Updated at 10.30am
The latest protest by Waiheke’s infamous rent-a-mob targeted innocent tourists who had come to the island to enjoy a day out at one of the island’s international visitor destinations. The mob, led by hard left Green Party MP and her sycophants, including local board Chair Paul Walden, forced the tourists off their bus and made them walk two kilometres to their destination.
Apparently the mob doesn’t like the double-decker tour buses being used by ferry and bus company Fullers to transport visitors around the island. The mob leaders say the buses are destroying the roads, but produce no evidence to back up their claims. Anyway, what is so precious about Waiheke roads compared to all other roads around the country? Then the mobsters claim they don’t like the look of the buses because they’re so un-Waiheke. Well the buses are colourful, clean and well presented which is more than can be said for the dowdy, unclean and scruffy rent-a-mob members. It is the buses that better represent most of on the island. Lastly, they claim the buses have hit some trees. If that’s the case then complain to Auckland Transport whose job it is to keep the road corridor clear. Do not hijack people who are here for a pleasant day out and so you can enjoy making their lives a misery.
None of the above reasons given justify the mob acting like highwaymen. I wonder why nobody thought to contact the police, or if they did why the police didn’t do their job. It is illegal to block vehicular traffic.
But why was this kind of protest mounted at all? Why target innocent bystanders rather than the object of the protest, the tour company Fullers? Fullers head office is Quay Street just a ferry ride away, but that is altogether too much trouble and inconvenience for the lazy protesters.
The whole thing smacks of a group of naughty children desperate for attention shrieking ‘look at me, look at me’. They will get their mandatory front page in the local fake news outlets and Roche can always drum up friends in the leftie media to play along.
It can easily be seen from Roche’s despicable actions in targeting innocent people why she remains firmly entrenched at the bottom of Greens list of MP. After two terms in parliament she has made no progress up the ranks of the party. It is thought that she only remains on the list at all because her backers give generous financial support to the party. Even young, good looking Chloe Swarbrick, a new party member with no experience of public office is placed higher on the Greens list than Roche.
Waiheke’s economy depends on the visitor industry. The double-deckers solve many problems (see here) and have benefitted locals by easing demand on local buses. Businesses, and therefore jobs, would be lost if visitors no longer want to come here because a few lawless locals take pleasure in destroying the pleasure of others.
It seems to me that it is the rent-a-mob Neanderthal throwbacks that are now un-Waiheke. It's time they moved off the island and found a more congenial playpen, because Waiheke will continue to progress and they will simply become more and more irrelevant.
UPDATE
Mike Hosking has called out the rent-a-mob locals this morning in the Herald. Good!
The latest protest by Waiheke’s infamous rent-a-mob targeted innocent tourists who had come to the island to enjoy a day out at one of the island’s international visitor destinations. The mob, led by hard left Green Party MP and her sycophants, including local board Chair Paul Walden, forced the tourists off their bus and made them walk two kilometres to their destination.
Apparently the mob doesn’t like the double-decker tour buses being used by ferry and bus company Fullers to transport visitors around the island. The mob leaders say the buses are destroying the roads, but produce no evidence to back up their claims. Anyway, what is so precious about Waiheke roads compared to all other roads around the country? Then the mobsters claim they don’t like the look of the buses because they’re so un-Waiheke. Well the buses are colourful, clean and well presented which is more than can be said for the dowdy, unclean and scruffy rent-a-mob members. It is the buses that better represent most of on the island. Lastly, they claim the buses have hit some trees. If that’s the case then complain to Auckland Transport whose job it is to keep the road corridor clear. Do not hijack people who are here for a pleasant day out and so you can enjoy making their lives a misery.
None of the above reasons given justify the mob acting like highwaymen. I wonder why nobody thought to contact the police, or if they did why the police didn’t do their job. It is illegal to block vehicular traffic.
But why was this kind of protest mounted at all? Why target innocent bystanders rather than the object of the protest, the tour company Fullers? Fullers head office is Quay Street just a ferry ride away, but that is altogether too much trouble and inconvenience for the lazy protesters.
The whole thing smacks of a group of naughty children desperate for attention shrieking ‘look at me, look at me’. They will get their mandatory front page in the local fake news outlets and Roche can always drum up friends in the leftie media to play along.
It can easily be seen from Roche’s despicable actions in targeting innocent people why she remains firmly entrenched at the bottom of Greens list of MP. After two terms in parliament she has made no progress up the ranks of the party. It is thought that she only remains on the list at all because her backers give generous financial support to the party. Even young, good looking Chloe Swarbrick, a new party member with no experience of public office is placed higher on the Greens list than Roche.
Waiheke’s economy depends on the visitor industry. The double-deckers solve many problems (see here) and have benefitted locals by easing demand on local buses. Businesses, and therefore jobs, would be lost if visitors no longer want to come here because a few lawless locals take pleasure in destroying the pleasure of others.
It seems to me that it is the rent-a-mob Neanderthal throwbacks that are now un-Waiheke. It's time they moved off the island and found a more congenial playpen, because Waiheke will continue to progress and they will simply become more and more irrelevant.
UPDATE
Mike Hosking has called out the rent-a-mob locals this morning in the Herald. Good!
Lot of fuss over Waiheke bus
The New Zealand tourism story is one of modern business's great successes, which is the bit that the protesters on Waiheke don't get or don't want to get.
They can't have it all ... you can't live in isolation and still expect a welfare system, a health care system and an education system.
The income to pay for it all comes from somewhere ... for this country it's milk and meat and produce from the ground, and a place that millions want to pay to see.
Not only should they not be hijacking buses, they should be welcoming these people with open arms.
They should be thanking them for their patronage and money and interest.
They should send them away with a feeling that this is as good as it gets and they can't wait to be back.
And they should be waving them off on a ferry service that actually represents the values and practices of modern business representing an industry that recognises the value of what the tourist means to us all.
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