thoughts

Don’t get me wrong, I love my friends and family and the memories of Auckland, but our infrastructure is slowly sucking my will to live. Now I know, you’ve heard this sentiment one thousand times over this year. It’s an election year; everything that is wrong gets dredged up, and we’re all reminded of how much everything is an issue. But it’s so goddamn frustrating how there has been a lack of any meaningful change in how the city is planned. The way that regional and central government wants to deal with Auckland’s housing and transport issues is laughable. Lack of housing? Build settlements in Kumeu and Pokeno! Because that won’t further burden the snail race of the southern motorway. Need better train systems? Build a loop around the CBD, that will shut them up! There are so many things that I think Auckland needs to prevent it from seriously imploding within the next decade. We need to accept that we must build up and increase our housing density (sorry central Aucklanders...

This has been brewing in my mind for some time now, and what better time to share than Waitangi weekend. I am shocked, like so many others, at the recent (and past, let's not forget his behaviour on the campaign trail and even before) actions of the US president. Every morning I wake up and read the news, and for the past week I keep thinking to myself as the BBC news loads 'what does Donald Trump have in store for me today?' I am absolutely disgusted by his rhetoric, the idea of "alternative facts", the absolutely abhorrent refugee and migrant executive order. But then I think, 'well I'm in New Zealand. My life goes on.' And sure, that's true for me in my own little bubble. But then it also is completely false, because like it or not, what the US does has severe implications for the rest of the world. The mere event of his election gives credence to those in New Zealand who hold similar beliefs, an affirmation that the most powerful country in...