot metal to begin with in my life,
to then see the computer, to then walk into us,
to walking the studio today, for example, walking past all
those screens, to be in the newspaper industry when a
screen didn't even exist in a linertop operator and we
then they would lock up the stone and you would
(21:27):
have to do the proofing and the magazines.
Speaker 4 (21:30):
How fantastic.
Speaker 3 (21:31):
And then move to computers and then move to the
world of what we know now just as a global
village and the world never stops.
Speaker 4 (21:38):
And then move to social media and what we're doing.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
The honor story of being in business talking the wins
and the losses bosses unfeltered with Kerry Woodham on iHeartRadio.
How would my news talks be wins, losses and the
real stories behind our great companies? Bosses unf filed with
Kerry wood Have on iHeartRadio powered by newstalksb.
Speaker 2 (22:04):
What's AI going to do for literacy?
Speaker 3 (22:06):
Well, AI can At the moment. What we're working on
is we're working really on taking the printed We've come
out with the next range of printed books for the
intermediate school and junior high school children who have missed
many formative years during the COVID years. So we've come
up with a wonderful series of New Zealand authors as
(22:27):
well a series very structured, very structured phonics books, fiction
non fiction. I've sold those around the world already and
now what we're going to do. What we're doing is
we're assessing. So basically, you read the book and then
the AI does assessment. We can do individualized assessment in
this previous world or the world that exists at the moment.
(22:49):
It's very teacher driven. What happens is a teacher has
to assess you individually, right, so it takes a lot
of time. You know, the teacher sits down and you
read to me, which is quite embarrassing. If I can
read very well, you read to me and then I
mark you. You know, okay, it's gone. Now. What we
do now is we take that you read the text
(23:10):
and then I can just worry about that child's reading ability.
So basically I can do an assessment, a quick assessment.
Just put the headset on, put the computer over the corner.
AI does it and then records the entire thing. You
can imagine we will save teachers hundreds and hundreds of
hours of time because a teacher at the moment is
(23:31):
we need the teacher to concentrate on helping children. We
need the teacher not filling out forms or you know,
doing a whole lot of other things. We need the
teacher to the magic of teachers is to give the
skill to work with a child is to achieve success.
But I need to know at any time whether that
(23:51):
child is really being successful. So this is incredible. AI
records it all with the words, test the child and
comes out with all the results, and the principal can
see it as well. And so we could assess the
entire country in New Zealand. I could assess the entire
country of New Zealand of every eleven and twelve year
old in this country. But they have to obviously use
(24:12):
my books as well. But you know, the situation is,
I suppose I've come up with this bloody hell what fun.
Oh by the way, when we tested this product before Christmas.
We tested it with some children. Do you know, it
was wonderful. It was mainly boys who were twelve, eleven
and twelve who really had trouble reading. And so you
(24:35):
know what they found was if I said to you,
I'm going to test you today, you know you're very
you get quite nervous about it, right and read this
passage to me and you know, and you're sitting there
and I'm listening to the child read that. But what
we found is when they worked directly on the computer,
they talked into the computer.
Speaker 4 (24:54):
It was like a game.
Speaker 3 (24:55):
In other words, they we're playing a game, because these
are great gamers, by the way, many of these children
are excellent at gaming, excellent gaming. And so you know,
they didn't feel embarrassed. You know, they were doing something
themselves and it wasn't like somebody watching you. Because if
you know, I don't know about you, but you know
I've said, if I'm going to do something and somebody
stands over me, you know, I'm quite nervous. It's a
(25:16):
nervous time. But this, of course is magic, and can
we do it? Can I save? All I'm trying to
do is I'm trying to hug the teachers of this country.
I think we need to celebrate the teachers every day
they go to work. They've got lots of children with issues.
I've got lots of problems. I think we need to
hug them. You know, I need to give them a
big hug and say we can do it together. We
(25:37):
can make a difference. You understand what I mean. Are
totally a virtually because they are the special people in
this country, you know, I know that. But their challenge
at the moment is very complicated. It's very difficult because
of the children.
Speaker 2 (25:51):
How do you sleep?
Speaker 3 (25:52):
Aren't you scared that one of your ideas having burying
it is sixty years? Which is quite a miracle, isn't it?
How are you're still given given up with me?
Speaker 4 (26:05):
Well? I do. I find it so exciting.
Speaker 2 (26:07):
But is how do you close your eyes when all
those ideas?
