Letters: A sad farewell to Auckland icon Smith & Caughey’s; I’m not one of Te Pāti Māori’s ‘people’

Smith & Caughey's opened its Queen St store in 1884.

Sad farewell to an Auckland icon

It is with sadness that I hear of the closure of Smith & Caughey’s in 2025 (NZ Herald, May 29).

The Queen St store has always been the number one destination for me when I required something of quality and value. I still wear the lambskin gloves I purchased there over 50 years ago and regularly wear a jersey I purchased there over 25 years ago. Such is the endearing quality of the goods that have been the hallmark of this store, where I have always received impeccable service and attention.

This fine store has served Auckland so well. Thank you to the Caughey family and your staff for your consistently high standard of retailing. You will be so missed.

Lenore Clark, Onehunga.

Queen St’s demise

Walking down Queen St after performances at the Town Hall or Aotea Centre has become a reflective moment of sorrow at the loss of dignity and pride Smith & Caughey’s offered Aucklanders.

Takeaway shops with their odorous fatty smells have made their way down Queen St almost to Smith & Caughey’s doorstep. The contrast is an antithesis to behold. The quality divisions speak for themselves, loud enough to have already raised questions about how long Smith & Caughey’s would hold its ground.

A sad but inevitable end of a long era of business. But who let the cheap in, in such big numbers?

Emma Mackintosh, Birkenhead.

Why go to the city?

When Smith & Caughey’s closes, it won’t be worth going into the city.

Only the oldies will remember the time when ladies wearing gloves and hats met their friends for morning tea or lunch in the store’s beautiful green-carpeted dining room.

Queen St and its popular store have both blossomed, and faded, and the city will be poorer for the loss of both.

Pamela Russell, Ōrākei.

Proud to be Māori

I’m proud to be Māori, but I’m not one of Te Pāti Māori’s “people”.

I’m grateful that my parents taught us about education, faith and resilience. Through watching our parents’ actions, my siblings and I were encouraged to grow up and give back to society. Our parents kept us safe, well and loved. My siblings and I, in turn, contribute to society, understanding that kindness and respect are practised by all good people, regardless of ethnicity.

Today I watch with love and pride my son instil these same family values in my grandson. No matter the political climate of the day, we have chosen to educate ourselves in order to pass on societal skills to the next generation in our family.

Cedric Murray, Hobsonville Point.

Budget spoilers

What is the criteria for the presentation of the Budget?

I seem to remember any news, good or bad, was only made public with the Budget announcement on a certain date. So why are disruptions, strikes and any other types of public inconvenience being held before any address?

What is the point of making Budget announcements when they are already known and public mayhem already planned?

Ted Partridge, Māngere.

Tax rethink

Richard Prebble is totally wrong in his article on peak taxation (NZ Herald, May 29).

Besides the stupidity of not having a capital gains tax, we can rectify some of our problems by using a sliding tax scale for earnings made in New Zealand and by stopping the use of tax havens.

A tax rate that increases incrementally above 49 per cent provides both tax revenue and also a means of lowering the effective income of those on obscenely high salaries. I include in this group politicians, departmental chiefs and CEOs.

Our Governments, over many years, have not succeeded in reducing excessive pay rates, but at least they can effectively mitigate them to our advantage.

Neville Cameron, Coromandel.

Highway mistake

A birdbrained decision by NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi some years ago to install roadside wire rope barriers and widen painted centre lines on several state highways may have contributed to the high number of deaths at the recent Waikato crash site.

Road safety experts advise that, if faced with the prospect of a head-on crash, you should ease off the accelerator and steer gently off the left side of the road. Even if there is a ditch, the outcome will be more favourable. With side barriers, this is impossible.

Painted centre lines are of no use. It would make more sense to install centre median barriers as a top priority.

Elaine McGlinchey, Kawerau.

Safety solution

Why are we surprised when people die in crashes on undivided highways with 100km/h speed limits?

The impact speed in a head-on crash is twice that. Sobriety and seatbelts won’t save lives. Driver distraction is always a threat. How much do you trust that oncoming driver, centimetres away from you?

We can’t seem to find the resources to lower speed limits and install enough median barriers.

Barbara Callaghan, Kohimarama.