Not to Chyna with a bunch of Natives celebrating their stone age Culture but perhaps say, Hornby Mall.
Although Rolleston Village that Norman Kirk kicked off in the 1970s, a little too soon before the expansion, make that destruction, resulting from one more extravagant oratory error by James Patrick Anderton when in his self assessment he decided Christchurch needed him more than they needed Bob Parker, as Mayor. The onetime “Time Person of the future” was undone spectacularly when the Gods sent a seismic wave to indicate their displeasure of his opinionated self belief. Christchurch people devastated by Nature flocked to Rolleston village in their thousands to rebuild their lives on safer ground than the swamps draining into the Heathcote and Avon streams that singularly informed the two gnarly old Scots Brothers Deans who after passing over the Port Hills from Port Lyttelton did not pause until their march westward took them to the stable land with big trees at Riccarton before setting up their base.
Now today Rolleston offers its residents every thing but Ballantyne’s and Mitre Ten (rumoured to be coming) so visits to “The Hub ” at Hornby Junction have become sporadic tbf. Now the Mall there does not match Westfield Riccarton or Northlands set in the northern paddocks beyond the tram at Papanui of my youth for size but it does equal South City and Eastgate. A visit yesterday for Swmbo needing some retail therapy came as a bit of a reset as to what is happening in “Real New Zealand” that seems to be escaping Mr Luxons band of merry men and women. Empty shops, numbering at least five plus a permanently long closed cafe at the “Bank” end of the complex. Without doing a trip of discovery of the entire Mall my impression remains conjecture.
Now closed and shuttered business has long signalled the decline of rural centers along main road New Zealand but it was somewhat confronting in a mall that is servicing a westward expansion of the Garden City.
No Minister 
Luxon is becoming more and more of a problem. I initially supported him as he was able to manage tis government and cabinet which is a tough cat herding exercise. But that’s not enough. He has to stand for something and get people behind his vision. That side is completely absent. This is why frustrated voters are ticking Labour on pollster forms.
The trouble is – who would replace him? Who would excite and energise the centre to right Joe and Jane Voter? Meager one day.
Our problems are a lot deeper than Mr Luxon, that’s what’s beginning to scare me.
The problem is Bald Jacinda is John Key with a charisma bypass. He has no political philosophy or background so he doesn’t stand for anything. Just the National schtick of “managing things better”.
He’s almost as WEF indoctrinated as red Jacinda which bodes poorly for New Zealanders.
That’s the whole reason why there’s no desire or action for much needed change. Which leads to why there’s been no change in the economy and we’ve got empty shops all over the country.
Over at TDB – as “Bomber” has gleefully noted the political polling and the “exodus” of kiwis fleeing “this government” – I’ve repeatedly tried to point out that they’re not just fleeing the now but the future of his beloved Labour-Green-TPM government.
This is not like the departures we’ve always had, with people in their 20’s doing the OE, plus a much slower trickle of people in their 30’s moving permanently.
What we have now is ages 20-40, including families, departing wholesale and, at least for the ones I know, making no bones about how they don’t see a future here for themselves and their kids, either in the short-term under National maintaining the status quo. or the long-term when Labour gets back in and re-starts all their dreams, whether of CGT, wealth taxes, higher income tax, increased benefits, Net Zero and more Maori control of everything.
They’ve concluded that that future is coming, irrespective of who is in government and they’re getting out while they can.
Cold Zimbabwe awaits.
This is another one of those Gravedodger postings that look technically like the English language, but are otherwise quite incomprehensible.
However, I did understand the headline. Luxon needs to get out of House indeed. Hopefully back to the private sector where he can ruin another perfectly good business.
He can return to his true calling – a bald shampoo salesman.