Today’s Dominion-Post delivered up an absolute cracker on the nonsensical “news creation” front.
Readers were told that “experts” claim holidaying in the South Sea Islands was a privilege and thus visitors should pay a premium. The experts (plural) turned out to be someone called Regina Scheyvens, unsurprisingly from Massey University, who boasts the title of Pacific Professor for Development Studies.
First Regina advised of the heavy economic toll the virus has had on the South Sea Islands through the collapse of tourism. Then she asserted that travelling internationally was a privilege. Needless to say no explanation of that tosh was offered. Finally came babble about the unique cultures of Niue, Fiji et al, something they share in common (unique cultures) with Zambia, Peru, Italy and every other bloody country in the world.
The recent years decline of Massey with its many ludicrous purported fields of study has reduced its once proud reputation to a laughing stock.
11 Comments
Sir Bob, happy to confirm I gave up on the Pacific Islands 20 years ago.
Value for money plus an enormous range of adult activities are readily available in Thailand, aptly names “ The Land of Smiles.”
Better still, there is no chance of meeting anyone with an attitude like Regina in such a wonderful country with fabulous and hospitable people.
5555. Better food, amazing temples, incredible Golf courses, sensational infrastructure and very cheap accommodation. Not bad for a “developing” country. Openly prejudice and loving it.
PS. Hospitals so clean you could eat off the floor in need.
Isn’t Massey supported by the CCP. Regina would be in her element in the Pacific Island learning Mandarin
John J,
Please elaborate on the “enormous range of adult activities” available in Thailand. I’ve found the Pacific sadly lacking in an “enormous range of adult activities”.
And yet Tahiti was the place to be just a century or three ago ( before those bloody Christians ruined it for the rest of us)
SB.
We are surrounded by stupidity today. Most of it to fit the current narrative or trend of the year.
You know “black lives matter” much more of course than another color.
But the most recent stupidity for me comes from the hipocracy of the Warehouse advertising prolifically they are going carbon neutral. It’s laughable that a company that sources virtually ALL of the crap they sell from the CCP gets virtuous. If they really cared they would stop supporting (buying from) the worlds largest polluter, the stand out human rights abuser and the most dangerous country on earth today.
Double standards? Anything for a dollar? But we sound and look great on the TV right!
Its hardly a privileged to visit NZ.
We sell what our country has to offer no different to a prostitute, We hope that punters will be keen to spend some time here and enjoy what’s on offer.
I think Regina will find that to be a business transaction, a tooth in the cog of the economy .
Was Regina paid by Tax Cinder to promote her new tax, on an industry devastated by the boarder closures.
Moving on to a new direction, Tax Cinder, With the help of the likes of Regina, have abandoned the vision of tourism replacing the rural sector, now it carbon credits and the environment that are going be the new future
Regina will fully support Ardern in her sequestration. Australian tourists are discouraged from visiting NZ…even Queenstown. I hear Minister Nashs’ solution….visit your bank or lawyers.
It’s far too easy to call yourself an ‘expert’ and release the ‘latest report’ or ‘latest study says..’ without a hell of a lot of back-up or reference to other ‘reports’ etc…and that’s why NZ has found itself in the present position re the covid outbreaks ( overseas)..how many deaths directly attributable to covid in NZ ? How many in the South Island? The answer is…bugger all. However the covid queen would have us believe that experts are telling ‘us’ we are at real risk. Hence the ridiculous 3 day lock down last week…what did that achieve? Common sense is a thing of the past, especially when NZ has a socialist govt…
As soon as any academic outside of accounting/economics specialities utters the word “tax” you know they don’t know what they are talking about.
Yes, wonderful world class pristine beaches, accommodation, food, wine, entertainment, and adventure experience. Yes, visit our Pacifica friends to enjoy the home grown experience of polluted beaches, poverty, poor food and drink, risk filled adventure, and third world culture. A premium for this is not worth the holiday spend. Kiwi’s and Aussie’s get better bang for our buck in many Asian destinations. Decades of neglect by ANZUS has not gone without notice from our Chinese comrades. Our Pacifica friends will welcome China’s assistance with open wallets.
As an alumni of said institution I with some regret have to accept that this sort of guff reinforces the need for a massive transmogrification of all endeavours and employment criteria for this slowly and agonisingly decaying outfit