Speaker 3 (26:10):
No, I do close my eyes. But sometimes I'm working
on a project. I have a farm at Whitford and
basically I have a studio at the back which I
can go out there and not annoyed people and think
of it when the sun coming up over the harbor
and things. This morning it was beautiful the sun was
coming up, and you know, I don't know. I'm just
an energetic person, but maybe sometimes I get weary and
(26:33):
sometimes I haven't got an idea. But you know, when
you come up with a new product and you can
see the vision. And what I did last year, I
sent my team. I've got a great team young people,
people coming through, oh fabulous, sent them off to the
biggest tech show and said, blow your mind. You know
what you got to do is you got to take
(26:55):
people along with you. You can't just you can't just
be the super boss and you're coming to any mem
you know, Dai da. What you've got to do is
listen to what the people are doing as well and
just blow their mind.
Speaker 4 (27:05):
You know.
Speaker 3 (27:05):
They went there and they said, oh my god. You
know Google was doing this and Google was doing that,
and they came back with huge ideas and things.
Speaker 2 (27:11):
I actually wanted to ask you about your husband, because
he's vitally important to you and your success. But he's
very very quiet. He reminds me, and I know you're
a country Western fan, but he reminds me a bit
of Carl Dean to your Dolly Parton, you know, like
he's absolutely integral to what you're doing. Now.
Speaker 3 (27:28):
He's definite in his ideas. I'm probably you know, I'm
a Gemini, so I can be two things. You know,
I'm a housewife as well. I do cooking and preserving,
and my preserves a fabulous I've got a whole cupboard
full of preserves now. I make jam and chutney and
all those sort of things. No, I tend to live
I have, you know, it's this is the business world
I try to work in, and he puts up with it,
(27:49):
and then I work and you know, my private life
is really quite devoted to him and doing things.
Speaker 4 (27:55):
I think he just sits there waiting for another meal.
He's but it is.
Speaker 2 (28:00):
I mean I remember him seeing a business women's meeting
and one of the women racked up the audience a
bit when she said, one of the most important things
that you can attribute your success to is marrying the
right man or having the right partner.
Speaker 3 (28:14):
I think it's very challenging for women. You know often think,
you know, like I often think about you know, when
I go away. For example, he's coming with me to
London next week, but normally he would never come with
He doesn't come with me. I go on my own
I go off to New York or something for a week,
and you know, things like that, and I think of
all the things I have to do, make sure the
(28:35):
cat food's there, and this happens, and you know how
many frozen meals were gotten and whatever, you know, that
sort of thing. And then I think of our current
prime minister, for example, he jumps on the plane. Does
he have to think about the cat food and things
like that? You know, there's quite different. Women are different, really,
and it's very challenging if you have a partner, I think,
I say it's challenging because you have to consider the partner.
(28:58):
You have to think about their birthdays, be moulum away
are you know, if there's all this other things that
you have to think about. Where men have a large
you know men, I'm sure they have all the suits
laid out on, the underwear already packed in the case,
and then they go away, right, so they don't have
to think. And on the committees that I've been on,
many predominantly men male committees, and so they don't have
(29:22):
to think like that, which is quite different, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (29:24):
It really is. But it's a tricky dynamic so that
they understand that they are absolutely vital, but you're the
one getting all the attention.
Speaker 4 (29:34):
Well, they have to be quite.
Speaker 3 (29:37):
They have to be quite sort of broad minded about
it into a degree because a lot of people, you know,
New Zealand is still a male basically a male dominated country.
It's not necessarily not. You know, most women are in
public companies, they have their own private companies.
Speaker 4 (29:56):
It's quite difficult for them. I don't think it's easy.
Speaker 3 (29:59):
I think that younger women coming on have it a
bit easier, you know, they're sort of in corporations and
things that.
Speaker 4 (30:06):
Yeah, I think it's still tough. I think it's still tough.
Speaker 3 (30:09):
I think mentally we still are, even though we do
have some strong women in the current parliament, we mentally
are still very much male orientated. I believe that's not anyway,
and we're very agioist.
Speaker 4 (30:24):
You know. They have this thing about age.
Speaker 3 (30:26):
You know, sixty five today, I'm retiring today.
Speaker 4 (30:30):
What's that all about. I don't actually understand that.
Speaker 3 (30:32):
I mean, hello, unless they're working in a behavior construction,
So why are they're retiring. I mean, they can do
a huge amount in the community. You know, even if
they are retiring, they should be getting, you know, helping
out in the community and various other things.
Speaker 4 (30:43):
There's many things to do.
Speaker 3 (30:44):
Right, people sit around and what should you do today?
I walked my dog and I say I did a
contract with Hong Kong and a few other things, and
then they won't talk to me anymore.
