Latest news with #CHRISTOPHERLUXON

Otago Daily Times

The secret diary of . . . the riders on the storm

CHRISTOPHER LUXON My government is committed to working on the bad weather we've been having this week. Obviously I haven't read all the reports on the subject but I know enough to be aware it's been a bit blowy in Wellington and there's been some rain, I think, in Christchurch. And my government is confident that we can deliver a set of deliverables that will take root and come to pass, and I think the best we can all do to make that happen is if we close all the doors and windows. Just the other day Amanda said to me, "Close the door, were you born in a tent?", and I think that gets to the heart of it, she really has a gift of putting things into words, I think we all saw Paddy Gower acknowledge that recently and in return I'd like to thank Paddy. He took the time to stop and listen. A gust of wind blew a teacup off the kitchen bench, and it smashed on the floor. "That teacup was part of a set," Amanda said. Her message was that unity is important. We see that every day in the coalition government. WINSTON PETERS With respect, the prime minister is talking through a hole in his head. He has got it hopelessly wrong. If he wants to talk about storms, I hope he'll call me next time. Because New Zealanders aren't the sort of people who close all the doors and windows. We built this nation by staring down a storm. We wrestled it to the ground, and gave it a hiding. But today's generation are soft. Just the other day a barista lisped at me, "Close the door, were you born in a tent?" A gust of wind blew a teacup off a table, and it smashed on the floor. The barista folded his arms. I could tell he was a man even though he was wearing a frock. I said, "If you think I'm paying for that, you're out of your mind." But that was already obvious. I took my seat and kept a close eye on him to make sure he used the right bathroom. CHRIS HIPKINS Are the government to blame for the bad weather? The fact is I don't want to play the blame game. I'm interested in solutions. Labour is all about moving on, and moving forward. Just the other day I met with the caucus at a hilltop retreat, and Kieran McAnulty said, "Close the door, were you born in a tent?" A gust of wind blew a teacup off a table, and it smashed on the floor. I picked it up and tried to fix it but didn't make a very good job of it. CHLOE SWARBRICK What the storms tell us is that climate change is here, and it's going to kill us in our beds. Just the other day I gave a speech at the Tokoroa Club, and when I walked in, someone yelled out, "Close the door, were you born in a tent?" A gust of wind blew a teacup off a table, and it smashed on the floor. I picked it up, and said, "Let this be a warning to all of you!" And then I announced the Green Party has devised a Green Jobs Guarantee policy that will create 40,797 jobs with stable working conditions and good incomes. It will cost a mere $8 billion. The money will come from somewhere. RAWIRI WAITITI The other day I blundered into a cafe, and someone yelled out, "Close the door, were you born in a tent?" A gust of wind blew a teacup off a table, and it smashed on the floor. But that wasn't the problem. The problem was the racist attack. I notified the police, and ordered a flat white. By Steve Braunias