Where the bloody hell are you?

Written By: - Date published: 9:08 am, January 9th, 2013 - 70 comments
Categories: jobs, tourism - Tags:

Like here, Queensland’s tourism industry is hurting. Like ours, Queensland’s Tourism Minister thought it would be a good idea to holiday in a foreign tropical resort instead of supporting her local industry. But, there, the main newspaper responded with a devastating “where the bloody hell are you” attack that could sink her career. Here, not so much.

Mention Key’s failing to back Kiwi tourism as he spends his 115th day overseas on holiday since he became PM, and you’re a pleb who’s jealous of rich people with foreign holiday homes.

Because that’s what the 7,000 tourism industry workers who have lost their jobs are and an industry that’s shed a billion dollars a year in income under Key is – jealous.

70 comments on “Where the bloody hell are you? ”

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  1. Dr Terry 1
    9 January 2013 at 10:08 am

    I imagine he will find it a real chore having to return to the country for which he is responsible. On the other hand, some of us are in no hurry to see him back!! In a sense, Key in taking his holiday has actually granted us a holiday from himself!

    • Rupert 1.1
      9 January 2013 at 12:12 pm

      “Acting Prime Minister Steven Joyce”, “Acting Prime Minister Tony Ryall”, “Acting Prime Minister Gerry Brownlee”…

      • David H 1.1.1
        9 January 2013 at 8:08 pm

        Acting PM Micky Mouse. Acting PM Donald Duck. Both of who could do a better job than the morons in power now.

    • Fortran 1.2
      10 January 2013 at 2:21 pm

      The weather in Maui has been disasterous, where Key has his holiday home.
      Look at the Golf washout in Maui – down to one day two days ago.

  2. tc 2
    9 January 2013 at 10:42 am

    You can’t compare Oz to NZ, they hold politicians to account and demand answers.Also at the slightest whiff of ill doings or weakness they go straight for the jugular no matter who is in the frame.

    Contrast to our MSM who have the soggiest of bus tickets administered by kids and gov’t fan clubbers.

  3. Northshoreguynz 3
    9 January 2013 at 10:59 am

    Doesn’t their media own our media? And if so, why are our papers especially so weak?

    • tc 3.1
      9 January 2013 at 11:47 am

      Our papers are weak because of:
      1. the massive differential in power our govt wields V what a state gov’t can in OZ against a national media.
      2. Oz has 2 public Broadcasters, each with radio and TV who set the benchmark in fearless reporting under statutory protection that Pollys know to leave well alone or suffer political homicide.
      3. Crikey.com.au has also weighed in as an independant and worthy addition to the landscape.

      When there’s quality freely available you have to lift your game or go low brow.

      The NACT have been very skillful in killing off Stratos, Triangle soon, TVNZ7 and neutering freeview and handing Sky a taxpayer paid for content channel in Heartland and leaving them a clear run to make themselves more money.

      Sky also saw off SBS from broadcasting there freely available service on Freeview with the right box, all too easy really with mates in the right pockets.

      • Rogue Trooper 3.1.1
        9 January 2013 at 7:34 pm

        I am certain that the informative critical content of Sky documentary channels deteriorated over the three or so years I watched it, docos like how they make clothes in sweat shops, produce cotton and manufacture food and such-like, just picking up frequencies like.

  4. Jeremy Greenbrook-Held 4
    9 January 2013 at 12:25 pm

    As the runner-up to Key in Helensville, I’m pleased to report that my family and I spent a few days relaxing in Waimauku, which is in the Helensville electorate. Just in case any media wanted to know. Which I suspect they don’t.

  5. tracey 5
    9 January 2013 at 12:51 pm

    The airforce prolly had to fly key to the cyclone damage cos he wondered which pacific island it was in

  6. Populuxe1 6
    9 January 2013 at 12:59 pm

    I don’t care where he has his holidays so long as he does his job… Oh wait, he’s not doing his job, so why so fucking much boring whinging about his holidays when there are genuine issues surrounding health and education to be addressed?

    • TheContrarian 6.1
      9 January 2013 at 1:47 pm

      These guys don’t give a fuck. Hell, John Key could spend his holiday on the West Coast and have a promotional shot of him taking a helicopter ride over a glacier and The Standard would moan about the helicopter.

      Shit, I referred to The Standard as a single entity and inferred a computer program could moan. Lyn will be furious.

      • fenderviper 6.1.1
        9 January 2013 at 2:22 pm

        You are such a boring drip.
        You seem to hate this place and the talented Lynn but you can’t keep your banned mouth shut for the duration of your ban.
        No wonder your “blog” is of little interest to anyone, but it’s not worth getting so bitter and twisted for being an irrelevant drip.
        Why don’t you crack open another bottle of helicopter and drown your sorrows again.

