Corner of Queen St and Fort St in Auckland. Photo / Sylvie Whinray
Empathy for CBD’s underdogs
Viv Beck’s concern regarding Auckland’s unsafe streets is not a new topic and largely a result of decades of inactivity due to governmental lack of empathy and a societal indifference to the root causes that create individuals to be addicted to substance abuse, alcohol included. Homelessness, gang affiliation and public intimidation are also indirect by-products of our collective lack of empathy towards “the underdog”.
When I lived and worked in the Auckland CBD in the early 1990s, substance abuse and rough sleeping was already prevalent, albeit probably much less in your face, with homeless people sleeping under the Victoria Park motorway and in alleyways along arterial routes such as Albert St or under trees in parks like Myers Park and Albert Park.
For someone like Viv to push for stricter enforcements is a bit like using a saw to remove a tiny staple. Viv herself may not yet be living a life of hardship, but were she a bit more aware of how growing costs are pushing more and more people towards the periphery of poverty, she could probably help set up an innovative system, where urban poverty becomes a thing of the past, where wealth distribution does not largely go to overseas manufacturers and banking corporations, but simultaneously assists the impoverished underprivileged to find a way out of the gutter.
Most of the “rougher individuals” are in essence good people, who have become victims of under-controlled or uncontrollable substance sales. More often than not, they are continuously drawn to a false state of being, merely to numb their despair, pain and lack of love. There are very few long-term remedies which give people in despair hope, keeping in mind that one’s mental awareness slips further and further after prolonged substance abuse or many years of utter desperation. Up to today, no Government, red, green, black or blue, has given much consideration to the root cause and any token remedial effort clearly has not given the result we, or our many visiting cruise ship passengers, would prefer. Enforcements — as Viv would like to see stepped up — are merely temporary sticks to drive the unsightly cattle to different paddocks.
Rene Blezer, Taupō.
AT has the engineers
Viv Beck, CEO of Heart of the City, doesn’t like buses getting in her way while she’s driving, and she certainly doesn’t approve of bus-only lanes (NZ Herald, October 23). However, she wants more Aucklanders to come into the city centre and spend money. The strategy of Auckland Transport (AT) is to reduce the number of buses jamming up Queen St and Newmarket’s Broadway, etc, by getting people on to trains. Howick passengers will be able to transfer at Panmure once the Eastern Line is operating again. Viv Beck needs to get out of her car, and initiate some detailed discussions with AT — where they employ transportation engineers (which Heart of the City apparently does not).
Arch Thomson, Mt Wellington.
Get on the bus, Beck
I find it surprising how Viv Beck seems so entirely wedded to car travel. Getting a train to Britomart or either the NX1 from the North Shore is a dream come true, as it drops you right at Commercial Bay. These buses are constantly packed. As for the Civic Precinct, there is the enormous Aotea carpark, in case you hadn’t noticed, and taxis and disability cars can drop off outside the Town Hall. In November, (finally!) West Auckland bus users will be able to get a bus from opposite the Town Hall. The 75 from Remuera goes not only to the Civic but all the way to the Waterfront Theatre.
Maybe Beck needs to spend one day of her life catching public transport. Whether it’s dinner, the theatre, the art gallery, shopping, Beck should be encouraging people to ditch the car and have a relaxing fun trip to the city without parking stress or emissions. And yes, I do go to the theatre at night and catch the bus.
Samantha Cunningham, Henderson.
Car versus bus
In reference to Viv Beck’s piece in the Herald, October 23, we are two pensioners who go into the city by car when we wish to see a show or a movie. It takes us 25 minutes max to drive in and park in the early evening and the same to get home again. If we were to bus, it would take us 90 minutes with walking to a bus stop, the bus to Northern Exchange, a bus to town and walking to the venue. We would not get home until about 10.45pm instead of before 10pm and would have to walk on the road on our street because the footpaths are too dangerous to negotiate at night. I flagged the state of our footpaths with AT a few months ago but nothing has been done.
Pauline Ereckson, West Harbour.
Put child rights first
The tragic story of Blake Hollins-Apiata (Herald, October 21) demonstrates not only a failure of the corrections system but also the way in which, for some children, their life outcomes are predetermined at birth. As far back as December, 2011 (North & South magazine), judge and Human Rights Commissioner Graeme MacCormick referenced the Department of Corrections’ About Time report that recognised a clear link between a dysfunctional early childhood and subsequent criminal offending. MacCormick’s proposal of early identification of children at risk through a free, universal assessment in the first six weeks of a child’s life makes sense, as does Sir Bill English’s social investment policy along similar lines.
