Across New Zealand the cost of fuel has reached insane new heights, yet fortunately our beloved ‘Jacinda’ is stepping forward to relieve this pressure.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern maintains these rising fuel costs are ‘unfair on hardworking Kiwis’ and is reportedly taking steps to ‘subsidise the cost’ of petrol and diesel.

Make no mistake, in my opinion the Labour Government can go to hell, I’m a cold-blooded right-wing National supporter until the end; you better believe I was outraged by the outcome of this recent election and the way Labour threw together its coalition of losers – they complained about there being ‘no democracy’ in the recent US election but at least in their election the winner was the party which received the most votes…

This time last year the cost of petrol had dropped below $2.00 per litre as the price of crude oil fell back to its lowest point in years; 12 months later that price has peaked at almost $2.50.

…In the lead-up to the last election the Labour party promised voters that it was going to use New Zealand’s ‘massive budget surplus’ (which National’s own Finance Minister assured us was non-existent) to boost funding across a multitude of sectors which many naïve voters thought sounded brilliant and it did, sound brilliant…

12 months on from its record low and the price of a barrel of crude oil has risen – slightly; 12 months on from New Zealand’s notable reduction in the cost of fuel and it too has risen – astronomically.

…Labour planned to use New Zealand’s ‘massive budget surplus’ to improve roads, to boost the health and education sectors; so Jacinda, tell us please, how much ‘boosting’ has Labour actually done? …

Labour promised us, in the lead up to the recent election, (taking into account New Zealand’s ‘massive budget surplus’) there would be ‘no need for any major tax increases in the near future’, making this blowout in fuel prices almost inexplicable.

…In fairness Labour has ‘boosted’ the cost of petrol by more than 50 cents per litre over the last year, so I guess that’s something; what, did they actually think that if they imposed this fuel tax incrementally we wouldn’t notice? Does the Labour Government think that most Kiwis are daft? …

It is a fact that New Zealand (Auckland) roads need maintenance; they always need maintenance and maintenance always means money, but it seems unreasonable that New Zealanders are expected, across one year, to fund a 25 percent increase in the cost of such a vital commodity (and particularly with such a ‘massive budget surplus’ left by National at the lead-up to last election).

…No, clearly Prime Minister Ardern does not think Kiwis are daft as she has now also conceded that ‘fuel prices are too high’, and is reportedly planning to subsidise these costs; in essence then she intends to temporarily reduce taxation imposed on fuel by her Labour Government.

Again Jacinda Ardern comes off looking like the People’s Prime Minister, yet all she has really done is try to screw the ‘People’ then upon hearing them moan, she has agreed to screw them a little less firmly.

Article by Tim Walker

Edited by P M Ardern

Photography by Nissa-Wan D Foll