31/08/2026
200+ little places worth finding across Aotearoa 💚💙
Well… this feels pretty special. 😊
Nearly three years ago I started Passmebuy with an idea I had to let out. The idea that there should be an easier way to find all the little local places around New Zealand. All the places that make New Zealand special and unique. Places without a big shopfront, whose marketing budget is measured in grind, trial & error, and time.
Working out what Passmebuy needs to be is an ongoing thing – and don’t be thinking that is done yet! 😉
There have been iterations, feature tweaks, different ideas, different pricing strategies (currently on pause), and there’s ALWAYS directions brewing. I do quite like the one currently brewing in my head… it has something to do with a mash of discovery, community and loyalty. Anyway… this thing is my own wee creative playground. 💚💙
Over the last 3+ years, I've spent a lot of time mulling on who Passmebuy is actually for – and I think we’re getting there.
It started with roadside stalls at the core, but it is much broader than that. It’s for the little places generally – the ones with no mega power behind them. No algorithm power, no marketing budget, no scale efficiencies, no franchisor – generally they just have themselves, their time, their something special.
These are places we ALL love, and tell our friends and family about when we find them. The places we want to browse, spend time in – we want to discover!!
So Passmebuy is about putting some fun and adventure into making these places discoverable – and not just happy accidents. 😊
The nice synergy is that Passmebuy has happened totally in the margins of normal life – much like the wee places on the map do too – and we LOVE that about these places.
This collage is actually a pretty good representation of the whole thing too – I made it myself. Just like I've built Passmebuy myself, bit by bit, around work, family and everything else life throws at you.
And the super cool thing is that most of the places in this collage are relatively recent additions!
There are SO many more little places out there that deserve to be found.
And spring is here. 🌱
So go get in the car, open th
