Out towards western Southland is the land of big country, big skies, big mountains, and big fiords. I'm of course talking about Te Ānau, Manapōuri, most of Fiordland, including Milford Sound. It's a breathtaking and incredibly diverse region. But the greatest treasure are the people, who are folk with big hearts, who are hard-working and are very sharp but don't tend to boast about it to the rest of the world. That reminds me of the Māori whakataukī or proverb "He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata, he tangata, he tangata"—what is the most important thing in the world? It is the people, the people, the people. 