Transport Reboot

December 20, 2021

By NZB3

I’m a regular user, or was, of the Auckland SkyBus. I’ve tried using a mix of bus, rail, and Lime scooters instead and even bought one of Auckland’s annoying ‘Hop’ cards to do it. Highly inefficient and stress-stimulating, especially when you have a plane to catch. Wellington’s airport bus has been canned too. The problem, of course, is that these services are being politically destroyed by Labour 6.0’s COVID policy.

Same deal with KiwiRail’s The Northern Explorer train between Auckland and Wellington which has now also been cut for the first time in 100 years. Can’t help thinking that the disaster to this business is related to nearly 50 managers and executives having quit KiwiRail under its recently departed CEO.

These transport routes are not going to go away. When the tourist industry resumes all the scenic train routes will be viable again and so will the airport buses.

So will the airports and Air New Zealand. They are hurting the most.

So will all the various tourist ventures and the towns that rely upon that industry.

Labour 6.0 has shut off the ability for those industries to trade and will not simply give back that market access without a price. A deal will be done. For all of these businesses to exist in the first place means that they have an existing political deal that predates the election of Labour 6.0. The old deal needs to go, as far as our government is concerned, because it’s of no benefit to them. If that means the firm will be destroyed, well, that’s just fine by our politicians.

Ideally, however, these transport firms will all sign up to Labour 6.0’s new political treaty and become vassals of the current government. Ideally, that is, from Labour 6.0’s point of view.

So, mark my words, we will see the routes serviced by SkyBus and Kiwirail rise again after the boot of COVID politics lifts. But that boot will not lift for health reasons but because a deal has been struck. Switching political patronage tends to require a change in management and a change in logo by way of signaling. The next version, Labour 6.0’s version, of SkyBus and Kiwirail and Air New Zealand etc. and their services will be along soon but just called something else. Labour 6.0 politicians will be there to cut the ribbon which is another way to signal that they have sanctified the new arrangement.

I’m making a point of saying this now so that, when it does happen, some Anarchy skeptics will be able to look back and see that Anarchists have valuable perspective to offer.

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