On Radio New Zealand's website last week there was a picture of a geezer standing on a footpath in Auckland. He was looking into a pothole in a very serious sort of way. What had the pothole done to deserve this? It merely existed.
Potholes, it seems, are the enemies of the people. For one thing they make motorists say rude words when they drive into them and end up in China. The photograph was hilarious. It might be the worst news photo of a politician ever taken - bar those ones of MPs doing tours of fascinating factories while wearing hair nets and pretending they really don't mind looking like Coronation Street's Ena Sharples. Oh, the glamour of politics.
The seriously worried-looking geezer was National Party leader Christopher Luxon, who, given he wasn't doing anything about the pothole, might as well have been a pothole worker. And now he sort of is. National has promised $500 million to a pothole repair fund, if it is elected to the government benches in October. So Luxon, who obviously wants to be the next prime minister, has become pretty much the political equivalent of prime pothole filler-inner.
There was another joker in the photo standing on Luxon's right. This was National transport spokesperson Simeon Brown. He was asked by RNZ whether the promised pothole-fixing plan was a "political gimmick".
He said it wasn't. "This is a reality of our roads being in the worst state they've ever been and the need for us to be investing in making sure that they are safe to drive on so we can keep our economy moving." If it is a gimmick, it's a dud. A pothole repair fund is about as exciting as the gravel and asphalt needed to fix things.
IN WHAT?
Denne historien er fra July 29 - August 4 2023-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra July 29 - August 4 2023-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
First-world problem
Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.
Applying intelligence to AI
I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.
Nazism rears its head
Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.
Staying ahead of the game
Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?
Grasping the nettle
Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.
Hangry? Eat breakfast
People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.
Chemical reaction
Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.
Me and my guitar
Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.
Time is on my side
Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?
The kids are not alright
Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.
