…oh, how I used to hate it as a schoolgirl when my mum would announce on the last Friday of the holidays: “Children, from today we go to bed earlier again, because on Monday real life starts back up.” Well – my real life has been back in full swing for four weeks now. Or to put it another way: I have a weekend again! Which means I’m back at work – and can finally appreciate Saturdays and Sundays the way they deserve to be 😉

Rewind: the fear of the worst case

The decision to quit my job in Germany and start an adventure in NZ was preceded by several months of weighing things up. Including the question of whether you can really just walk away from a good job at a large, well-respected employer – with all the security, the reputation you’ve built, the mutual trust and appreciation. Especially when you have no idea what the new country has in store for you professionally.

I always like to prepare for the worst case – and then feel pleasantly surprised when things turn out better. Once I’d made peace with the fact that finding a job in NZ is by no means a given – let alone one that qualifies for a Residency application – I prepared accordingly (see the “Prostitution Blog”). A crucial piece of the puzzle was also Thomas’ student visa, which automatically gave me a work visa. And a bit of luck never hurts either.

The next step was bracing myself for the worst case when it came to actually working in NZ. Because you hear it all the time: Germans are considered very direct – and that can clash quite spectacularly with the Kiwi mentality. Where Germans name problems clearly and address them head-on, Kiwis prefer a considerably gentler approach: in the New Zealand workplace, criticism tends to come wrapped in cotton wool, conflicts are navigated around rather than resolved, and even when everyone knows the ship is sinking, nobody really wants to be the one to say it out loud. On the flip side, praise is handed out generously – Kiwi kids are enthusiastically applauded for almost everything from school age onwards, and that carries straight into the workplace. For Bavarians, summed up neatly: “Ned gschimpft is globt gnua” – roughly, “not being told off is praise enough” – simply does not apply here.

A case in point from a German friend who has been working at a food logistics company for several months: when three of their plants were put through an audit and one performed dismally, the plant manager stepped up to the microphone in front of the entire workforce and beamed that there were “wonderful tasks and exciting challenges” ahead, which he was very much looking forward to tackling with the team. Not a single word about the results. You have to let that sink in for a moment.

The same friend also mentioned that her employment contract – apparently standard practice in NZ – includes up to ten days of special leave in cases of domestic violence. So instead of addressing the root cause, the solution is extra holiday. Her husband, ever the pragmatist, immediately saw the opportunity: “Well, I’ll just have to give you the occasional slap so we can take more holidays in this beautiful country.” Well – if you’ve got to, you’ve got to!

So in April I started job hunting – and about four weeks ago I started working at Holmes Solutions. One thing upfront: I have not yet had to ask Thomas to hit me 😉

Holmes Solutions is a New Zealand engineering company operating across three areas: product development and rapid prototyping; safety testing and crash test systems – most notably the Auto Belay, a self-locking climbing device with a very high global market share, found in climbing gyms all over the world; and aerospace, where Holmes develops systems for NASA, among others. And then there’s the future project: Whoosh – an autonomous cable-rail-like transport system that comes into its own precisely where conventional solutions reach their limits: cities with rivers, hills or challenging infrastructure, where a system like Whoosh has real advantages over other autonomous transport solutions. First target: deployment in a New Zealand city – with Queenstown in focus, known not only for its breathtaking scenery but also as home to some of the world’s wealthiest people.

The person who advised me on CV formatting in NZ suggested that my experience from large international companies could be a real asset to a start-up. That surprised me at first – but in hindsight it makes perfect sense. NZ is, per capita, one of the most start-up-friendly countries in the world: there are significantly more start-ups here relative to population than in Germany – NZ regularly ranks near the top of global entrepreneurship indices, thanks to lean bureaucracy, an open innovation culture and a strong network mentality.

And start-ups have one decisive advantage: they simply cannot afford to kick problems down the road – because at the end of the month (or here: every two weeks) everyone wants to see their salary land in their account. That’s actually one of my go-to arguments for getting everyone on board with ideas and plans: in the end, everyone shares the same goal – being paid fairly for their work. It unites people. Something that gets forgotten surprisingly quickly in large corporations with sprawling non-operational departments – the further from the customer, the faster it fades. In NZ, a company with 200 employees is already considered large – but not yet so large that anyone forgets who is ultimately signing the pay cheques 😊

That said, during my coffee-fuelled networking phase I also learned that many business owners, once they’ve ticked off their three B’s, tend to lose the drive to take a great idea to the global market. The three B’s? Boat, Bach (= beach house by the sea) and BMW. Or “Babe” – depending on what matters more to the man in question. Once the goal is reached, scaling up tends to go out the window.

