I was cringing all over again as I listened, so my apologies for not getting the exact quotes. But in a nutshell this is what Duncan said:
"We have been all over the country on our tour of the regions documenting the decline of CBDs and Wanganui is the only place to complain about it.
"I think Wanganui needs to get over itself."
As for Stevens and his idea of retaliation, he simply said: "You need to grow up, mate."
Duncan reminded listeners that two days earlier he had reported a fact: that there were 35 empty shops in Victoria Ave. He commented that he is a journalist and part of the job includes reporting facts. Any potential "negative" image of our city that this projected was made far worse by the reaction to it.
As Kate Stewart pointed out last Saturday, the response from council staff and some local residents runs the risk of "alienating ourselves from those whose help we need most".
"Surely we can't be that immature and naive."
I hope not, but history has a stubborn way of repeating itself, as we've seen most memorably with economist Shamubeel Eaqub, whose expert advice appears to have been rejected by council, and whose name is uttered with scorn and disapproval. Duncan is the new Shamubeel. It's Groundhog Day all over again.
When councillors demand retaliation, it makes it seem like we don't have the ability to self-reflect. When councillors claim to be "working proactively to sort the situation," it makes it seem like we don't have dictionaries. After 35 shops (more like 50, as we've been told) it's not being proactive, it's being reactive. Claiming it's proactive is simply untrue, and easy for commentators like Duncan Garner or Kim Hill to pick apart in front of a national audience.
The best example of being proactive in Whanganui over the past two years has been the community's resistance to the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA). Being proactive requires action before something happens, not afterward.
I imagine the lengths that council spin-doctors (and our local MP) went to in order to paint Duncan Garner's entire visit to our city with a negative brush, when in fact there was a very positive story about some joker's warm, dry home in Castlecliff with a $27 power bill. Across the country, the segment was extremely well received, and a short video posted on Duncan's website and Facebook Page has the most "likes" and "shares" by a wide margin of any other post from his two-week tour of the regions.
If you are a regular listener to Radio Live Drive, you will know that Duncan: 1) welcomes all points of view on his programme; 2) always gives people credit for fronting even if he disagrees with them; 3) has no tolerance for spin; 4) supports the regions; 5) always ends an interview with, "Thanks for your time. I appreciate you coming on the programme."
For these things alone, I reckon he deserves respect.
-Dr Nelson Lebo is an eco design professional specialising in new residential building, renovation, and healthy homes - 022 635 0868; theecoschool@gmail.com.
