David Downs

Silver Linings David Downs

Stories of business innovation and profoundly human triumph in the face of adversity.

The Covid-19 lockdown in New Zealand caused fear, hardship and loss. Through this time of unprecedented national hardship, however, there emerged incredible stories of hope and optimism. Businesses innovated and found new ways to create value, communities came together in new ways online, and families reconnected through time spent together.

This book is a collection of those stories from across Aotearoa. It shows how New Zealand - and New Zealanders - respond when the going gets tough!

The book was the brainchild of the well-known business Nanogirl Labs, which lost a full 18-month work calendar over a few days before the Covid-19 Level 4 lockdown. Founders Joe Davis and Michelle Dickinson (Nanogirl) could have closed their doors and headed home. Instead, they made a choice to change direction and four days later launched a brand-new, entirely online learning program for families. They tripled their staff headcount as the lockdown loomed, took on new premises, built a full production studio and went to market. They now have thousands of subscribers across 76 countries around the world, and are growing fast.

Michelle and Joe have collaborated with writer and fellow innovator David Downs to collect the stories for this book.