Locked away for no crime
My aunt is 95 and in a "caring" rest home. Our whānau is extensive and long to visit but it allows only one person for half an hour per week per patient - in case we spread Covid to other residents.
If she is dying, whānau can visit at any time on "compassionate" grounds. But what about the safety of other patients then?
New rules also allow us to take her out anywhere - to a cafe, a mall, on a marae for as long as we choose - with no stipulations for her safety or of others on her return as this "won't compromise others in the rest home". But, of course, it could. What do they take us for?
Meanwhile those sunny nooks, pianos, decks, gardens, and posh lounges the imprisoned inmates have paid for remain silent and lifeless.
The word "compassion" has been egregiously abused by the Ministry of Health for over two years. This blanket rule ignores individual circumstances and is cruel to young and old.
We're all vaxxed, boosted and happy to mask up, but time is not on her side.
How can our aunt and thousands of elderly or infirm around the country escape their Government-endorsed prisons?
Mary Tallon, Takapuna.
Idle moments
Chris Hipkins (NZ Herald, May 9) refers to National seeing Gliding On as old-fashioned.
As the writer of all the episodes in the 1980s, I'd like to point out that the series portrayed only a non-specified stores department, and never those very hard-working public servants who made hard decisions every day (and still do).
Roger Hall, Takapuna.
Media teems
Chris Hipkins' (NZ Herald, May 9) list of the additional bureaucrats that Labour employed was selective.
There was no mention of how many more spin doctors and public relations people were employed by his Government. In July 2019, RNZ reported that public sector communications staff grew by 60 per cent and salary costs were up 45 per cent, compared to wage inflation of 14 per cent.
More spin from a Government that promised to be "open and transparent"
Nigel Gerbic, Parnell.
Envy tax
Amid the wealth envy behind National "giving massive tax cuts to top earners" (NZ Herald, May 9) some basics are overlooked.
Firstly, people earning $180,000 a year are paid that because they are worth it otherwise Q.E.D. their employers wouldn't pay it. Taking just one example, the average salary for an experienced GP in NZ is above $180k, and who would claim GPs are overpaid, or deny our need to attract more of them?
Secondly, it's only above $180k that tax rates would reduce by 6 cents in the dollar so, for example, the tax reduction on a $250k salary under National's plan amounts to $3300, hardly the $18,000 that's being bandied about by opponents of the reform.
And finally, why shouldn't high earners keep more of their salary once they have paid their 33 per cent, $50k plus, tax contribution to society?
Any individual knows that he or she can spend their cash more wisely than the Government can. "A nation cannot tax its way to prosperity" is as true now as it has always been.
John Denton, Eskdale.
Capital controls
Is this a sign of things to come in New Zealand? "Zimbabwe imposes capital controls to stem currency slide" reads the headline in Bloomberg news. If Labour and the Greens were ever to impose a wealth tax in New Zealand, we would be in a similar position.
The wealthy have the means to move their capital offshore or the accounting methods to get around such a tax, or simply relocate to another country. The wealth tax would primarily fall on middle-class homeowners. The wealth tax proposal is a very bad one that would make New Zealand poorer.
If all the money wasted by the current Green/Labour Government had simply been given to those in need, it would have achieved far more than all the commissions and committees that have been appointed during the last five years.
Dan McGuire, Nelson.
Paying off
Paying $800,000 for a jobs expo (NZ Herald, May 9) only looks like a lot.
If a digital tool is developed to replace physical staff travelling to an office, with three security officers keeping everyone safe, it looks like a bargain to me.
Research and development is costly, and unsuccessful iterations need to be celebrated if it produces a digital product that can save taxpayers billions.
A National Party spokesperson surely knows this.
Ian Swney, Morrinsville.
Going to pot
The organised gathering of some 3500 "dazed and confused" dope heads (NZ Herald, May 9), openly and flagrantly breaking the law at Auckland's once family-friendly Albert Park this past Saturday, seemingly without police intervention, was a public disgrace, and yet a further sign of this government's "soft on crime" stance.
It'll be only a matter of time until the political left put forward a motion to have so-called "J-Day" considered as another idiotic public holiday.
The way this country is rapidly sinking, nothing should surprise us.
Peter Cook, Lynfield.
Saddle up
Spend $2 billion on cycleways with no means of recovering the costs? There is another way around the problem which could be considered.
