ROSEMARY ABBOTT | National
SELWYN’S SAVIOUR
Flood-stricken residents in Canterbury were given a morale boost today as the unmistakable shape of the Aratere ferry powered its way through flood waters.
The recently retired Interislander ferry was seen slicing through knee-deep flooding, captained by none other than Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters.
“This government talks a lot about resilience,” Winston bellowed from the captain’s deck, “So I said to Christopher [Luxon], ‘If the streets are rivers, then by god we need a boat,’” he said, chucking down sandbags and lifebuoys to locals.
The ferry was reactivated by Peters as part of what he described as a “hands-on” coalition-led emergency response to the flooding in Christchurch, which is now in a state of emergency
Selwyn resident Jason Harte, 46, stood knee-deep in water and stared in disbelief.
“I thought the rain had made me hallucinate. But no — there he was. Winston Peters, yelling at ducks to get out of the way and driving a bloody Cook Strait ferry through our suburb,” Harte said.
Another onlooker, 28-year-old Sophie Lambert, was less concerned about the emergency and more impressed by the drama.
“Honestly, I’d never seen a ferry through Selwyn, or a politician do anything useful in gumboots. Winton’s come down and done a better job than our council.” she said, packing a sandbag Peters threw down to her.
While some questioned the legality and safety of the operation, Peters remained defiant.
“Just because the ship’s past her prime doesn’t mean she can’t serve the country,” he barked from the upper deck, throwing sandbags down to the locals in Selwyn.
“And if you absolute dunces in the legacy media were doing your jobs properly, then you’d already know that!”
More to come.
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