Why do we continue to be constrained by the fear of infringing adult rights and freedoms? Surely, as MacCormick posits, in cases where children continue to be abused or neglected, adult rights must give way to the rights of the child. An issue not of human rights but of social justice.
Glennys Adams, Oneroa.
Workers backslide
Labour Day should be scrapped as it was brought in for the worker to work eight hours per day and a 40-hour week but in today’s world how many workers work that? Also, how many are having a day off to celebrate the eight-hour day and the 40-hour week? I recently asked a worker what time they started and what time they finished and it was a 10-hour day. I can remember working 60 hours weekly before I retired, maybe because I was tired?
Dennis Manson, Greenwich Way.
Coaching contrasts
The coaches box at the Rugby World Cup portrays the high emotion and drama of the exciting moments of the finals games being played in France.
The South African volcano that is Rassie Erasmus flashing traffic lights and his restrained head coach, Jacques Nienaber, quietly observing proceedings. This contrasts to New Zealand’s expressive head coach Ian Foster, the subdued attack coach Joe Schmidt and ebullient forwards coach Jason Ryan. Further along in the All Blacks coaching box is one of the unsung heroes, Scott McLeod, our defence coach. Scott has transformed the All Blacks’ defence strategy since the series loss to Ireland — defend the ball, put people in front of that, stay connected: “Our detail, energy and focus were top-class, and the players were confident to go out and execute that against Ireland.” Defence wins games, and this is what won the Ireland quarter-final for the All Blacks, especially in the last 10 minutes.
Now for the final against South Africa, one more huge defensive effort to bring the Webb Ellis Cup home for the fourth time. Go the All Blacks.
Gary Carter, Gulf Harbour.
Agreement on infrastructure
After yawning through a slew of provocative soundbites about chaos and change, I woke up with a start during the last leaders’ debate when Christopher Luxon declared irrespective of which government is in power, there needs to be agreement on a long-term strategy for infrastructure for New Zealand. I agree.
New Zealanders lose when there is a change of government and social and economic infrastructure is dismantled or abandoned and a new entity or system is put in place, only to be undone again with new governing parties. The fiscal impact and disruption to the people involved and wider society is huge. We need consensus on a long-term strategy with foresight on what services and policies are required for our country to be resilient and, more importantly, its citizens to thrive during such uncertain times.
Alison Redfern-Daly, Titirangi.
Fall of the British Empire
English cricket team demolished by South Africa in Cricket World Cup match. English rugby team eliminated from Rugby World Cup by South Africa. The once-great British Empire is no more!
Garry Wycherley, Awakino.
On the Middle East
Jeff Hayward rightly bemoans the contribution of “irrational religious fundamentalism” to the bloody conflicts raging in the Middle East. At least here in New Zealand we don’t elect leaders devoted to “ancient absolute faiths”. Oh wait. Doug Hannan, Mount Maunganui
On Rugby World Cup
Was one of National’s policies to have next Monday off if we won the Rugby World Cup — sure I read that somewhere. Glenn Forsyth, Rangatira Park
On MetService
Following MetService’s confession, an apology to Mayor Brown might be in order. After all, he took the rap for them. Jeff Tallon, Hauraki
On being cashless
The greatest advantage of our cashless society is that mugging is comparatively uncommon. In the US, mugging is still common as you need to carry cash for tips. We’re doing fine. Neville Cameron, Tokyo
On wine
Just a note to those wine-drinkers who think that the “blanc” of sauvignon blanc is pronounced “blonk”. Sounds too much like “plonk”, which it certainly is not. Pamela Russell, Ōrākei
Thomas Coughlan: Labour’s soul-searching begins as drums beat for David Parker challenge
No party needs to raise taxes. They need to curtail spending and budget properly. And they need to cut back on immigration to avoid the issues that happened last time, like pressure on housing. Jeremy W.
Please, please let David Parker become leader, then it’ll be guaranteed National win again in 2026. There’s a reason he can’t get any of his pet policies in place — no one wants them. Andrew C.
Time to move the focus back to a capital gains tax. The wealth tax idea was a poor replacement for something ruled out far too quickly. Ed W.
David Parker will be an excellent choice if Labour want to be a 2+ term Opposition. Michael H.
Their next poll will put them around 20 per cent as the Greens have taken over the far left and the middle will never go to Labour again. Mark I.
Let’s not forget Parker was the leader for 49 days in 2014. He then lost to Andrew Little. Grant P.
I reckon Parker will only give Labour one term in Opposition. After the 2026 election, National will still be in office and the Greens will be in Opposition. Richard C.
He was caught trying to trade gift vouchers for sex with a 14yo, police say.