Speaker 2 (30:56):
But yes, I mean, I think you are quite unique though,
in terms of your energy, your open mindedness, That's what
I mean. There's that indefinable something that you have that
that makes you stand up.
Speaker 4 (31:10):
Well, thank you for that.
Speaker 3 (31:11):
I would hope that we can contribute to the country.
We be a good citizen. And I mean in means
of good citizen, I hope that every child has learn
to read and becomes productive in the country. You know,
I always say to people, it doesn't matter what a
person does. You know, people go on going on to it.
And I said, they don't have to necessarily be, you know,
geniuses or whatever they have, but if they can read,
(31:35):
they can do something. They feel good about themselves. I've
seen that transition. I've seen it so many times. I've
seen the most wonderful things happen to children in a classroom.
I've been in classrooms all across the world, I've had
the fortunate life. In fact, I've had such a neat life. Really,
you know, I hope I'll get this. AI think game.
But anyway, so people haven't stopped me yet. But I think, yeah,
(31:58):
I think if you have something in a purpose, it's
a challenge. I love the challenge of the hunt, you know.
I love to think. Here we are as a little company.
You know, we're an eldeslie, this little company sitting here
and we're taking on the world. You know, we're gonna
We're gonna take on the world with all these people,
and we can do it. You know, we can make
it happen. But that really you can, exporters, you.
Speaker 2 (32:18):
Can, But have you got a succession plan? Have you
got somebody will be sold?
Speaker 3 (32:22):
The company will be sold. There's no success plan because
none of my relatives ever wanted anything to do with
the company. And you know, obviously I work for charities.
I have charities involved. I represent multiple Cross you know,
I help Model Cross with those and I also you know,
I have the hearing house. I'm very interested in cop
the rear transplant and the work there. And I'm interested in,
(32:45):
you know, and helping charities and Paralympics and things that people.
Speaker 2 (32:48):
So you know, you have given a lot, like in
terms of the ability teaching kids to read, You've given
a lot in terms of charity. Do you think it's
been a fair arrangement? Have you got back from the
people who matter.
Speaker 3 (33:06):
Well more than anything really? I mean, look, look, you
know I became a Dame, which was a great honor.
I've got the MBE before that, which is a great
honor because you can have your funeral memorial service in
Saint Paul's, you know that love a little chapel with
some balls.
Speaker 4 (33:22):
That's good. That's a good thing. I'll dig that in
a box, right, That's a good thing.
Speaker 3 (33:26):
And then and you know, I was made an honorary
doctorate in literacy from MASSI, which was a great honor
to be part of that. And I've been Entrepreneur of
the Year, and I've had awards internationally. I've had awards
one of the great exporters from Australia. I've had awards
at the Opera House. You know, I think maybe I've
(33:47):
had all those. I don't need any more awards. I
want awards to go to younger people.
Speaker 4 (33:51):
I just hope that.
Speaker 3 (33:53):
You know, we can inspire younger people, young women coming
on and men true that are coming on that really
can make give it a go, you know, give it
a go, you know, go out there and make it happen.
That's what I hope to do.
Speaker 2 (34:06):
And what's the best part of not having to worry
about paying the bills? What's the best part of having
a good stonking chunk of disposable leftover?
Speaker 4 (34:15):
I'm still, you know, reasonably responsible. I suppose.
Speaker 3 (34:22):
You're not having to think too much, but I still
use gravy beef for example. I wouldn't use I won't
use villa a state in the casserole. I think we
never changed, do we really? As our childhood, you know,
we were taught to have be respectful and we were
taught to live within our budget and things like that.
I don't, you know, I'm not frugal, but I still
(34:42):
think that I'm responsible and a good housekeeper. I would
say I'm a very good housekeeper. Actually, I mean goodness me, yes,
a very good house I just cooked a sponge yesterday
and I bought it to the office this morning.
Speaker 4 (34:54):
Everyone said, that is a very good sponge.
Speaker 2 (34:57):
But the race horses must be fun because even having
a tiny share of a race horse who don't care
whether they win at pied or or if they've won
the Wellington Cup. That warners the thing, isn't it?
Speaker 3 (35:07):
Well, yes, it's a sort of a racing Breeding race
horses and racing them is a great passion that Don
and I both have, right I can share it with
my husband.
Speaker 4 (35:19):
I can forget about.
Speaker 3 (35:20):
And the interesting thing about racing horses, it's made up
of everybody. It's made up of you know, probably people
who are Marjoram who knows what they're up to with
the crooks, and the other people who are wealthy, and
other people who have a dream, and other people who
have thing. And that's a good thing about it. But
breeding them is the ultimate to me. Anybody can buy
a race horse, you know, you can be rich and
you gone by racists. But I like to breed them.