        • TheContrarian 6.1.1.1
          9 January 2013 at 2:48 pm

          Na, I gave up on blogging ages ago. Didn’t have the desire nor inclination – particularly when my job consists of writing anyway. I couldn’t be bothered doing it in my spare time too.

          Anyway – I don’t hate this place. it is such an amusing echo chamber. And I don’t hate Lynn either – but he comes across as such an arrogant blowhard it’s hard not to taunt him.

          [lprent: Reducing you to a whimpering wreck when you get too damn full of yourself really doesn’t take too much effort. Doing in a way that looks exactly like you do to others is quite simple. I’m surprised you haven’t caught on to the technique yet? ]

          • mike e vipe e 6.1.1.1.1
            9 January 2013 at 2:54 pm

            your in Denial contrarian but i suppose you have to live up to your name!

          • higherstandard 6.1.1.1.2
            9 January 2013 at 7:40 pm

            Gosh such godlike powers Lynn I’m sure everyone is in awe of you total all round amazingness I’m surprised with your seeming omnipotence that you didn’t perform surgery on yourself during your recent cardiac issues.

          • David H 6.1.1.1.3
            9 January 2013 at 8:56 pm

            Oh so you write scary books for 3 year old huh?

            • TheContrarian 6.1.1.1.3.1
              10 January 2013 at 11:13 am

              No, but are you implying that writing books for children is somehow a bad thing or not a noble undertaking? What exactly is the point you are making with this comment?

          • TheContrarian 6.1.1.1.4
            10 January 2013 at 10:52 am

            “Reducing you to a whimpering wreck ”

            Gosh, when was this? Was it that time you tried to convince me you could diagnose Cam Slater’s depression (or lack thereof) over the internet based purely on his blog postings?

            • felixviper 6.1.1.1.4.1
              10 January 2013 at 11:47 am

              I think I can help.

              When you do your ‘Goodness is that the time? Really must be going, btw this is all silly and beneath me anyway despite having spent all day here’ routine, which mysteriously always seems to coincide with you having tied yourself in contradictions you can neither escape or admit to, some people may be imagining that you’re quietly whimpering inside.

              Not me though. I don’t think you possess the required self-awareness.

  7. Populuxe1 7
    9 January 2013 at 1:00 pm

    Because seriously, the rest of the world doesn’t give a flying fuck where John Key takes his holidays – I seriously doubt him being in Hawai’i will prevent them wanting to come here.

  8. Populuxe1 8
    9 January 2013 at 1:34 pm

    Oh no! The New Zealand PM is in Hawai’i – no point in going to Fiordland now! Said no tourist ever.

  9. Steve Wrathall 9
    9 January 2013 at 2:18 pm

    Why the hell shouldn’t he have a holiday in Hawaii, where he can walk along a beach with no-one knowing him from a bar of soap?

    • One Tāne Huna 9.1
      9 January 2013 at 2:24 pm

      I sort of agree with you, Steve, but it’s a perception thing. Like Steve Jobs working on a PC running Windows. Or Ayn Rand collecting a total of $11,002 in monthly Social Security payments.

      • TheContrarian 9.1.1
        9 January 2013 at 2:45 pm

        Or Helen Clarke hiking Kilimanjaro?

        • QoT 9.1.1.1
          9 January 2013 at 6:46 pm

          Helen Clark was Minister of Tourism?

          • higherstandard 9.1.1.1.1
            9 January 2013 at 7:36 pm

            So in a similar vein a Minister of Health should only use public providers ?

            • felixviper 9.1.1.1.1.1
              9 January 2013 at 8:13 pm

              That’s a very clever rebuttal to all those people who’ve been saying Key should only use publicly owned services on his holidays.

            • QoT 9.1.1.1.1.2
              9 January 2013 at 8:31 pm

              That’s not the point I was making, higherstandard, and I credit you with at least sufficient brains to conclude you’re trying to derail the conversation.

              • higherstandard …
                10 January 2013 at 7:50 am

                What’s the point you are trying to make ?

                Personally I don’t give a damn where the Minister of Tourism takes their holiday as long as they are doing a good job of their tourism portfolio surely that’s where criticism should be leveled ?

                The carping about holidaying in Hawaii can be put down to sour grapes and the like while poor tourism figures is far more difficult to deflect.

                • felixviper …
                  10 January 2013 at 6:56 pm

                  “What’s the point you are trying to make ?”

                  The fact that Helen Clark, PM and Minister of Arts climbing a mountain is not analogous to John Key, PM and Minister of Tourism never holidaying in NZ.

                  A relevant analogy would be that Helen Clark never showed an interest in the arts, despite being Minister.

                  It wouldn’t be true of course, but it would be a relevant analogy.