If the $2 billion was spent on buying around 500,000 basic e-cycles and giving them to existing car drivers on the basis that they use them on a regular basis, this would result in the removal of a number of motor vehicles from the existing roads which would then provide more space for the bikes to operate safely, thereby removing the need to provide specialised cycle lanes.
It should also be noted that we currently have cycle lanes in the CBD, which were originally called footpaths, but are now heavily used by electric scooters and bicycles. These footpaths could then be returned to pedestrians.
Dick Ayres, Auckland Central.
Plastic paving
Attention Auckland Transport – those bike-loving, clever, Dutch people are making cycling tracks from recycled plastic bottles.
Clicking together like giant Lego pieces, they offer a smooth riding surface and have built-in ducting for cables and pipes. They also store stormwater run-off so it can be released when the tide goes out.
Their roll-out speed would probably halve your annual orange cone rental costs and there would be further gains from saving the City of Sails from the environmental damage created by the many thousands of tonnes of concrete you have already budgeted to spread around in the coming years.
John McCaulay, Parnell.
Payment transferred
The problem with the free bus travel promoted by Simon Wilson (NZ Herald, May 10) is that, of course, it can never actually be free. The bills must still be paid.
All that happens with free bus travel is that the costs are transferred elsewhere within society, most likely on to council rates.
Thus the citizens actually end up no better off. They still pay, only they do it by paying higher property rates (or higher rent) rather than at the bus.
Peter Lewis, Forrest Hill.
Fare payment
Public transport which excludes those who do not possess an AT HOP card is an oxymoron. Some of the limitations and inflexibility of such a system are highlighted in Stephanie Watson's letter (NZ Herald, May 9).
One solution might be the introduction of the old fashioned farebox as an adjunct to the HOP card. Now that the half-price fares are operative with the prospect that they may remain permanent, a standard cash fare of (for example) $3 might be fair and appropriate.
This would apply to all passengers regardless of age or distance travelled but the amount would still be sufficient incentive to otherwise routinely use the HOP card.
HOP cardholders would, of course, have the option of paying by cash if it was to their advantage.
Adding a farebox would obviously be a boon to Auckland visitors and tourists as well as those who don't normally patronise public transport except in an emergency. It would also solve the quite common problem of passengers who accidentally or deliberately discover that there is no balance on their card and then rely upon the goodwill of the driver to score a free ride.
Nigel Shaw, Clover Park.
Weasel words
It was heartening to read Sasha Borissenko's article (NZ Herald, May 9) shooting down meaningless corporate claptrap.
Hopefully, terminology such as "my team will get back to you", and the nauseating, "l'm sorry if I offended you" can soon be replaced by well-thought-out and digestible phraseology.
John Norris, Whangamatā.
Short & sweet
On tax
There is still time, Grant Robertson, to reduce GST and implement a wealth tax. I believe the grumble would be small. Sarah Beck, Devonport.
On returnees
People leave New Zealand for greener pastures but, when the going gets tough, they can't wait to get back for free treatment such as having babies. Peter Reekie, Whangamatā.
On congestion
The Government, not content with having Auckland City seriously wounded, is now kicking it while it's down with the imminent announcement of a congestion tax... I mean charge. Janet Boyle, Ōrewa.
On fares
It's only free to the traveller. The taxpayer or ratepayer will pay for it. Nick Hamilton, Remuera.
On service
Yes, Minister. Expanding public service numbers is good... for communism. Yvonne Sutton, Northcote.
On Warriors
If a team loses the game in the last 20 minutes, it's a fitness problem. Wake up coach, forget the gym and head to the road for stamina training. Keith May, Howick.
The Premium Debate
Congestion charges tipped for central Auckland
Seems this Government is hell-bent on destroying Auckland CBD. Mark Y.
Auckland CBD is currently a scary, apocalyptic wasteland. A "congestion charge" is just another reason to stay away (if you need one). I shudder to think what tourists will think if the Government ever allows cruise ships back in. Andy G.
Let's tax this... another tax and probably more poverty? Daniel S.
If it is classified as a levy, then it will attract GST. If it is classified as a tax then it will not. Guess which classification it will attract? Ross H.
You cannot and will not succeed in taxing people out of their cars. The public transport network in Auckland is terrible and has been for years, not to mention expensive. Sort out the public transport and people will use it voluntarily. Who wants to sit in traffic for two or three hours each day? Give people a viable alternative. Fiona K.