Mike Solar

Marae’s are not appropriate emergency shelters. We are not all maori and many people would feel uncomfortable going to a marae. Schools and town halls need to be set up as emergency shelters like they are in most developed countries. This is not new and not unreasonable.

State of Christchurch Yesterday, an attempt was made by us to “leave home and do something nice”, and all I can do is convey my overwhelming sense of horror at what I saw. Which in short, is some kind of hideous post pandemic dystopia, where the middle classes engage in mind numbing leisure activities and the poorer people jostle beneath an ever present and oppressive world of commands. First thing we did was go out for lunch. Which we never do. Because it’s largely out of our financial means as well as being an absolute have. We ended up at a hideous establishment with borderline hostile staff (earthquake era hipster attitude), matching 2010s decor and food that can only be described as oily, tasteless slop that was barely edible. I begrudgingly ate it because it cost a lot, and I struggle to waste food. $50 for that privilege. The clientele largely consisted of shrieking, passé, motley hipsters who I’m assuming almost all of whom espouse the same (right) ideas on social media and beyond, upholding the interests of the status quo. Why wouldn’t they? They seem quite happy. It’s hard enough being amongst the population when I’ve had a few beers, but when sober it’s intolerable. Next stop was an “exhibition” in The Arts Centre’s Observatory. Climbing the historical wooden stairs we came upon an installation that was nothing more than a trite, box ticking, money grabbing, derivative joke. How much were the people who put that together paid? I’d hate to think. To call it what it is would no doubt raise ire and contempt from the aforementioned drones. Last stop, The Chemist Warehouse, because I needed a new toothbrush. Oh. My. God. Signs at the entrance asking customers to please not abuse the staff. A line of flashing screens advertising health and wellness products, while people who look like the result of generations of mineral deficiencies yell at each other beneath the incessant hum of the advertisements, which I can only liken to an industrialised scalpel coercing a weeping, festering wound to pay up for its treatment. I have been telling myself how lucky I am to live here in the relative safety of New Zealand, but after yesterday, the allure of moving to London and getting stabbed holds sway. If it’s true that we are generally 20 years behind Britain then fast forward to The End, please.

If women can vote, they should be eligible for the draft. It is insane that men are required to do all of these things, potentially putting their lives on the line for the country to retain full rights as a citizen, and women in many Western countries, like Germany, the USA, etc., do not.

The world is currently facing the greatest disruption to fuel supply in a generation. New Zealand is in a good position with healthy stocks of fuel in the country and more on the way. But of course, we are actively planning for a scenario where obtaining future supply becomes more difficult. The last few years have been tough for everyone. Kiwis have been knocked around by the pandemic, then high inflation and the recession, then US tariffs, and now the Middle East conflict. We’ve made good progress in the last few years. Inflation and interest rates are down. And the economy is growing again. We will not repeat the mistakes of Covid. Too much spending doubled debt and increased inflation and mortgage rates. But we know the impact fuel prices are having on Kiwis when they fill up at the pump. That’s why we are delivering temporary, timely support that is targeted to low-to-middle income working families with children. Eligible households will receive a temporary $50 per week boost. This is a measured response to help the squeezed middle that is careful not to increase inflation or government debt.