      • SHG (not Colonial Viper) 9.1.2
        9 January 2013 at 7:07 pm

        Steve Jobs working on a PC running Windows? Shyeah, right 🙂

        • Colonial Viper 9.1.2.1
          9 January 2013 at 7:15 pm

          Doesn’t seem likely does it? I once heard that some consultants came in to do a presentation to him and the Apple board. One of the consultants hooked up a Windows laptop to the projector.

          That was the end of the consulting contract.

          • SHG (not Colonial Viper) 9.1.2.1.1
            11 January 2013 at 12:52 pm

            I do recall reading that when Jobs returned to Apple his main puter was an IBM ThinkPad running NeXTSTEP.

      • NoseViper (The Nose knows) 9.1.3
        10 January 2013 at 11:51 am

        One Tane Huna
        Go on Ayn Rand never did – did she?

    • Colonial Viper 9.2
      9 January 2013 at 2:25 pm

      where he can walk along a beach with no-one knowing him from a bar of soap?

      You mean incognito on the beach with his four armed DPS agents beside him?

      • David H 9.2.1
        9 January 2013 at 9:00 pm

        All in suits Ties and Sunglasses, with ear pieces trying for all the world to look like the Secret Service Just to make Shonky look important. What a waste of Taxpayers money!

      • tracey 9.2.2
        10 January 2013 at 9:31 am

        If EVER a man has worked hard to be the antithesis of ingognito it is our celeberity/sports man salivating PM.

    • fenderviper 9.3
      9 January 2013 at 2:31 pm

      Why the hell doesn’t he have a holiday in NZ, where he can walk along the beach and give slippery as soap answers to any concerned questions raised, posing for photos in his quest to be included in everyones albums.

      fify

    • mike e vipe e 9.4
      9 January 2013 at 2:57 pm

      SW what were you saying about Australia not that long Ago !
      Muldoon Kirk etc were liked because they mucked in with everybody Key is an elitist who detests the poor plebs

    • joe90 9.5
      9 January 2013 at 7:34 pm

      where he can walk along a beach with no-one knowing him from a bar of soap?

      He’s there hoping that the right people know who he is.

      • Rogue Trooper 9.5.1
        9 January 2013 at 8:04 pm

        wotta dump. I spent a lot of time around “people with money” over the years (yes I am broadly informed socio-economically speaking) and as a generalization I could not understand their interests and motivations at all; I’ve stayed in flash Hotels, went out for breakfast and “brunch”, drank expensive ethanol (Coleraine when it was in fashion,fine ports, heaps of single malts,Glenlivet, McClellands-Speyside, hmmm, smoked cigars, paid for some “fun”, went jet-boating, flying, hunted all times of game, shot guns, wore labels, rode and drove big-blocks, lived in town, lived in rural paradises, flew my daughter hither and thither, skied, snow-boarded, purchased state-of-the-art audio, saw most of this beautiful country, socialised with all sorts of professionals,( don’t get me started on “professional capture” in the health system) and even as I write I shake my head with an absence of understanding. Today I gave thought to “how” wealthy people think / believe that their money is gonna protect them from anything at all other than potentially prolonging their lives a little longer…these threads about living on ‘x’ small amount of income, well, if expectations are revised, it can be done, yet it is the commitments we make to having children (and who do we do that for?) and property that trap us as the seasons change. I have a small booklet of postcards (cannot find it at mo’ tho’) that displays the possessions of families from around the world laid out before their dwellings; very revealing and another set of images that informed my politics. Think Globally, act Locally.

        ps.a good friend hesitates to complete a review report of her annual practice with people at the bottom of the health-socio-economic ladder, because she has seen the withdrawal of health funding prioritization for them (particularly if they are brown) , so she’s looking to move on and focus on our future-young people.

  10. Lightly 10
    9 January 2013 at 3:08 pm

    When was Clark the minister of tourism?

    As it happens, she regularly holidayed in NZ – eg http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10527128

  11. newsense@gmail.com 11
    9 January 2013 at 7:07 pm

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10838203

    “Hawaiian Airlines said strong demand from New Zealand travellers had convinced it to launch new Auckland-Honolulu flights with its flagship Airbus A330-200 aircraft, instead of the smaller Boeing 767-300ERs it was planning to use.”

    Look some say he hasn’t achieved anything!

    Here you go: extra flights for New Zealand tourists to Hawaii!

    But then again the Aussies were never stupid enough to sell their country wholesale or gut their unions.

    Surely the opposition should have been all over this?

    • Populuxe1 11.1
      9 January 2013 at 8:26 pm

      Of course that also means more flights from a US state to New Zealand, but how thoughtless of me to mention it while you’re wallowing in smugness.

      • tracey 11.1.1
        10 January 2013 at 9:33 am

        I guess one issue is we have a flagging economy. One thing that boosts an economy is local money circulating locally. All of us, inlcuding the PM, who holiday overseas remove money from that circulation pot.

