Opinion - Paul Hickey: Event restriction changes, MIQ facilities, pricey toilet paper

Hopefully a good spell of weather over the last couple weeks of April will mean a busy Easter and school holidays for Rotorua. Photo / Getty Images

The announcements this week with changes to the traffic light system certainly seem to have put a spring in the step of many people.

My Facebook feed was blowing up pretty much straight away, with a couple of big events in my immediate future now all good to go ahead.

And subsequently it means the same for many of our local events too, with a bit more certainty around them.

Hopefully the limits will come off the indoor events sooner rather than later.

We now just need to hope for a good spell of weather in Rotorua over the last few weeks of April.

That will help immensely for all our accommodation, hospitality and tourism sectors during a busy Easter, Anzac and school holiday period.

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As the new normal starts to bear some resemblance to old normal, one of the mainstays of the past two years is slowly winding up.

While most of us are happy to see the end of the MIQ facilities, I do believe they served their purpose well in the early part of the pandemic, before becoming the maligned and slighted institutions they eventually became.

Two of our three MIQ hotels in Rotorua have now been decommissioned with just one remaining until end of May.

I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to those many locals who worked as staff at Rydges, Ibis and Sudima over the past few years.

I know from personal experience (my son Joel worked at Rydges for a year during the period) just how tough it could be, and how early on many of you were treated like outcasts.

You all did your work under extreme pressure, and helped keep firstly the rest of Rotorua safe, and ultimately all of Aotearoa.

So thank you, and I hope you all enjoy getting back to a normal hotel and hospo life sooner rather than later.

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On a related note though, I was intrigued to read that Sudima is offering its rooms to locals who need help self-isolating during this current outbreak.

What a nice touch, and a fitting end to the role as MIQ with a little bit of love for locals who are suffering from Covid.

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New Zealand's inflation crisis isn't just squeezing Kiwis at the pump ... it's also making it more expensive to go to the toilet.

This week it was revealed the cost of toilet paper has skyrocketed, with the fastest price rise since detailed records began in 2007/08.

Infometrics analysis of Stats NZ data shows the average price for a 12-pack of loo paper in the December quarter was $7.35. That's 17 per cent higher than the year before, and the first time shoppers have had to fork out more than $7.

Remember a couple of years ago when there was a severe shortage of toilet paper?

It was the start of the Covid outbreak and for some reason some people decided to buy up in bulk.

Many of us laughed at them. But if any of them bought enough to still be going on that bulk buying, I ask you who is laughing now?

• Paul Hickey is your local host on The Hits Rotorua weekdays between 9am and 3pm. Featuring Rotorua news, information, and giveaways, plus trending stories from around the world. Listen on 97.5FM or download the iHeartRadio app. PLUS follow The Hits Rotorua and Paul on Facebook and Instagram.