Anti-vaxxers hijack Luxon meeting
When Opposition leader Chris Luxon steps from his car into the baking heat of Rangiora, he has probably been warned he could be in for a roasting.
So when he enters the Rangiora Town Hall, which doubles as a theatre and cinema, hopes of a rousing welcome, an adoring audience and plenty of warm fuzzies might have already faded.
It is Tuesday and only 249 days to the election. Rangiora is in the bellwether seat of Waimakariri, where popular MP National Matt Doocey sits on a 1500 majority.
Luxon is due to speak at 2.30pm but people, perhaps worried about getting a park and a seat, start arriving an hour before. As they stream in, they don’t look like trouble. Doocey is there to greet and meet, and seems to know most of them.
They are mainly retirees, the women, white haired and cheerful in summer frocks, the men, balding pates tanned by the hot summer, in shorts and sensible shoes. By 2.30pm the place is packed with about 400 people, not all of them, as it turns out, there to hear the good news.
North Canterbury has more than its fair share of the lunatic fringe-diehard anti-vaxxers, incorrigible conspiracy theorists and wacky obsessives.
It houses Dr Jonie Girouard, who handed out fake medical certificates to support vaccine exemptions, and the sign writer who forged vaccine passes. It’s home to Derek Tait, the Harleyriding Destiny Church pastor who has led anti-mandate marches.
The first sign of potential trouble is the arrival of far-right conspiracy theorists Kelvyn Alp and his pregnant partner Hannah Spierer. A late turn-up is tiny homes builder Colin Wightman, who believes the Government is carrying out a United Nations agenda of communism and depopulation.
The cheerful Doocey warms up the audience and relays the news that Luxon will be able to stay longer because his next meeting had been cancelled.
The assembly listens politely to a persuasive 15-minute spiel from Luxon, where he goes through the messages he will continue to hammer.
National will be tough on crime, fix health and education, spend money on services rather than bureaucrats, get the economy growing and rein in the cost of living.
He gets his first round of applause and a ‘‘hear, hear’’ when he says: ‘‘The country is totally, utterly, completely going in the wrong direction at the moment . . . We are fundamentally not getting things done.’’
But that is the last audible affirmation for a while. He tries hard enough. He mentions ‘‘crazy ideological pet projects’’, ‘‘stealing assets from locals’’, ‘‘giving back more of your money’’, and ‘‘one country, one system’’ without much love coming back.
The first question comes from local businessman Gordon about Three Waters. Luxon, who wants to scrap the reform, gives a reasoned six-minute answer and is rewarded with perfunctory applause.
Then the meeting comes alive with clapping and cheering after a retired midwife asks ‘‘when are you going to drop the mandate on health employees?’’ Luxon says he doesn’t see the need for the mandates.
He rides the wave with more talk about the health system.
‘‘This is not the time to create a mega bureaucracy sitting in Wellington. Not the time to be creating a separate Māori health authority and we are going to scrap it.’’ More clapping.
Luxon starts wrapping up the meeting. Cries of outrage come from the audience.
‘‘We have more questions. ‘‘You said you were going to extend the questions.
‘‘We have a country that’s falling apart. More questions.
‘‘So much for transparency.’’ Boos and slow clapping follow.
A man tells this reporter: ‘‘He doesn’t want to answer about Pfizer. That’s where they get their billions. I’ve always voted National but I’m going to vote Act this time.’’
Tricia Isle, from Kaiapoi, believes Luxon excelled.
‘‘I thought it was great. It was so good to be able to listen to him without being interrupted by the news media. I get so frustrated because they cut him off or spin it around. He’s really likeable.’’
Afterwards Doocey doesn’t seem too downhearted.
‘‘This is what happens when you have public meetings. They don’t feel heard.’’
He expects Luxon and other politicians will face more of the same around the country.