Well of course real money was included in the $100,000 cash voucher giveaway that I staged this weekend at Aotea Square in Auckland.
It came from my own pocket. I don't expect to be thanked for that. In fact, the whole point of the cash voucher drop wasto say thank you to the customers of the Safety Warehouse. As managing director, I felt the need to give something back. And that included real money.
I care deeply about others and always want to lend a hand to those in need. Well, a lot of people who have felt that way over the centuries have been persecuted. You only have to look at Jesus.
Not that I'm comparing myself to Jesus. But the way things are going they're going to crucify me.
Okay, so not everything went smoothly at the cash voucher drop. A few idiots spoiled it for everybody. But it was a fun event that attracted 1000 people and I think you'll find that most of them went away pretty happy with what they got, which included real money.
It's all very well for Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to stand up and say, "I cannot fathom how at any point someone would think that was a good idea." What was the last good idea she had? When has her Government ever given away real money?
A cash drop stunt by Safety Warehouse turned ugly when the crowd discovered the money wasn't real. Photo / Supplied
WEDNESDAY
Okay, sure, the Government Wage Subsidy helped out – for a while. But that was then and this is now, and a few extra dollars at Christmas is going to go a long way. I did my bit. I dug deep.
One thing that the cash voucher drop proved is that New Zealand has an ongoing problem with people who like to moan about things that have no effect on their own lives but feel they have a duty of care to be vigilant and censorious.
If you make one false step they're going to come down on you like a tonne of bricks. It has happened today to Trelise Cooper. She's under fire for naming a dress with a phrase associated with a bleak period in Native American history. Good grief. It's just a dress.
First, they came for me. Then they came for Trelise Cooper. Who are they going to come for next? You?
Someone should look into these kinds of people and investigate their motives and agendas because, clearly, they represent a danger to the freedoms of ordinary New Zealanders.
Andrew Thorn insists the vouchers were additional to real money handed out in Auckland's Aotea Square. Photo / Supplied
It was just a bit of fun but the moral guardians of New Zealand have had their say and the cash voucher drop will forever be perceived as a stunt in very bad taste.
That's New Zealand for you. Tall poppy syndrome and the need to make a name for yourself by bringing others down.
My conscience is clear. I offer no apology for the cash voucher drop. The bottom line is that it included real money. People left Aotea Square last Saturday with cold hard cash. It puts a smile on my face knowing I did the right thing - even though that's $20 I'll never see again.
