I love beautiful utility – things that do more than just do. Words that go beyond their spelling, to spellbind. Tools that get the job done, but wink at you while they’re at it. That’s probably why I’ve spent years coveting the Streetdog, a sleek, New Zealand-designed and made e-motorcycle that feels like it was dreamed up by a designer with one hand on a spanner and the other on a haiku.
I wasn’t the first around here to get one. My colleague Sean took the plunge a couple of months before me, going all the way to get his motorcycle licence so he could ride the more powerful Streetdog 80. Watching him light up about it – the process, the anticipation, the first ride – made up my mind to swap coveting for riding. And while I wasn’t quite ready to put on L plates, I was more than happy with the version I could legally ride on my car licence. The point wasn’t speed. It was joy.
It arrived – British Racing Green with a cream stripe. Classic. It's beautifully simple. A motorbike that isn’t. Almost art.
I notice people notice it. Outside the supermarket, stopped at lights, even once when parked up outside the office – I’ve had strangers come up and ask about it. They’ve never seen anything quite like it, they say. Clean lines, no exhaust, no roar, but still… presence. It turns out it’s not just transport; it’s a conversation starter. Because beauty alone is fine - but beauty that says something? Hard to resist.
And that’s part of why I finally bought one. Yes, it’s beautifully designed. Yes, it’s a joy to ride. Yes, it’s fun to take the long way home. But there’s something else at work here — something not unlike the pleasure I feel when opening a special bottle. The Streetdog isn’t just something that moves me. It’s something that makes me feel moved.
It’s the same with wine. We don’t need a lovingly tended biodynamic vineyard, hand-picked grapes, wild ferments, and years of patient care to drink a glass of wine. We could drink something cheaper, easier, quicker. But there’s a reason we choose to savour. A reason we seek out provenance, process, purpose. A reason we pay for quality and value the stories behind the product.
Buying the Streetdog felt like that – like backing something I believe in. Designed and made here in Aotearoa, with a commitment to sustainability and a willingness to take design risks. We make wines under the same philosophy at Pyramid Valley, Smith & Sheth and Lowburn Ferry: care for the land, reduce our footprint, and create something that feels good to hold, to pour, to drink. Something that stands for something. Something you want to talk about.
And yes, the Streetdog is electric, so it’s kinder to the planet than its fossil-fuelled cousins. But it’s not perfect. Nothing is. Not even wine, no matter how organic the vineyard or light the bottle. But that’s not the point. The point is intention. The point is joy. The point is that life is infinitely better when we make small, conscious choices in favour of beauty and connection.
So now, when I roll silently down my driveway each morning, coffee just finished, helmet clipping shut, I’m not just commuting. I’m choosing delight over default. Craftsmanship over convenience. Choosing to begin the day with a spark. And when I turn around in the evenings and head home, the ride is part exhale, part celebration. Like the first sip of Chardonnay. A reminder that pleasure is not just allowed. It’s necessary.
If you spot me around Havelock North, come say hi. Chances are we’ll end up talking Streetdog, or wine, or why life’s too short to leave the fun stuff on the wish list.
MJ Loza
CEO, Aotearoa NZ Fine Wine Estates
Pyramid Valley, Smith & Sheth, Lowburn Ferry