Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern during the post-Cabinet press conference in the Beehive theatrette. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Deterrent value must be priority
Heather du Plessis-Allan is partly right in saying that the blame for the alleged dairy murder lies entirely with the perpetrator (Herald on Sunday, November 27). It does — but the government sets the standards and requirements for law and order, which has been an abysmal failure here. The Australian authorities, for example, don’t mess about — if you’re foreign and commit such a crime then you’re liable to be placed in an unpleasant quarantine-type facility on an island and then soon afterward, deported. But in New Zealand, it’s a namby-pamby approach with virtually no deterrent value which, when it comes to politicians, is as much about votes as it is about the victims. Simply put, we need to get tough and mete out the appropriate responses and sentences to these people. It’s time to stop talking and do something.
Paul Beck, West Harbour.
Ardern misjudgments
Heather du Plessis-Allan’s column tolls the death knell of the Ardern-Labour government. Such is the magnitude of Ardern’s misjudgments on the alleged Sandringham murder that they cannot still lay claim to being the caring and sharing people who got them twice elected.
Larry Mitchell, Rothesay Bay.
Seymour diatribe
David Seymour’s demand that Jacinda Ardern should rush to her electorate of Mt Albert following the tragic death of Janak Patel shows very little understanding of her duties to our country. As PM, surely Ardern’s electorate covers Aotearoa NZ in its entirety. Yes, this is a dreadful event no one would want to ever face in their community but couldn’t the same be said of all the others which occur country-wide? Is our PM expected to attend and comfort all those who feel heartbroken and lost? All I can see in Seymour’s diatribe is that there appears to be no straw he won’t clutch at in his attempts to discredit Ardern.
Jeremy Coleman, Hillpark.
Lack of compassion
Your correspondent Hans Braun (Weekend Herald, November 26) displays an almost total lack of both understanding and compassion when he writes that it is the fault of the dairy owners that they are being attacked, robbed and, in some instances, killed because they sell cigarettes. He goes on to claim that it is the “mighty dollar” that takes precedence over safety. Dairy owners need to make a profit to pay their rent and feed their families. Their safety is impacted by the Labour Government’s soft approach to law and order, and their aversion to putting repeat violent offenders behind bars.
Chris Parker, Campbells Bay.
Mindless wandering
Christopher Luxon, when pouring forth his meaningless waffle in response to the Herald’s request for “ideas to improve NZ” (November 26), reminded me of a wool-blind sheep, mindlessly wandering in directionless circles and not having a clue how to think decisively, let alone formulate a policy.
At least the other parties were sufficiently honest to state their intentions.
Edith Cullen, Auckland Central.
Canary in coal mine
I am at a loss of how to comprehend the Three Waters bill that is being rammed through Parliament. Firstly, this should have been on the Labour manifesto at the last election — in fact at the top of the agenda. As I read the bill I don’t see any ways in which water quality will be improved or for that matter any less expensive. All I see is the co-governance issue which is just a crude form of wealth distribution ... The extension in the bill to a 60 per cent majority to overturn it — as Christopher Luxon has promised to do — is both arrogant and undemocratic. New Zealand is now on the path to a “them and us” society with Three Waters simply the canary in the coal mine.
Alan Papert, Queenstown.
Sailing onto rocks
Every responsible citizen should heed the critical comment expressed by former Finance Minister Steven Joyce (Weekend Herald, November 26): “This is a government which has refused to change course despite advice suggesting they are sailing onto the rocks.” We are constantly assured by Government “we are in robust shape”, yet this an administration soft on welfare and crime as lawlessness becomes endemic, the tragedy of healthcare, education and associated truancy, rampant inflation, the mistruth of unemployment statistics, our farmers compromised and democracy threatened as mounting legislation is rushed through the house without consultation or debate.
P.J.Edmondson, Tauranga.
Blatant greed
Why are banks permitted to protect their profits by raising interest rates, at the expense of the young who are trying to start their lives without mountainous debts? It’s cruel and unjust, and yet again the older, wealthy demographic will preserve their money at everyone else’s expense. Soaring inequality and degraded basic public services are other consequences of this blatant greed. Everyone suffers from it except this small group of rich, powerful people. Taxing wealth and reining in banks are urgently needed reforms.
V.M. Fergusson, Mt Eden.
Credit to Roughan
I normally disagree with every word written by John Roughan but, credit where it’s due, he took a sensible line on youth voting (Weekend Herald, November 26). I’m not sure about his self-serving definition of ‘liberal’, but he did get right that young people both deserve the right to vote for their future, and are either already better informed than many assume, or are naturally inclined to becoming better informed should a democratic opportunity present itself.
Tim Barlow, Hillcrest.
