Letter of the week: George Hawley, Hamilton
In recent interviews, the Prime Minister has stated that New Zealand follows "an independent foreign policy". Has it been explained what this actually means, or is it a useful term for avoiding commitment, which it could be argued may be a pragmatic policy to follow? However, does it also include an independent defence policy?
All of a sudden, we live in an increasingly uncertain world and there is no guarantee that the international rules-based order, which we support will continue.
Given the size of New Zealand and our location, being independent could leave us exposed to external pressures.
Would it not make sense for us to align ourselves with other countries that share our region and our values? It is a truism that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.
Intensive housing
Oscar Sims (Weekend Herald, June 25) has obviously never heard of the property ladder, where first-home buyers buy what they can afford and then look to move to a better location when they can.
His solution will not work, as demolishing old villas in Grey Lynn and replacing them with two three-storey apartments on the same land will only mean the developer makes twice the money as land values won't go down - it's all about location in those areas.
Perhaps, Sims is suffering from envy as he can't afford to live there.
As a Grey Lynn homeowner, I would quite happily sell my grand old 1903 villa to a developer to be demolished if I was allowed to. Then all the cheap materials like kauri weatherboards and floors, window frames and rimu framing used when building it could be taken to the tip. That would make him and his no-idea cronies happy, no doubt.
Mick Curran, Grey Lynn.
Quality the issue
Oscar Sims is quite right (Weekend Herald, June 25) on allowing higher-density housing developments.
No one wants to see character villas in Ponsonby or Epsom bulldozed but Auckland is rapidly growing. There has to be a more reasonable trade-off between supply and demand.
By all means, protect the good heritage structures but also allow large inner-city sections with single unassuming houses to be developed into higher density townhouses or apartments. This is largely what the National Policy on Urban Development and new standards are all about. This is the new reality.
The key is keeping up good standards, not something NZ is very good at. Save the historic and interesting but please stop all our notorious cowboy developers putting up junk developments. That's what will deliver good homes to cater for increasingly diverse needs.
It's not the density that's the issue, it's the quality.
Jeff Hayward, Auckland Central.
'Happy little jig'
It has been said of Donald Trump (Weekend Herald, June 25) that no matter how bad you think he is, he's worse. I was reminded of this last month when I saw him doing a happy little jig on the stage of the National Rifle Association Convention just minutes after listing with vacuous solemnity the names of the kids killed in Uvalde. As the Bidens paid their clearly genuine respects to the little victims of America's latest slaughter, Trump was applauding himself and his gun-loving audience, unable to suppress even at that moment his delight at being back in the limelight, celebrating his own ego.
Testimonies at the January 6 hearings have only confirmed what we knew already. He's an awful human being who will shamelessly do anything in his own self-interest, and the mere possibility that he could be back in the White House by 2025 fills me with disgust and despair.
Remember, he is even worse than we think.
Ron Hoares, Wellsford.
Served cold
Marisa Bidois (Weekend Herald, June 25) proves that with practice you can learn to moan about anything. We've had 820 days of complaints from hospitality about lack of exceptions for Covid rules; insufficient taxpayer support; fights with landlords over rent; and nobody wanting to work for them.
Now a new one about delivery services charging for delivering their product to customers.
Hospitality is at risk of putting off its customers.
Mark Nixon, Remuera.
Landed with cost
I am one of more than 100 residents of a lifestyle village where we own the house but pay a hefty lease fee for the land. Notwithstanding this, Tauranga City Council levies rates based on the land plus capital value. Its recent revaluation was substantially above current and historic sale prices
An appeal by a large percentage of us led to a revaluation but, not surprisingly, the revaluation by a government entity was identical to the original. The only remaining avenue involves a costly appeal process
Fairness would be a valuation based on the value of the house alone rather than including the land which we do not own but, basically, our hands are tied.
Ray Gilbert, Papamoa Beach.
Dem liberals
The righteous indignation of our Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs about the US Supreme Court decision returning the issue of abortion to individual states as required by the US Constitution is understandable.
Our top Government officials' sympathies lie clearly with the liberal views of the Democrats in the United States. One can understand the hysteria over the Supreme Court decision.
In fact, the Democratic Party has not been this offended since the Republican Party removed the right of the Democrats to own slaves in 1863.
Dan McGuire, Nelson.
A quick word
"All in his/her head" should be deleted permanently from the medical vernacular - and any doctor using the term subjected to a disciplinary process. Andrew Montgomery, Remuera.
The road death target of zero could be joined by a school attendance target of 100 per cent. Gary Andrews, Mt Maunganui.
Mary Hearn (WH, June 25) asks Joe Biden not to fiddle while Rome burns. Sorry Mary, too late. Rome is in cinders and Sleepy Joe is toast. Garry Wycherley, Awakino.
What a precious gift PM Jacinda Ardern has given us with the formal recognition of Matariki. Christopher Luxon opposed it because of the supposed cost to employers. Talk about being out of touch. Roger Laybourn, Hamilton.
Dennis Horne states (WH, June 25) our PM answers questions with an impressive depth of intellect, and with no bull. Her inability to answer Mike Hosking's questions, leading her to boycott his programme, completely refutes the assertion. Philip Lenton, Somerville.
America is a very curious country where they suspend the rights of women to have any control over their own bodies but defend the rights of men to shoot another human being. Jacqui Furniss, New Plymouth.
"United States" today is an oxymoron, as there is very little unifying the individual states today. Warwick Maxwell, Remuera.
We in New Zealand must be eternally grateful that we do not have a written constitution or a supreme court whose members are appointed for life. Greg Cave, Sunnyvale.
Women and gays live in dangerous times when conservative Christians gain power. Frankie Letford, Hamilton.
What next for America as the religious right take control - burning at the stake for heresy?
Derek Paterson, Sunnyhills.
Anyone out there who thinks Health NZ will prove healthcare for New Zealanders probably also believes Three Waters is about water quality. June Kearney, West Harbour.
Grant Robertson claims that light rail in Wellington is a once-in-a-generation opportunity. True but which generation? Steve Dransfield, Karori.
If Auckland Transport wants people to use public transport then why does it not fix all the electronic timetable signs that are out of action? Gillian Dance, Mt Albert.
Why do surveys ask how likely I am to recommend some service to others? In my case, the answer is almost always "not at all likely", but that's a measure of my disinterest in making recommendations, not my level of satisfaction. Tim Dare, Onewhero.
A TV ad shows a strangely dressed woman hurling a hatchet at a woman working in her garden. How on earth does this enhance the company's image? Mike Jarman, One Tree Hill.