Supporting Businesses that Care

(First published 2021, updated August 2025)

Your delightful hosts at the Perching Parrot: Han (Hannah) and that's Theo out the back.

Introduction

It is only now, several years after the ill-founded COVID-19 response, that New Zealand is beginning to feel the crushing weight of the debt it created. In the frenzy of lockdowns, mandates, and fear-driven policy, billions of dollars were funnelled offshore — much of it into the coffers of pharmaceutical giants and other foreign suppliers — with no measurable benefit for ordinary New Zealanders. The only real winners were those in positions of power and influence at the time.

Today, as the national debt ticks up by around two million dollars every single day, the reality is hitting home. Hospitals remain under-staffed and under-funded, schools struggle to meet basic needs, and essential services buckle under the strain. Small and medium-sized businesses, already gutted by the COVID-era restrictions, are still closing their doors. Meanwhile, the Commission of Inquiry into the COVID response shuffles along towards what many fear will be a pre-ordained whitewash, offering little hope of accountability. Please consider signing this petition.

If you want a sobering reality check, watch the numbers spin in real time on the NZ Debt Clock. It’s a stark reminder that every second of inaction pushes us deeper into a hole we may not easily climb out of.

This piece, which follows, first published in 2021 and updated in August 2025, is a reminder that the harm done by those policies was never limited to public health measures — it set in motion a slow-burning economic crisis that threatens to push New Zealand towards third-world status.

Here it is as a reminder from 2021 of the harm that was done, but with a positive message. We continue to support Paekakariki's Perching Parrot Cafe:

The Cost Beyond the Numbers

Several weeks ago, Alofa and I attended a private meeting of small and medium business owners to discuss surviving the new Traffic Light system. We expected maybe a dozen attendees. Instead, the hall was standing room only with at least 200 present. There were tears, and there was anger. Some businesses had already closed, others were on the brink, and many would be marginal at best. These people and their employees stood to lose everything under the Traffic Light system; some would even lose their homes.

It was estimated that an extra 30,000 small and medium-sized businesses could go broke over the following year under the Traffic Light rules — more if there were too many red lights. We would be left with a business wasteland dominated by a few large players. And when that happens, you can bet the likes of Amazon will march into New Zealand, catering for your every want and need while replacing all those “Mum and Dad” businesses that once formed the backbone of our communities.

So, we decided to spend our money on businesses that did not actively support the Traffic Light system and its discrimination against the jab-free. I say “actively” because we understand many business owners felt compelled to comply to avoid massive fines — fines that could easily mean bankruptcy.

Perching at the Parrot

On one trip, cycling back to Wellington from Levin, I planned to stop along the way for a coffee and bite to eat. Unfortunately, because I had no vaccine passport to display, the first two cafés refused me service. So I pressed on into a strong southerly headwind, hungry and parched, until I reached my last hope for refreshments — the Perching Parrot café in Paekākāriki.

What a difference! Fabulous service from Han and Theo, the young couple who run the place. Not only were they welcoming, but they were prepared to stand by their principles in the face of the mandates. Yes, I did ask if they were happy for me to mention them here — their answer was an enthusiastic “Go for it!”

If you’re ever near Paekākāriki, drop in on the Perching Parrot, perch a while, enjoy their delicious fare, and tell them Gary Moller sent you. Supporting businesses like theirs is one way we can help rebuild what was lost and resist the creeping centralisation of power and commerce.

Recommended: "The Perching Parrot", Paekakariki

If you are wondering: Yes, I did ask Han and Theo if they did not mind me posting these photos in an article. Their response was enthusiastic, "Go for it!"

There is hope: two young people who are prepared to stand up and be counted!

Next time you are near Paekakariki, drop in on the Perching Parrot, perch a while, enjoy their delicious fare and tell them Gary Moller sent you!