Many of you may not know this, there has been more than 7600 aftershocks since a major 7.1 earthquake hit the city I live in — Christchurch in New Zealand last September. One of these 7600 aftershocks was a deadly one, and it only came 5 months after the major 7.1 earthquake. Nearly 200 people died in the February ‘aftershock’, mostly due to building collapse in the CBD (central business district). Therefore, today, nearly a year since the quake, our city is still functioning (well… let’s not get into defining ‘functioning’) without a CBD.
Since the February quake, the city has been in a really bad shape (ok, ruined), however the City Council has invited citizens to get involved in the rebuilding process by setting up the site Share an Idea so everyone could put their suggestions forward. After months of gathering ideas from citizens and experts, the city has finally published its central city rebuild plan yesterday. Many people have been feeling positive and hopeful, especially our city mayor Bob Parker, because it’s the only thing you could and probably should do, be hopeful.
However our Earthquake Recovery Minister, good old Mr. Brownlee has been nothing but negative along the way. When the city plan came out yesterday and the city was feeling all hopeful once again, our beloved Brownlee once again said ‘oh, that’s a pretty big wish list‘. Oh, good old Brownlee, we all know your job is just so hard and stressful, but could you please, for once, be positive? Or even fake it, because the people need it. You don’t think for one second we all know that our city is ruined, we have lost everything we loved about Christchurch? You don’t think we all know that it’s likely going to take more than 20 years to rebuild our city, and it will just never be the same? We do, and to be honest we don’t need your negativity, not right now.
This morning I felt that I just had enough of his negativity, and one of our great Kiwi Tui beer ad came to my mind and I created a little something for our absolutely positively Brownlee.
Brownlee Speaks
Wonderfully Picky... 