Wellywood Willy

I am not going to enter into the Wellywood debate. Well I would, but I am so over it. Shakespeare may well have had it in mind when he penned Much Ado About Nothing. But then he knew nothing of Wellywood, Hollywood or, I imagine, any other wood other than that growing on trees. He was therefore as he says elsewhere “thrice blessed.”
But in observing the debate I cannot but reflect upon the smugness exhibited by the media, most of which is located outside of Wellington. It is almost as if they see here a heaven-sent opportunity to cast aspirations in Wellington’s direction. To imply that Wellington is ripping itself apart over this issue is surely an overstatement, yet this is exactly what the, mainly Auckland based, media would have us believe.
Why? To venture an opinion, many Aucklanders consider Wellington a yoke and Wellingtonians consider Auckland a joke. In a word or five: they don’t like each other.
Admittedly, Wellington possesses a holier than thou attitude to most things, which gets up the nose of Aucklanders who would rather just go about sailing, and funding the rest of New Zealand. So to see Wellington turn on itself is apparently worthy of extravagant coverage.
Not that we in Auckland are strangers to vigorous debate—but our debates are about deeply-seated, emotion-laden issues such as whether the Warriors should play at Mt Smart or Eden Park. The sheer silliness that is the Wellywood debate is breathtakingly trite by comparison. So much so that I am lead to opine that it is nothing more than a media beat-up worthy of the worst of Mark Sainsbury.
Wellingtons don’t hate each other over this issue—they hate Aucklanders, yes, for everything—but they are fiercely and rightly proud of their city. If a few want to protect that city from the triteness that is the Wellywood sign—good on them. But it is hardly open warfare on the street.
So, let’s hear no more of the silly Wellywood debate. Willy would not have had a bar of it.

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