January 12, 2026
Two Venezuelans turned Ashburton locals “could not be happier” following the capture of Venezuelan Nicolás Maduro.
Marcos Mirabal and Maite Pineda felt his capture marks the beginning of a new era in one of the world’s most resource-wealthy countries.
“It’s amazing for every Venezuelan,” Pineda said.
“I bet in five years, Venezuela will be very different to today.”
For Mirabal, it was a particularly special day to hear the news – his birthday.
“We were home with a couple of friends from Argentina,” he recalled.
Notifications about a “situation in Caracas,” the country’s capital, began flowing through on his phone.
That was when he found out the United States had captured Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, and his wife Cilia Flores, on charges of narcoterrorism.
“My [initial] reaction was like ‘is this true? Is this for real?’,” he said.
“Then we realised it was for real.”
Mirabal recalls a sensation of joy and happiness rolling over him – a feeling he said many Venezuelans expats would share.
The couple moved to Ashburton six years ago, trading their professional careers in engineering and psychology for dairy farming.
Not a life they would have chosen, but the state of their home country left them few other choices.
“When I was a child,” Mirabal said, “the situation in Venezuela was… I was living in a very rich country, with a really strong economy.
“When [Hugo] Chavez took power in Venezuela, in six months, he changed the Constitution, he changed the legal [framework] of the country.
“Corruption was really high, so we started losing a lot of money and a lot of independence.”
Hugo Chavez was Maduro’s predecessor, who they say began the government’s devaluation of Venezuela, and the rewriting of its history.
“They changed the name of Venezuela, and the flag,” Mirabal said.
“They changed the names of many streets, many highways, many mountains.”
“It’s been 26 years. For many people, that is a normal situation (to live in).
“For us, it’s like a completely different country.”
Pineda said the Venezuelan government’s reach went beyond corruption.
“This is way, way worse. This is evil. People have been killed in many protests. We have a building made for torture.”
She said sending so much as a text message could land someone in jail.
It’s all so far removed from the Venezuela she was raised and educated in.
“We were very wealthy. Venezuela is the country with the biggest reserve of oil in the world.
“Not only oil, its iron, its gold, its aluminum.”
Those resources will pull interest and investment from around the world, which is why she expects Venezuela to bounce back.
“We still have the resources; I really have the faith that things are going to change.”
By Anisha Satya
Two Venezuelans turned Ashburton locals “could not be happier” following the capture of Venezuelan Nicolás Maduro.
Marcos Mirabal and Maite Pineda felt his capture marks the beginning of a new era in one of the world’s most resource-wealthy countries.
“It’s amazing for every Venezuelan,” Pineda said.
“I bet in five years, Venezuela will be very different to today.”
For Mirabal, it was a particularly special day to hear the news – his birthday.
“We were home with a couple of friends from Argentina,” he recalled.
Notifications about a “situation in Caracas,” the country’s capital, began flowing through on his phone.
That was when he found out the United States had captured Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, and his wife Cilia Flores, on charges of narcoterrorism.
“My [initial] reaction was like ‘is this true? Is this for real?’,” he said.
“Then we realised it was for real.”
Mirabal recalls a sensation of joy and happiness rolling over him – a feeling he said many Venezuelans expats would share.
The couple moved to Ashburton six years ago, trading their professional careers in engineering and psychology for dairy farming.
Not a life they would have chosen, but the state of their home country left them few other choices.
“When I was a child,” Mirabal said, “the situation in Venezuela was… I was living in a very rich country, with a really strong economy.
“When [Hugo] Chavez took power in Venezuela, in six months, he changed the Constitution, he changed the legal [framework] of the country.
“Corruption was really high, so we started losing a lot of money and a lot of independence.”
Hugo Chavez was Maduro’s predecessor, who they say began the government’s devaluation of Venezuela, and the rewriting of its history.
“They changed the name of Venezuela, and the flag,” Mirabal said.
“They changed the names of many streets, many highways, many mountains.”
“It’s been 26 years. For many people, that is a normal situation (to live in).
“For us, it’s like a completely different country.”
Pineda said the Venezuelan government’s reach went beyond corruption.
“This is way, way worse. This is evil. People have been killed in many protests. We have a building made for torture.”
She said sending so much as a text message could land someone in jail.
It’s all so far removed from the Venezuela she was raised and educated in.
“We were very wealthy. Venezuela is the country with the biggest reserve of oil in the world.
“Not only oil, its iron, its gold, its aluminum.”
Those resources will pull interest and investment from around the world, which is why she expects Venezuela to bounce back.
“We still have the resources; I really have the faith that things are going to change.”
By Anisha Satya
