Mike “MOD” O’Do
nnell works as Head of Operations for Trade Me. Prior to this he was Head of Commercial and Regulatory, and has worked in a number of senior roles in media, marketing and investment. He has also worked in government, in New Zealand and offshore.
MOD is currently on boards of Serato Audio Research and Positively Wellington, chairs the NZ Police Web Oversight Group and acts as adviser to organisations going through change, typically change connected with customer access or the web.
MOD is passionate about road trips, motorcycles, classic cars, hunting and jet boating. He is a weekly columnist for Fairfax newspapers including the Dominion Post, Christchurch Press and the mighty Timaru Herald. He also edits Trade Me’s monthly eZine “MOD’s Motors” and also contributes to several motoring publications. He has riden motorcycles across Central and North America as far as the Arctic Sea, as well as around Australia, South East Asia and the Indian Himalayas. He’s a failed trials bike rider who currently competes in the Intermarque Series at Manfeild in an aging BMW M3. He lives in fear of his red-headed wife and tries to keep up with his two young daughters.
Hey Mike
Good on you for standing up to ACC in your newsletter.
Just reading about you on here, you sound like me!
I am currently being done for riding over the fairfield bridge in hamilton on a trials bike.
Cheers
Jon
Cheers John. Pretty cheeky being the third go in two years to raise fees on us. Hope the fun you had riding over the bridge made up for the consequences. Trials bikes are pure art. Best MOD
Heh Mike,
I am getting sick of the sexism of your column. True to form you just had to include the Boobs on Bikes pic, and the ghastly comment about your first girlfriend.
Wonder what she thought of you!
Hi Trena. Sincere thanks for your comments. The Boobs on Bikes links were sent into me by several of my readers, and I try to use whatever I get sent (so long as its not overly offensive). This particular link was to http://www.stuff.co.nz which I don’t consider fringe or in the business of exploitation. In the previous issue of MOD’s Motors one of my female readers sent in “Naked Men for world peace” which I also ran. By the way, I married my first girlfriend (and am still married to her) – poor girl. cheers again MOD
Hey, just read the latest Trade Me MOD blog and wanted to say that I think you mean James McMurtry on the ute stereo. Larry is his dad, the writer. Not being a dick in pointing this out – anybody who listens to James and/or reads Larry is OK by me. It’s cool to read something intelligent about cars and bikes.
Dammit you’re right. I did mean James. Got Lonesome Dove mixed up with Iolanthe! Thanks for the correction. They both do good work. James does magnificient road trip music – and that “Choctaw Bingo” is a funny ass song! Cheers MOD