Letters: Andrew Bayly’s Everest holiday a slap in the face for hard-working Kiwis

Andrew Bayly during a North Pole expedition in 2016. Photo / Facebook

Letters to the Editor

Price of failure: a holiday on full pay

It is an interesting feature of being an MP and Cabinet minister that when one fails as badly as Andrew Bayly has done, instead of a reprimand, one gets to go and climb Mt Everest and reflect on life while on full pay. And all this while the House is sitting.

Even though Bayly has shown he lacks the skills for Cabinet, I think it’s not unreasonable for the people in his electorate, and for the general public, to expect him to be on duty in Wellington getting on with the mundane work of government.

That the Prime Minister allowed him to take this holiday shows again how out of touch this administration is with ordinary Kiwis who are doing it tough.

M.W. Stevens, Freemans Bay.

MPs' privilege

When you’ve just been demoted, what else does a wealthy MP need? Another holiday? Wouldn’t all hard-working Kiwis love such a caring boss?

Take teaching, for example. How many are allowed to just ask for a break mid-term? You might need to apply at least a year ahead, even if you’ve never taken leave in your life – it’s as hard as finding hen’s teeth to get replacements qualified to teach physics, for example. Just to get leave for a doctor or dentist’s appointment in school time is denied.

Who would have thought being an MP was so cushy? All those perks. So much for all those ordinary Kiwis suffering cost-of-living stresses – clearly, an MP being demoted deserves a break.

Steve Russell, Hillcrest.

Dodgy timing

How can Christopher Luxon tell us that Andrew Bayly’s trip to Nepal is reasonable because it is an opportunity for the demoted MP to “clear his head”?

Surely a trip such as this one to Base Camp (and beyond?) must be booked many months before travel. Whatever the excuse for the trip, it seems very unlikely that it was booked and approved since the MP’s fall from grace. Luxon needs to think of a different reason to justify his lack of leadership.

Judy Lawry, Pukekohe.

Smart investment

In the style that I have come to expect from 1News, the opening item [on Monday] evening on the international investment summit to promote public–private partnerships and other opportunities that New Zealand has to offer was implicitly critical about the fact it was going to cost $1 million of taxpayer money.

By comparison, the money wasted on Auckland’s light rail proposal was over $200m just in the design stage, the Auckland City Link cost overrun is currently over $1 billion, and KiwiRail sought an additional $1.5b for the new Cook Strait ferries and infrastructure.

It seems most countries manage large infrastructure projects better than New Zealand and $1m to promote opportunities to help us and share the cost would seem like potentially the best return on investment a New Zealand government has ever made.

Carl Bergstrom, Glendowie.

Greens on growth

Columnist Simon Wilson’s hagiography of Chlöe Swarbrick (“Hope, growth and a future worth being excited about”, March 11) conveniently skips over some of the members of her Green Party who desire either no growth, or de-growth. Members such as recently sworn-in list MP Scott Willis, who boasts about having lived in “neo-peasant and activist communities” in his party bio. Willis is just one of a faction of Green members and supporters who want to radically change society. Many of this faction are comfortably off, but I worry about the workers and I worry about places like South Auckland, who will suffer as a result.

Paul Tudor, Sandringham.

Permit shock

No doubt many would have been appalled to learn for the first time that DoC – of all organisations – issues permits that allow the killing of native wildlife in order to clear the way for roadbuilding (“DoC permit to kill protected species at Mt Messenger ruled unlawful”, March 11).

It beggars belief that NZTA considers blasting a new road through the landscape would bring “wider activities beneficial to the environment”. What activities? What benefit?

This traverses Shane Jones and the coalition Government’s fast–track territory – what hope for Mt Messenger’s kiwi and Coromandel’s “Freddie the Frog”?

Peter Beyer, Sandringham.

Justified dismissal

Correspondent Jeremy Coleman writes that Phil Goff’s sacking was petty politics (March 11). Does he not realise that Goff’s appointment was engineered by Labour? As was Trevor Mallard’s appointment to Ireland. Political appointments and political sackings?

Although, let’s get real. Goff stepped well outside of diplomatic boundaries. Worthy of sacking? I believe so.

Helen Acraman, Waiuku.

Fair game?

Congratulations to India on winning the ICC Champions Trophy – unfortunately, a victory soured by the question of how India would have gone if the final had been played in the host country of Pakistan. If the ICC had been Fifa, India would have had to play in Pakistan or forfeit the game.

I can’t speak for Indian supporters, but having so much sway over the international body must surely detract from the taste of victory.

Kent Millar, Blockhouse Bay.