A brief interlude: the joy of life

Before I continue – here are a few photos from friends who were out and about last weekend. So ridiculously picturesque it barely looks real: Lake Tekapo. New Zealand, you really don’t make it hard 😊

And then: the best case scenario kicks in

So I start work with all these preconceptions and resolutions in my head. I’m responsible for the technical leadership of the Whoosh programme – technical roadmap, make-or-buy decisions, staffing strategy, the overall system including all subsystems such as infrastructure, vehicles, control systems, the future app and so on. And what can I say: I love it. I love it when there’s an elephant in the room that needs to be hunted down – although that’s the CEO’s job, he hunts the investors –, carved up and distributed in bite-sized pieces. And then the best case scenario kicks in on top of that: brilliant engineers. My colleague Pete is like Q from James Bond – I don’t say that lightly. Great whiteboard discussions, technical solutions that grow organically, pragmatic decisions. Holmes Solutions’ motto says it all: Create, Break, Solve – Together! And that’s exactly how it is.

A few more things I genuinely appreciate: the development team all sits in one place – instead of writing emails, you walk over and discuss it directly. When prototypes are needed, they’re either made quickly in-house or arrive within no time from a NZ or Chinese supplier. Really exactly what managers in large, globally distributed organisations so often dream of – getting everyone to work as effectively as if they were all in the same room. Here, it’s simply everyday life 😊

And then something that truly excites me: while Germany is only just beginning to integrate AI into everyday working life, using AI at Holmes Solutions is completely second nature. In a small team with a big goal, it’s simply a necessity – and it’s just brilliant. What used to take a week, I now get done in 30 minutes. Instead of “painting” management slides myself, I tell my artificial colleague Claude what I need and what data I have – he produces a draft, I correct and refine. Done. Off to the next round with the CEO.

My goal in all of this: not to put the brakes on the agility of these brilliant engineers. Building processes and structures in a targeted way so that the momentum is preserved – while setting the team up well for future steps. No wasting resources on pretty slides for their own sake.

On the topic of AI and jobs – something many people worry about: the picture is actually more nuanced than the headlines suggest. Studies show that while AI does automate certain tasks, it simultaneously creates new fields of work. The World Economic Forum expects that while automation will displace millions of existing jobs, even more new ones will be created – particularly in technology, data analysis and green energy. On balance: transformation rather than loss. My view: you need employees with years of accumulated knowledge to use AI meaningfully – and that’s precisely what allows important innovations to reach the market faster. And thanks to Elon Musk, there’ll soon be a solar-powered server farm on the moon – I’m sure he’s already figured out a cooling solution despite the vacuum. So I’m perfectly relaxed about it all. I coordinate with a colleague so he can pass my requirements for the AI app on requirements, change and risk management over to his Claude team 😄

Learning English – in the fast lane

On the side, I learn at least one new English word or expression every day. For example: instead of “cool”, Kiwis tend to say “sweet as”. My colleague – originally from Alaska – told me during a hike through the Port Hills that when she first arrived in NZ, she thought someone was complimenting her bottom. She was then informed that “sweet as” simply means “cool” – with nothing following the “as”. In our next meeting, after we’d pulled something great together, I said “sweet as” and winked at her – she grabbed her bottom and winked back: “Thanks.” 😄 Or then there’s “two birds with one stone” – the equivalent of our German “zwei Fliegen mit einer Klappe schlagen”. And that in Kiwi-land, where they love their birds so dearly!!!

My colleague also pointed out that I’d forgotten the comma before “and” in an email I was writing. I said I’d never done that in Germany and it felt strange to me. She then sent me the Oxford comma image (see below) – and since then I haven’t forgotten it once.

Then there’s the Goldilocks principle – what we Germans would call the “golden mean”. The story: a girl named Goldilocks gets lost in the woods and finds the house of the three bears. She tries the porridge – too hot, too cold, just right. The chairs – too big, too small, just right. The beds – too hard, too soft, just right. In the workplace, “Goldilocks” has since become my shorthand for the optimal balance – not too much, not too little, but just right. And indispensable in work small talk: the question of how “committed” you actually are. For that, there’s the story of the Chicken and the Pig: a chicken and a pig want to open a breakfast restaurant together – “Eggs and Ham”. The chicken is involved, but the pig is committed. Ever since, I ask myself at the start of every project: am I the chicken or the pig right now? 😄