(35:41):
I like to breed the champions. And to me, that
is the answer is when you bread the horse. And
so that's what I really like. You know, I like
the thought that you and my husband is very talented
and thinking about how you know, how you can look
at that stallion with that mayor you know what the
combination is and everything, and so we've had a bit
(36:02):
of fun with it. It's long term, of course, and
you know we do have and but it's good fun.
Speaker 2 (36:07):
I'm just going to ask you some quick buyo questions.
Then what are you reading at the moment.
Speaker 3 (36:15):
I'm really struggling with el muss book. I don't blame you,
really struggling. How do you switch off?
Speaker 4 (36:27):
How do I switch off?
Speaker 2 (36:28):
I don't think you ever do.
Speaker 3 (36:29):
I swim most mornings and sit in the spark pool. Oh,
We've had lots of horses, but probably Cycladius was one
of the best ones.
Speaker 1 (36:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (36:39):
Do you care about cars?
Speaker 3 (36:41):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (36:41):
Yes, I have to have a car.
Speaker 3 (36:43):
Overtake everyone in the lights and I often follow people
who intersept me and basically say, you know, I'm going
to follow you by the company and fire you.
Speaker 4 (36:53):
So I drive it.
Speaker 3 (36:54):
I used to drive a sub and the acceleration is
very good. You know, I prefer I wouldn't. Actually, you
know a Ferrari. I've got a Ferrari bushbike. Actually I
bought in New York. Actually, would you believe? So I've
got a Ferrari in the garage. It's a pushbike. People say,
have you got a Ferrari say yes, yes, I've got
a Ferrari Bushpike in the garage.
Speaker 2 (37:14):
Favorite place in the world.
Speaker 3 (37:19):
Hm. That's difficult, really, but I like New York. I've
got a beautiful apartment in New York.
Speaker 4 (37:28):
I like New York.
Speaker 3 (37:29):
I'm right around the corner from Trump Tower in New
York and Central Park.
Speaker 4 (37:33):
But it's difficult, you know.
Speaker 3 (37:35):
I think home is good to sitting at Witford looking
out over the harbor, and I have a huge vegetable
garden and I grow on my own vegetables and things.
Speaker 4 (37:43):
Yeah, you know, difficult.
Speaker 2 (37:45):
One mistake you'll never make again.
Speaker 4 (37:51):
Not owning the product.
Speaker 2 (37:54):
Your weakness.
Speaker 4 (37:56):
Impulsive.
Speaker 3 (37:58):
I have learnt I should really not rush into something.
Often I've fallen in love with something and I've rushed in.
I should take a deep breath and sleep on it.
But it is a it is a fault of mine.
Speaker 4 (38:11):
But I'm learning. I'm learning that.
Speaker 2 (38:15):
And what do you wish people knew about you? I
wish they knew that.
Speaker 3 (38:23):
Really, I'm really committed to try to help people in
the world or the thing. And it's not necessarily even
though you're successful in with sales, it's not necessarily if
you're delivering and you.
Speaker 4 (38:40):
Have a to me.
Speaker 3 (38:41):
You have to be accountable, and I want people to
know that I'm actually accountable. If I do something, I'm
accountable for what I've created, not just produce it for
the sake of making money out of it. I mean,
this is ridiculous because it is a world that we
live in. You have to be accountable.
Speaker 2 (39:00):
Do you know what. I just get the feeling talking
to you that you've only just begun.
Speaker 3 (39:07):
The career. I'm going to run out of time. I'm
going to run out of time. I wish I was
fifty with the development of AI now, I wish I
was fifty years of age. I really don't, you know.
It's so exciting and it's so development. What can we
do with this?
Speaker 4 (39:21):
Can we do it?
Speaker 3 (39:22):
Not only in medical science and what we can do?
It's very dangerous as well, and we need to harness it.
But what can we do to support people, to make
it easier for teachers on people and help them not
do the tedious jobs, Help take away those tedious jobs
for them, and allow them the time to nurture children
(39:42):
and to be successful, you know themselves. Really, I think
that's sort of to me as a goal you know.
I know, but I am going to run out of
time because I think that I think time is sticking
away quickly.
Speaker 2 (39:55):
And that was Wendy Pine from Sunshine Books. Isn't you
amazing love to get stuff done attitude. If you've enjoyed
this episode and you want to hear more, please follow
Bosses Unfiltered on iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts.
Next time, we're with Rod Duke from Brisco's, who tells
us why he became obsessed with working in a shop
(40:17):
as a teenager and the secret to a really good sale.
See you soon.
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