Emissions concern
The United Nations tells us the world is failing to make the emissions reductions needed to limit a global temperature increase to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels. New Zealand has a target of net-zero emissions by 2050. But two of the country’s four major political parties fail to mention climate change at all in their plans to make New Zealand a better country as we recover from the pandemic (Weekend Herald, November 26). Worried?
Debra Millar, Point Chevalier.
More effort needed
It seems that most people are not in the slightest bit concerned about climate change — public transport is not used, proposed bike lanes and bus lanes are met with furious opposition, and the price of fuel can go up to unimaginable levels but we insist on using our big cars the bigger the better ... It is also true that this country’s contribution to worldwide CO2 emissions is microscopic but surely our efforts should be directed toward adapting for the worst of global warming. No more building on flood planes or beachfront, all houses built on flat land near rivers to be on raised platforms. Disastrous droughts can be mitigated somewhat by increasing rainwater storage and extensive irrigation schemes, forests assessed for their fire risk — observation towers with early-warning heat detectors perhaps. It may be anthropogenic or just a natural cycle but make no mistake — climate change is coming at pace, so surely better to prepare now.
Vince West, Milford.
Soccer acting boring
All football is boring in its own way — but rugby, with its constant three scrum resets, is still not as bad as World Cup soccer where every time players clash one goes to the ground with a huge Oscar-worthy act of being hurt to get a penalty by laying on the ground holding his leg. So boring over and over again.
Murray Hunter, Titirangi.
Distorting a classic
I agree with the letter by Jock Crawford (Weekend Herald, November 26) criticising the proposed release of a very distorted version of A.A. Milne’s Pooh Bear. This story has been a healthy part of the childhood of thousands of children, and it is sick to think it is funny to distort it in a way most children will not understand. When it is released next year people should vote with their feet.
Harold Coop, Remuera.
Lifeguard plan wrong
Napier’s proposal to remove lifeguards from their sometimes dangerous city beach in an attempt to discourage people from swimming there is extraordinary. It is a bit like removing a hospital to stop people from getting sick. It makes an already dangerous activity more dangerous, and hopes that swimmers will be more afraid. There are numerous unpatrolled beaches in New Zealand where people swim, undeterred by the lack of lifeguards. What makes Napier different?
Graham Carter, Herne Bay.
On Simon Henry
Simon, if you had left gender and race out of your ill-advised comment about Nadia Lim, you would have said precisely nothing. The whole quote was premised on those two elements. To argue otherwise is a nonsense. Fritha Parkes, Māngere.
On Rebuilding Better
I found only David Seymour of Act came out with specific proposals, backed by reasonable chance of success. They deserve to be considered. With these proposals, David has exhibited a great sense of loving New Zealand and genuine concern in reform. S Mohanakrishnan, Mt Roskill.
On crime
As an immigrant to this beautiful country (and hugely privileged to be living here), it saddens me greatly to see the erosion of the state of NZ in the past 10-15 years. C.G. Lock, Gisborne.
The PM is “full of sorrow”. How does that solve the crime problem in NZ? Wendy Tighe-Umbers, Parnell.
The only people at fault and to blame for such actions are the perpetrators. The Government is not to blame — no-one or no institution should take the rap for others’ misdoings. We all have choices. Juliet Leigh, Pt Chevalier.
On election
After watching Luxon on Q+A, my prediction is Ardern will crush National in the election. Rex Head, Papatoetoe.
Job losses to kill inflation - is there a better way?
Watch as an increasingly desperate government and their allies try to shift blame for the inflation effect of their billions of overspending on nothing tangible. Cut government spending on Three Waters and the health re-org (new offices for the new bureaucrats) and only spend on direct health and tangible infrastructure instead. Steve S.
The issue started with having a Minister of Finance with little economic knowledge and Ardern having even less. Phiphi P.
Unlike John Key who was experienced as a market trader and Bill English who was in politics from a young age? Ed W.
There has to be a better way. Deliberately causing a recession seems like madness. Mr Robertson, I’ve got an idea, stop spending so much. Ian U.
The Government’s attitude to reducing its spending to help curb inflation is proven by their example. Pay $21 million to lease a building for a Three Waters team before the legislation passes, recruit people for jobs ... all for a policy the probable next government said it will repeal. Guy M.
I hate (is it legal to use this term now?) to be the bearer of bad news, but once (and it will be in law before the election) Three Waters is in, it will be in and National/Act/NZ First or whoever governs will not repeal the legislation. Look back over the last 30 or so years ... when has a government of the centre-right repealed any Labour legislation? Tampered, yes, repeal, never. Steven D.
OPINION: New Zealander reflects on delivering speech at St James' Palace.