Believe it, or not…

This is our 20th issue of Believe magazine and it’s time to celebrate how far we’ve come.

Believe celebrates with real Kiwis what makes New Zealand a great place. But as we’ve said and proven, Believe is more than our advertising slogan; it’s actually the core values that we believe in and practice on a daily basis. We know we share those same beliefs with many other New Zealanders, who continue to inspire us with their can-do attitude and determination.

We have shone a spotlight on some of New Zealand’s rising motorsport stars in the Toyota Racing Series, which has evolved in 15 years to become Toyota Gazoo Racing New Zealand and a vital stepping stone for many national and international rookies towards careers on the international circuit.

In many of the 20 issues, we’ve taken to the water in the brave new world of the America’s Cup with Emirates Team New Zealand, and seen them through some difficult years as they persisted and the crew looked for opportunities to keep the team alive. With the changes in pace and technology and the switch from monohull to multihull, there has been so much to learn and get our heads around, from the technology shift right down to the actual time it takes to race.

We’ve featured a number of everyday New Zealanders pursuing some extraordinary challenges, in a selection of stories about New Zealanders doing inspiring things to make a better tomorrow. When we celebrated 25 years of Toyota’s market leadership in New Zealand we even gave 25 charities 25 Corollas to use!

We’ve also taken inspiration from many Kiwis, young and old, who’ve overcome challenges and adversity to make themselves a better tomorrow. We’ve looked at various partners and companies we support and followed what they are doing. And we’ve looked at a number of organisations that we align with making a difference in the lives of Kiwis.

Whether it be parenting tips from our long-term partner Parenting Place, on everything from raising difficult kids to keeping them occupied on long road trips, their tips and tricks have been invaluable.

Our sponsorship of New Zealand yachting clubs to host world-class events such as the Opti Nat’s, has kept us updated on youth yachting, while providing a platform to launch their careers at grassroots level.

Through these partnerships – we have a constant thread that has run through Believe – in working together. We can see through our partnership with the Department of Conservation in the Toyota Kiwi Guardians programme that we are having an impact on our younger generation and getting them out from behind their screens to actively explore the outdoors – with more than 50,000 medals being redeemed by kids participating in these activities.

We have watched our retail outlets, once named Dealerships, evolve into Stores. Most have been transformed, refitted and modernised during this time, all reaching the highest Diamond-certified Enviro-Mark status.

We have also had a glimpse of some of our Store CEOs’ lives throughout the years, shedding some light not only on their passion for the motoring industry but on their outside interests – with stories and journeys spanning everything from car collections to being a female in a traditionally male industry.

Our Ambassadors over the years have proven to be a talented group of inspirational New Zealanders who represent some of the things we believe in most – things like dedication, hard work, a sense of fun and a will to go that little bit further to make something exceptional happen. We’ve shared the multiple Olympic successes of Dame Val Adams and celebrated music icon Dave Dobbyn’s influence on our national music landscape. We consider Dave a national treasure who has an uncanny knack for capturing the mood of the nation through his songs. We’ve heard yarns from inspiring fishing personality and ITM Fishing Show host Matt Watson; one contribution that resonated was his ‘boat-ramp etiquette’!

We continue to draw inspiration from Cam Calkoen, who pushes boundaries in his own ability and inspires us to dream big and achieve more. Nothing seems impossible.

We strongly believe in sustainability. We’ve done our best to make Believe available online and you’ve journeyed with us to be more sustainable and reduce our carbon footprint.

Whatever the way you are viewing Believe, we hope you’ve been able to enjoy the read for the past 20 issues, and maybe now with a social conscience too, particularly if you’ve opted to view it digitally.

At Toyota we recognise that the world is in a perpetual state of change, with no one set of rules. We recognise the need to change continually to meet our customers’ unique needs, styles, passions and dreams. We understand that cars are much more than just cars – they fulfil the needs of millions; no two are ever the same; no desires are ever comparable; they are always changing, forever on the move.

This is why we never stand still and are constantly pushing forward to meet new challenges with excitement, enthusiasm and a genuine commitment to improving everything we do.

The Toyota Way, in New Zealand the Kiwi Way, through its core beliefs and people, leads to success with customers. Toyota’s actions are guided by these core beliefs, which are the differentiating point for customers and staff and in our products and our service. They weave their way throughout the contents of this magazine and show our customers how we put people, not cars, first in everything we do.

Thank you for being part of our journey through Believe magazine for the past 20 issues. It has been my pleasure to continually tell our story through others. It is easy when you Believe in the principles and values that we share globally and locally. Here’s to many more stories in the years to come!