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Ed Said - Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble

 

 

Emotions are running high as Kiwis and Aussies on both sides of the Tasman celebrate the opening of the travel bubble, a world first. 

There was collective yahooing around the country at the announcement confirming our borders will be open with Australia, but not just by potential holidaymakers or expats wanting to get back home to the warm embrace of family, friends and loved ones. Businesses and communities across the country have suffered immeasurably since the tourist dollar tap ran dry 12 months ago, but now there seems to be hope that an open border with Australia will see tourist town tills ringing again. Tourism New Zealand says the bubble opening could be worth $1 billion. 

According to Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment figures, Australian tourists and business travellers spent $65 million in Northland in 2019. National data also shows Australians made up the highest percentage of international visitors to the region. In the meantime, most satisfying over the last year has been the amount of support domestic tourists had shown to Northland. 

Mangawhai has found itself in a privileged position, broadly speaking, largely unaffected by closed borders, and for a number of reasons.  

The fire in the relatively small scale local economy is kept stoked by locals who generally work and spend in the area. A high proportion of retirees who don’t rely on employment spend locally, and make up the majority of volunteers , who get things done when they need to be done. 

A regular influx of Aucklanders who own property or holiday in the area during lockdowns and public holidays also provide a cash boost to the town’s commercial coffers. 

Add to that the Mangawhai Central development, a red hot housing market, the usual natural seaside attractions, low crime rates, and it’s hard to see a down side. 

While Mangawhai’s reliance on the overseas tourist dollar is very small, pity then a place like Paihia, whose problems with lawlessness over the last few years have been exacerbated as international visitors to the once bustling Bay of Islands gateway town – with a commercial centre that relies on these visitors – dropped to zero. As rising crime rates and packed public meetings prove, when there’s not enough tourists tending the garden, the weeds start to take over. 

Excitement over the travel bubble with Australia is an entirely appropriate situation as we remember the special relationship between our two nations during ANZAC celebrations. The privilege of this mateship, borne through the adversities and tribulations of war, has stood the test of time – and a long-running tussle over ownership of the pavlova. How ironic the delectable meringue dessert as we know it began life as a German torte. 

A dawn parade is a uniquely emotional experience – the crowd gathering in the misty cold of the darkest hour before sunrise, the moving testimonials, the prayers to a Lord and Saviour who leads the living by the hand and has made a place in heaven for those that have passed, the unified amen, the wail of The Last Post.  

But while there is a seriousness and sadness to proceedings, the sombre mood is lifted by the understanding that those who have fought and died for a better world did not do so in vain, that we can enjoy the freedoms we do today. If anything it is the most beautiful legacy of love, hope, peace and compassion that can be passed on to future generations. 

In the end there is an absurdity about war – professional killing. Beyond the inhumanity and unendingly dire consequences of battle, the typically jocular Kiwi soldier will appreciate there’s sometimes little difference between honour and humour, or that maybe the two go hand in hand. A sign posted in an Army recruiting station after the announcement was made that married men would not be drafted read: “Better for Two years Than for Life.” 


 

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