If I could

You may recognise Noël Jelsma from the Nelson Market, where you’ll find him and his wife Teena selling their famous black garlic. Noël talks to us about dreams of cricket stardom, Queen fandom and where he’d love to ‘slowly’ travel.

(Apart from buy and hold Apple, Amazon and Tesla shares?!) The more serious advice would be to keep practising – develop your skills/hobbies – it doesn’t really matter what in. In my case, I regret never fully mastering the guitar. My father is an amazing guitarist and has played in various bands and music groups, and although I’ve owned a guitar since the age of nine, and from time to time would have a few songs I could play, I never stuck at it long enough to get to an enjoyable level.

Oh, definitely the surviving members of Queen! I sat glued to the TV screen when Bohemian Rhapsody first came out in 1975. I’ve been a huge Queen fan ever since – seeing the original line-up with Freddie Mercury live at Mt Smart stadium in 1985 was such an amazing experience. I stood slack-jawed soaking in every second of the experience, while the friend who had travelled down with me from Whangarei on the “Concert Bus” was getting very friendly with a girl he met at the concert. More recently I’ve seen Queen and Adam Lambert live in concert - still epic!

Ever since I was a boy, I always wanted to be a chef or a pilot. I moved on from being a pilot – but still liked the idea of being a gourmet chef. I’ve always loved cooking and trying new and interesting flavour combinations. Having said that, I’m not sure I could handle working as hard as most chefs do. After a career in technology and software sales I’m now in the food business – producing black garlic products – so maybe this is the next best thing.

As a teenager, I remember having the most amazingly vivid dreams of flying. Not really like superman – but something requiring real effort and focus. I was always so disappointed when I’d wake up and find I was still unable to disregard gravity! So, it would have to be the power of flight. Soaring like a bird. Amazing.

Being an international cricket star! I’ve played social forms of cricket all my life, from twilight cricket in Whangarei, to indoor and Saturday social cricket, including twice representing Singapore at the World Masters Indoor Cricket tournaments. Unfortunately, my enthusiasm for the sport far exceeds my abilities. But it’s certainly true that you don’t have to be good at something to love doing it.

Hmmm tough one… how’s the cell coverage?

I’d really like to go back and spend several months travelling slowly around India and China. There is such incredible diversity of culture and life to be experienced there. The people are amazing, the food incredible – however the usual speed of tourist travel rarely allows for a full experience. While I had the opportunity to enjoy some amazing hospitality during business trips to China, you really need more time to get beyond the airport/hotel/office loop, typical of a business trip.

Wow – some serious opportunity cost with this one! I’m staying in Asia with a steaming hot plate of Char Koay Teow – wok-fried flat noodles, really popular in Malaysia/ Singapore. Such amazing street food all over Southeast Asia. The hawker centres in Singapore have multiple small kitchens – each producing a particular product. You could always tell the favourites by the length of the queue! Back in New Zealand, barbecued pork ribs with a spicy/ smoky sauce come a close second. Not many greens in my selection – but there you go.

with The Mortgage Supply Company financial advisor Vanessa McGovern

P: 022 313 6649 vanessamortgagesupply The Mortgage Supply Company was founded by one of the country’s leading mortgage advisers, David Windler, 15 years ago. The company has a number of advisers based in Auckland, it also has strong presence around the country and a new office in Nelson. Financial Advisor for Nelson, Vanessa McGovern, sits down with Nelson Magazine to talk about house finance.

I am a mum of two young children, a wife to an amazing, supportive husband, and I absolutely love our region we live in. I have always been fascinated with numbers and helping people better themselves, therefore I chose a career that does both. A mortgage is one of the biggest decisions you will make in your life, I want to make sure everyone is educated on the best product for their aspirations, and I want to empower Kiwis to access these easily.

A mortgage broker takes the stress away from getting the best product for your lending. We provide the knowledge, save you time and money, and reduce your stress. Not all lenders have the same products and if you do not ask someone with a range of knowledge, you will not get a range of advice. We work with 27 different lenders, matching you with one who best suits your goals and aspirations. We gather your information required, approach the correct lender, and negotiate on your behalf. For the life of your loan, we remain by your side during your property journey, ensuring you still have the correct product in place. As your life aspirations change, so can your lending, and we are there to support this. You relax, while we take care of everything.

Our customer service, commitment, and lending expertise. We are flexible with time and location - you wouldn’t get a bank lender visiting or video calling you at 7pm at night or on the weekend, like we will. We build long term relationships with you and your family to ensure that while you have a loan, we are by your side continuously checking in to make sure it still matches your lifestyle and goals. We offer advice from the beginning to end, including on refixes and structures.

There is a range of ways but the easiest is to pick up the phone or drop me an email. Educate yourself, reach out to the experts who do know and ask for advice. We are here to help you get the best possible mortgage for you.