Beehive Diaries
This week, Simon Bridges’ smalls go awol, and PM Jacinda Ardern issues a personalised invitation to an Australian comedian.
Tuesday
The mystery of Simon Bridges’ disappearing underwear National MP Simon Bridges found himself all suit but no undies, socks or shoes after a visit to Parliament’s gym.
Another gym goer also found their shoes missing.
Bridges borrowed socks from his colleague Chris Penk, and claimed he had a spare pair of shoes and underwear.
Security searched the lockers twice and found the missing items the next day in a different locker to the one Bridges said he put them in.
It remains unclear where they were in the intervening period, but Bridges remains adamant he had not simply confused his lockers.
He threw away the undies and socks just in case somebody had borrowed them for a day.
Penk declined his offer to return the loaned socks.
Wednesday Cupboard love for the Australians
After announcing the transtasman bubble would start on April 19, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern gave herself another job: tourism promotion agent number one.
The TPANO started work on Wednesday morning, going on a raft of Australian media to encourage people to come over. Her flattery knew no bounds.
On Nine’s Today show, she stood with a Tourism NZ banner of a ski slope behind her. She told Australians we had “absolutely missed you”. On Australian media, she told them to think of New Zealand “as another state [of Australia]”.
The presenters roared, and Ardern quickly added “purely for this exercise”.
It quickly became clear this love may have been cupboard love: Ardern added that tourism from Australia added $2.7 billion to New Zealand’s coffers.
Wednesday
Who’s on the PM’s invite list?
Australian PM Scott Morrison was top of Ardern’s invite list to come to New Zealand.
But she also issued a “challenge” for Australian comedian Celeste Barber to visit.
That offer might not be music to Morrison’s ears: in January 2020, Barber tagged Ardern on Instagram asking Ardern to rename Australia “West New Zealand”, and become its leader.
Barber issued an excited acceptance to Ardern’s offer later on Instagram.