Thursday, March 28, 2024

ALTERNATIVE VIEW: And the winners are…

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We’ll all remember 2020. Lockdown in New Zealand wasn’t that bad and the community was great. As a country we played ball, which certainly paid off. But what impressed me most was the teamwork at the top. 
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Politically the leadership was impressive and the bureaucracy excelled. I’ve found over the years that many top civil servants had their own agendas, which could be vastly different from their political leaders. Also patch protection was paramount.

What I’ll remember from 2020 is that our top bureaucrats put personal agendas and patch protection aside for the common good. It was great to see.

So, the Emmy Awards for 2020 goes to:

The Contemptibles

Those multinationals that paid little tax here and claimed the covid-19 wage subsidy. Companies included Coca Cola, McDonald’s, Mercedes Benz and Samsung. They effectively took NZ taxpayer dollars and sent their profits offshore.

The Arrogant

Those who claimed the subsidy and didn’t need it. Companies included Fletcher Building, Sky City and Harvey Norman.

Further Covid Awards, the Supreme Idiocy

The Auckland Business Chamber who back in July insisted our borders with Australia were opened. Chief executive Michael Barnett wrote an article supporting their position claiming that “totally eliminating the contagion is unrealistic and simply not backed by science.” How he knew he didn’t say.

Supreme Idiocy Runner-Up

The then National leader Todd Muller who claimed in June that it was “untenable” for the nation to remain “locked up” for months awaiting a vaccine.

The Circus

Some of the early commentary on covid-19.

We were told that the cause was the 5G network. Then it was suggested that older people in lockdown could lose their cognitive ability, meaning going nuts. I’m unaware of any who did.

Another academic colossus suggested rural towns would be more prone to covid-19 because of their low socio-economic status, more elderly and less access to health services. 

Stay in the shallow end, matey, our health system in the Wairarapa is great and I’ve seen beggars in Auckland and Wellington but not here. With this comment you made me know one thing: you weren’t educated at Greymouth Tech or Lincoln University. 

We also had the ubiquitous Mike Hosking demanding a lockdown and when that happened, claimed it was an overreaction.

With Non-covid Awards, there’s the Donald Duck for quacking me up

The disciples of regenerative agriculture. Let’s get both science and financials in there rather than fads.

Sideshow Award

The National Party and it was continuous. Jamie-Lee Ross, Michelle Boag, Hamish Walker and Andrew Falloon, it kept coming.

The leadership saga added to the sideshow.

We had Simon Bridges doing what I thought was a good job in difficult circumstances, then Todd Muller taking National into obscurity and now Judith Collins returning National to Muldoonism.

The Manipulated Minister Award

Then Minister of Police Stuart Nash, who blindly accepted all the police spin over gun law reform. The Act party will be forever grateful having picked up many votes from disaffected firearm owners.

The Fish Need Bicycles Relevance Award

SAFE and the Animal Law Association with their court case over farrowing crates. SAFE wants all animals out of farming, and what the endgame of Animal Law is, I have no idea.

Sow crates are there to save piglets. Kill piglets and NZ pork becomes non-competitive so we import pork from, you guessed it, countries who use sow crates with less stringent animal welfare rules than we have. Poor pigs.

Chicken Licken Award

The horticultural industry for all its bleating about needing seasonal workers but when locals stepped up they seemed, well, disorganised and uninterested.

The Whitewash Award

The Royal Commission into the mosque shootings. Thankfully, we had a separate report from the Muslim community that spelled things out a little clearer.

The Believers in Santa

The Strong Wool Action Group for wanting money while providing no detailed budget.

And on the positive side, we have the Conservation Award

Only one serious contender, NZ farmers.

Finally we’re seeing sense citation.

Water storage Is fashionable again. It’s also logical as without it we’re stuffed.

Landcare Research produced some excellent work on mitigating climate change. Encouraging long-term strategic adaptation, such as diversifying cultivars, shifting sowing dates and planting more shade and shelter. We can have a viable food production sector in a changing climate and that is good news, but we need water to do it.

Good On Ya Mate Award

Surfing for Farmers founder Stephen Thomson. What a great way to get farmers off the farm and, in many cases, getting right out of their comfort zone. Locally we had over 30 turning up, some travelling upwards of 80km.

Supreme Award

Federated Farmers – again. They’ve represented rural interests amazingly well and positioned farming in the political arena superbly. It isn’t easy but they did it. In addition, the agricultural summit they organised was a superb event.

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