There is a political rogues’ gallery of terrible leaders during times of national crisis. George W Bush vacationed at his ranch during Hurricane Katrina. Boris Johnson held drunken parties at Number 10 while his nation was in lockdown. And Scott Morrison holidayed in Hawaii while bushfires burnt across Australia. When challenged by journalists, Morrison uttered the immortal line, “I don’t hold a hose, mate.”
It seems we can add Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown to this ignominious identity parade. Invisible during the early stages of Auckland’s unprecedented flooding, then visibly irritated at being questioned by media during a civil emergency, he riffed off Morrison’s infamous line by insisting that it wasn’t his role to rush out with buckets.
When RNZ broadcaster Kim Hill questioned him about Auckland’s emergency response, he replied, with barely concealed relish, “It will be interesting to see just how well prepared Wellington is when the earthquake strikes.” The interview ended when Hill asked if the tap water was safe to