  12. millsy 12
    9 January 2013 at 11:53 pm

    Back in the good old days, Rob Muldoon and family had a bach up by Hatfields beach. This was before it became the yuppie retreat it was now. In the ’70’s, kiwi mums and dads stayed there, no not the mum and dads who have a share portfolio and a swag of rental properties in South Auckland, and moan about not being able to afford a property in the Epsom Girls’ Grammar school zone, but *REAL* mums and dads, who drew family benefits and earned award wages, who sent their kid to the local state school, and didnt see themselves as better than the rest. They would come and have a yarn and a beer with the PM, and their kids would play with Rob’s kids. You didnt see RDM fly off to Hawaii. Love him or hate him, he was probably the last PM who idenfitied with the average kiwi, I guess growing up in the Great Depression with your father in an asylum with syphilis of the brain does that to you.

    • Populuxe1 12.1
      10 January 2013 at 12:03 am

      Slightly different times though – what with the ’73 oil crisis, a protectionist economy, and flying anywhere being horrendously expensive.

    • xtasy 12.2
      10 January 2013 at 12:17 am

      WOW millsy, are you a Rob fan now?

      I hated Muldoon for some pretty ignorant things he pushed through. But when he aged, and when he was hosting Radio Pacific talk shows on the week-end (after his opponents like Prebble doing the same), he became somewhat more “humane” a person, even showing sympathy to poor and disadvantaged. I heard that and learned, that people, no matter what their back ground may be, can change, learn and mature.

      He was such a man, still lacking in some, but he was becoming rather mellow and in a moderate way even compassionate, why I was very impressed with. So let us see what will come out of English, Key and especially that rascal Rodney Hide one day?!

      • millsy 12.2.1
        10 January 2013 at 7:44 am

        I think actions spoke louder than words.

        Muldoon bashed the unions but never took any (serious) measures to limit their power, nor did he seek to destroy the welfare state like Shipley and Richardson did.In 1991, he abstained from Rith’s benefit cuts, while Think Big was a genuine effort to wean us off a dependence on the international oil markets, the problem being that oil prices collapsed in the mid-to-late 80’s.

        He was a nasty prick sometimes, but as I said before, that was tempered by the fact that he knew the effects of unrestrained capitalism.

        • Rogue Trooper 12.2.1.1
          10 January 2013 at 2:13 pm

          ae (I own his autobiographies, he was the man for the times (after all, it was Noo Zillind in the 70’s; consider Car -less Days now? ), or subsidized electric / hybrids, or a freakin functioning suburban retail centre. Most visionary thing I see in HB-the I-Way Cycle Way (the dam is fraught with whose gonna pay, whose gonna benefit controversy, same ol’ same ol’…

        • Fortran 12.2.1.2
          10 January 2013 at 2:26 pm

          Muldoon said on more than one occasion that he was a socialist, and that he believed he was trying to protect the the ordinary New Zealand man after the 2nd oil shock, and Britain joining the EC.

  13. xtasy 13
    10 January 2013 at 12:09 am

    Key even tried to entice Sakhur from the BBC to come here.

    Did he? Would he bother? How well does it work, inviting visitors, when the exchange rate is at the highest it has been for so many years, making it prohibitive for many to even think of coming to NZ?!

    Propaganda and advertising work, that is if there is the money and incomes there, for those attracted to come. With global economic slow down, and Chinese visitors bringing their own lunch boxes and only hiring under cutting local Chinese “tour operators”, shopping in Chinese owned and staffed souvenir shops, selling Mainland Chinese made “NZ” souvenirs, how can that enhance economic growth in idiot NZ???

    • xtasy 13.1
      10 January 2013 at 12:11 am

      NZ economics = Neanderthal economics (at best), going by recent history at least!!!

    • Populuxe1 13.2
      10 January 2013 at 10:41 am

      Yes, dubious foreigners are ruining this country’s economy – but mainly just the ones who turn up and complain about everything while leaching off its welfare system.

      • Colonial Viper 13.2.1
        10 January 2013 at 11:01 am

        Actually it’s traitorous NZ nationals like Fay and Richwhite, Douglas and Richardson who have been ruining this country’s economy and selling us out.

  14. Kleefer 14
    10 January 2013 at 11:35 am

    There are plenty of things to criticise John Key about, but attacking his choice of holiday destination reinforces the view of the left as being driven by envy and hatred of wealth.

    • One Tāne Huna 14.1
      10 January 2013 at 11:40 am

      That’s ok, the fact that the economy does better when the left runs the country undermines that stupid prejudice so completely that only a moron could sustain it.

      • Populuxe1 14.1.1
        10 January 2013 at 1:50 pm

        Calling swing voters “morons” isn’t very helpful either. I’d quite like to see the back of National if you don’t mind.