Right Place, Wrong Time.
Christopher Luxon just can't get it right.
I been in the right place, but it must have been the wrong time
I'd have said the right thing, but I must have used the wrong line
I'd have took the right road, but I must have took a wrong turn
Would've made the right move, but I made it at the wrong time
Song: Dr John.
Until the end of January, you can get 20% off a subscription with my “Nick’s Ditch the Pricks in 26” special, bringing the price to $64 for a year, or $6.40 per month, rather than the usual $80 or $8. Come on in. It’s going to be a big year.
There were two places that our Prime Minister needed to be this week.
Yesterday, he should have been in Mt Maunganui to provide support to people by being there with them, and this afternoon, he should be at Ratana to show that, despite everything that happened last year, he at least has the manners to attend and listen to Māori.
The rest didn’t matter. His State of the Nation would have been missed by no one. The announcement of the election date didn’t need hyping up; you would hope that during his long holiday, he might have realised his greatest fault, other than letting Winston and Seymour run amok, has been his failure to connect with the people he leads.
A leader must respond quickly, whether it's Jacinda on the day of the mosque shootings, the eruption on White Island, or Chippy during Cyclone Gabrielle. But while this current tropical storm was devastating Northland, our Prime Minister was posting late Wednesday night with his team.
Things changed rapidly with a slip on Mt Maunganui yesterday morning, swallowing campsites and throwing caravans into the hot pools.
It was a harrowing scene, with much confusion and the little news we got on those missing, who could initially be heard, made it clear that it was going to be a very dark day for our small country.
Often, when we hear of such events, they feel remote to us, but this part of the world is very familiar to me, and it felt shocking to see such an awful event occur in a place of seaside fun and holidays. I posted:
Awful to see this at the Mount, really hope everyone is ok. Love going to the hot pools, and my band played at the long-gone Oceanside public bar across the road many times. It feels like the sort of place that ought to be safe.
When I was a kid, the BoP coast, especially from the Mount to Maketu, was the beach we went to in summer. In those days, Papamoa was some distance from the Mount, not a suburb at the end of the Tauranga sprawl. Maketu, where we usually stayed, was pretty basic but great for days in the estuary or for having a fire on the beach. The Mount was where you went for the waves. It’s a beautiful beach by any standards.
Later, my band played all up and down that coast, from Whangamatā down to Ōhope, but the place we played most regularly was the Oceanside public bar, just across from the caravan park. I can still remember the carpets in the place, or sitting on the beach dressed all in black, listening to grunge. They were good days.
In recent years, we’ve returned to the Mount for dance comps, AIMS games, or just to make sandcastles on the beach with a hot pool afterwards. It’s a lovely part of the world, and I can feel myself welling up thinking of those families who must be going out of their minds waiting for news of their loved ones, with the chances of survival diminishing as time goes on.
It must have been clear how bad things were when Christopher Luxon was briefed, but instead of turning up himself, and this is not a man who readily gives up time in front of the cameras, he sent Mark Mitchell. It was the wrong choice.
The combination of Minister Mitchell and Mayor Mahé was not reassuring and seemed like a good sign to say - stop electing these mediocre middle-aged white men to all the top jobs; we need some meritocracy.
Last night’s 1 News was a grim watch, and seeing the devastation I posted:
Maybe National defunding Labour’s Climate Emergency Response Fund wasn’t such a flash idea?
Awful to see so much damage to our beautiful Aotearoa.
National were typically short-sighted in Budget 2024, and the Government closed the CERF, instead considering any new funding for climate-related initiatives as part of the normal Budget process.
It’s just crazy! Labour set up the fund so we would have it when a rainy day came, and it was always going to come, and National canned it so they could use the money.
Running without any contingency as tropical storms become more frequent was a roll of the dice in the interests of making the books look good in the short term; it doesn’t seem like a good decision when these sorts of events occur, which will require millions to repair.
I’m guessing Nicola doesn’t have millions down the back of a couch that she can draw on, so given how little she leaves in reserve as a buffer, how on earth is she going to pay for all this damage across the North Island?
Pete suggested, “Don't tell me, they will make Govt. appointed Commissars require local councils to foot the BILL!!!” Which would sound ridiculous if it weren’t so plausible.
Lois said, “Spot on, Nick. I said the same thing, and it’s nearly 12 hours after the slip at the Mount and other weather-related tragedies, with crickets from the PM.”
The more I watched the carnage up North and the despair at the Mount, the more I found myself thinking that was a day the PM needed to put on his big boy pants, stop delegating, and actually turn up himself. I posted:
Do you think Jacinda or Chippy would have been at the Mount today to show their support as PM?
The general consensus was that 100% they would’ve been, and there was no excuse for Luxon not being there. Apart from anything, it was just down the road from his frequent holiday spot of Te Puke.
Then news came through that, having not shown up at the Mount on the day, the PM would go to the East Cape today instead, meaning he would miss the political part of Ratana, which is this afternoon.
So there will be the Māori queen, Te Arikinui Ngā wai hono i te po, and all the other politicians, but just like Waitangi, there will be no Christopher Luxon, and I don’t think that is good enough.
Having not turned up in Northland or on a day at the Mount, where there was such shock, Luxon finally decided to visit the storm-affected regions - and it means he gets to miss Rātana. You’d think after the division of 2025 and with having already announced he won’t go to Waitangi again this year, he might have made it a priority to heal wounds, but clearly, he has decided he has little to gain from Maori voters.
You might think I’m being unfair complaining when he doesn’t turn up, and also when he does, but yesterday, as they were digging for people at the Mount, was the day he needed to be there, and this afternoon, he should be at Rātana. Considering he’ll probably be travelling by chopper, I don’t see why he can’t do both.
But that’s just politics, and in the scheme of things, it doesn’t matter that much. At some point today, devastating news will come, and for some, life will never be the same again. My thoughts are with all those waiting and hoping.
On one of our darkest days, I think the Prime Minister should’ve been there with them.
Ngā mihi,
Nick.
To end today, here’s Dr John with “Right Place, Wrong Time”.
I meant to add that my daughter Emma and my grandson Ollie are coming to stay this afternoon for a couple of days, so there will be no newsletter tomorrow. Hope the weekend brings better weather.
I had meant to include Chippy's post from yesterday, what a contrast!
"My thoughts tonight are with all those who have been affected by the extreme weather events that have hit New Zealand in the past few days.
My deepest sympathy goes to those who have lost loved ones or are still waiting for news, and to everyone who has been forced from their homes or injured.
Events like these take a real toll, and no one should have to face them alone.
Climate change means we are seeing far more of these tragic events, and I want to acknowledge the very real stress and strain this is placing on so many of our communities.
My deepest thanks go to our first responders and to all those in the community who are stepping up to help. In times like these, we see the very best of us.
Kia kaha, New Zealand. Stay strong. Stick together."