And learned from Ferdinand: I previously only knew the English word “gross” from a professional context – Gross Margin. Ferdinand’s joke changed that: “A German man is walking in the park and needs to have a wee, so he steps to the edge and gets on with it. A British man walks past, looks at him and says: ‘Gross.’ The German grins and says: ‘Danke.'” Gross, in this context, means disgusting. Another one for the vocabulary list 😄

But enough of Ferdinand’s jokes – otherwise I’ll never get to anything else…

From the old Mälze to the great hall

Last weekend my company hosted its annual Mid-Winter Event. Every year the management comes up with something new: last year the dress code was anything beginning with “H for Holmes Solutions” – think Marty McFly on a hoverboard or Homer Simpson. This year: smart attire, nothing below a tie. The colleague who organised everything noted drily that if you didn’t spell it out explicitly, some Kiwi colleagues would show up in shorts and flip-flops. Partners and friends were warmly welcome.

The evening kicked off with a champagne reception and canapés in what felt like a medieval great hall – several open fireplaces, soft lighting, wonderful atmosphere. Then a lovely three-course dinner at beautifully laid round tables. The CEO gave a great speech and dropped a little bombshell: new company name, new branding – to be officially rolled out soon. As a little treat, everyone received a goodie bag with items in the new look. With a wink he added: should anyone ask us about it before the official press release goes out – don’t worry, shooting them would not be required. Kiwi-style discretion 😄

Then the introductions – me to Thomas, nodding towards my boss in his black suit and bow tie: “That’s my boss – James Bond.” Thomas nodded approvingly. “And that’s Pete – Mr. Q.” Another knowing nod. And then, with the biggest grin of all: “And this –” I put my hand on Thomas’ shoulder – “is my student.” Since everyone knows our story, nothing more needed to be said – the laughter came immediately 😄

After dinner: change of rooms, DJ, dancing – absolutely lovely. On the way home, Thomas and I both noticed we were hoarse from all the loud talking – we sounded like we had a terrible hangover, without having had one. That got me reminiscing: at 14, I was allowed to come along with my siblings to my father’s company Christmas party – back then at Siemens S&A in the old Mälze in Regensburg. All families invited, everything paid for by the company. I thought it was brilliant – and maybe that was one of the reasons I wanted to work in that kind of world myself, and later ended up joining Siemens.

Then, at 23, my first company Christmas party of my own – naturally with my then boyfriend, later ex-husband. We walked into the large hall and everyone stared at us in surprise. I was the only one who had brought their partner. My colleagues explained that you wouldn’t bring your partner along if you had to pay for them yourself. Even then I thought: what a shame – it’s so important for partners to see who you work with and understand what you sometimes sacrifice in your private life when things get intense at work. Those effects simply can’t be captured in numbers.

All the more wonderful then that – a good 25 years later – I’m back working at a company where celebrations like this are truly celebrated!

And to bring it full circle…

I genuinely love my new job. So much so that I drive home almost every day with a grin on my face, drumming on the steering wheel to the rock and metal music of Radio Hauraki – and only just stopping myself from headbanging. The driver next to me at the traffic lights would probably give me a look. Plus I need to concentrate on the three double roundabouts on my commute – you know how that tends to go for me 😄

The other day “Wake Up” by Rage Against the Machine came on – the song used in the closing credits of The Matrix, in which Neo realises the world is a machine-controlled simulation and breaks free. It came on just after a particularly productive day working with AI – creating several complex things in parallel, in a fraction of the usual time. A brief moment of reflection: am I Neo right now – or am I the Matrix? 😄 Probably somewhere in between. Goldilocks, as always.

To wrap up: a few pictures from recent weeks

Yesterday during the day: a European-style winter Christmas market at the Riverside Market. Strolling through the stalls to the sound of festive piano music, in search of mulled wine and Stollen. Outside the hall: real snow piled up for the kids to go sledging on – in the middle of July, in the middle of New Zealand. Surreal and beautiful in equal measure.

In the evening: the operetta “The Merry Widow” – Thomas informed me, by the way, that it’s an operetta and not an opera, because it involves both speaking and singing. Those who wanted to could dress in 1920s style. Marie and I had a great time getting ready beforehand: digging out everything that could remotely pass for the era to the sounds of 1920s swing music. Note: Marie’s handmade piano belt, which fitted perfectly into the black and white Art Deco aesthetic – and my grandmother’s black wool coat with fur collar, approximately 70 years old. Made in West Germany. An evening we’ll be talking about for a long time 😊

Kisses to the Northern Hemisphere 🌍