Commuter train at Swanson station. Photo / Michael Craig
Meanwhile the west still waits
None of the recent transport plans for Auckland (including Auckland Council’s Rail Business Plan) extract the benefits available from the western rail line. When the CRL is completed, passenger services to the west will run every 7 minutes, but bizarrely end at Swanson, while freight will continue on past Huapai, Kumeū and Waimauku all the way to Whangārei. Why? Auckland Transport says there’s a tunnel past Swanson that’s not big enough. Make the tunnel bigger or trench? Auckland Transport has not explained why it can’t, but this existing route is being sidelined in favour of costly nor-western new builds. Meanwhile, the west waits for bigger park-and-ride facilities at rail stations and grade separation where the rail intersects roads. More frequent services means rail barriers will be down most of the time causing mayhem on key roads. Transport services in Auckland are too frequently planned around “flavour-of-the-month” rather than building on what we have. Let’s extract the potential from what we already have first, before we hare off after the next bright idea.
Sandra Coney, Piha
Finding solutions
Do politicians, city and town councillors and government managers read and digest the letters page? Day after day I read of solutions, problems to be solved and good suggestions and they seem not to be noticed or acted on. The letters page is a great sounding board for ordinary people to put forward good ideas; they should be listened to more seriously.
Chris Blenkinsopp, Beach Haven.
Lemming aid
It seems naive to believe that, because actual election night results have mirrored accurately those of pre-election opinion polls, that the polls must be faithful predictors of how voters will vote. I believe the opposite — that pre-election polls are a major influence on how a great many people will decide who to vote for — the “herd mentality”. Or what I call the “Lemming Syndrome” — as one lemming said to another, “Why are we running over this cliff? Said the other: “I don’t really know — but all of us are, so it must be the right thing to do.”
Clyde Scott, Birkenhead.
Hybrid ideas
I am concerned a recent correspondent does not understand what a hybrid car is. Hybrid cars have a petrol engine AND a battery/electric motor combination.The battery is only charged when the vehicle slows down or brakes. This results in much reduced fuel consumption, lower emissions and a pleasant driving experience. Hybrid owners pay less road tax because they use less petrol. It is time purely electric vehicles paid road tax.
Brent Murdoch, Greenlane.
Majority rules
Willie Jackson and Kelvin Davis are right to fear a National/Act Government. Under Labour they have had things their own way for three years. I have not forgotten the interview Jack Tame did with Jackson. Alarm bells rang when we heard Jackson’s veiled threats regarding the freedom of interviewers. We have the chance every three years to decide the direction we want our elected members of Parliament to take. This may not be the way Jackson and Davis desire, but it is up to the majority to decide. Freedom of the press is essential to a healthy democracy.
J. Hansen, Hastings.
No joke
No-one truly believes David Seymour was serious about blowing up the Ministry of Pacific Peoples. But a joke about terrorism shows a marked lack of the common sense the Act Party promotes itself as having in spades. It also reveals a grandstanding degree of immaturity, as well as insensitivity that does not become a party leader.
Alan Jenner, Mairangi Bay.
Money matters
Andrea Dawe thinks the plan to teach children financial literacy sounds like another way of blaming those at the bottom for their own misfortune. I’d thought this idea — sensible, and long overdue — would be universally welcomed. It sounds to me like a plan to help people to avoid being at the bottom.
Chris Elias, Mission Bay.
Highway to hell
I cant wait for Labour Weekend to try out the new Motorway North. I have heard it is a landscape designer’s dream. But I wonder why the nickname Holiday Highway was rejected. It fires off directly towards Matakana and the coast while getting into Warkworth seems an afterthought. That remains a nightmare and involves driving the same old route through the infamous worst intersection in New Zealand. Travelling from Warkworth to Auckland involves first negotiating the famous Hill St junction, then heading north for Wellsford before turning South on to the motorway. A farcical waste of time.
David Kisler, Freemans Bay.
Booking a place
The Takapuna library was built in 1989. It was planned to become the central library for the newly amalgamated North Shore City. It houses the Northern Research Centre and Angela Morton Room Te Pātaka Toi Art Library with over 10,000 Aotearoa art books, journals and artist files. It was the first library in NZ to provide a student study area. Yet the Devonport Takapuna Local Board seems to consider this building too old. It used Facebook to consult with 25,000 ratepayers as to whether they would like a targeted rate to help fund a new “enhanced” library and community hub of the “same calibre” of the Te Manawa Library at Westgate Massey. That was built in 2018 at a cost of $35m. It is 45 per cent of the size of the existing Takapuna library. There will be no carparking on the preferred site on the former Anzac St carpark. There is an old saying the local board should consider: “We all have dreams but not all of us are dreamers”.
Jan O’Connor, Takapuna.
Own devices
Peter Davis (NZ Herald, Aug 22) states “Pharmac has had considerable success. Aside from saving the taxpayer a lot of money,... fewer than 5 per cent of patients report financial obstacles to receiving medications.” Pharmac not only provides medicines, but also medical devices. Provision of continuous glucose monitors for diabetics is under consideration. At the moment, we have to privately provide our own and at the cost over $200 per month many of us cannot afford this. Pharmac could improve diabetics’ health and save taxpayers money if it funded continuous glucose monitors. Diabetics could self-manage more effectively and avoid visits to hospital, at $1587 per night.
Valerie Green-Moss, Whangarei.
Problem solved
Susan Grimsdell’s letter is absolutely right on the mark. I have already made a number of similar pitches to the Government to zero avail. Somebody with real vision needs to solve that housing issue, as it is capable of being solved. If you keep doing what you did in the past, the end result will be the same.
Dennis Pahl, Tauranga.
Right turn
Ah, the polls are clearly trending to the right. Aotearoa is broken and suffering in this post-pandemic, climate-crisis, war-torn world. How to fix it, especially our unaffordable cost of living and declining tax revenue? Our opposition parties, once in power will quickly allow relatively free rein to business, including eco-unfriendly options, so bigger profits can be made and working people can “get ahead”. Such a Government will “take us back” to the 20th century and “on track” to foreign ownership of our businesses and houses. But worse, they will legislate (scary) “real change” that is likely to increase racism and undo the slow gains of beneficiaries and low-wage earners, making life impossible for them.
B Darragh, Auckland Central.
Time to grow up
New Zealand has more of an opportunity than most democracies to foster co-operation between the two major parties, as both have ideologies more centrist than at any other time in the last 20 years. The issues we face are identical to the problems other OECD countries are facing. But at the core of this disquietude is the juvenile and petty squabbling between Labour and National, and Act’s ham-fisted, derogatory joke about the Ministry for Pacific Peoples and Guy Fawkes. In their effort to score political points, senior ministers are making silly but serious errors about their own policies and behaving like petulant 5-year-olds. Our politicians need to consider growing up and urgently find cross-party consensus to resolve the critical challenges we face.
Mary Hearn, Glendowie.
On profits
Why is Labour attacking Foodstuffs for having a profit of $300m when it has been reported ANZ has made an after-tax profit of $1.6b and continues with rate hikes? Mark Young, Orewa.
On dentists
Forget the massive cost to the taxpayers. Where are all the dentists going to come from? Obviously Green Party members haven’t tried to get an appointment with a dentist. Jock Mac Vicar, Hauraki.
On Hansen
Apparently Steve Hansen has, in some parochial Kiwi eyes, committed treason by offering his services to Eddie Jones and the Australian bid to win the World Rugby Cup. I fail to see any wrong. Surely two very experienced rugby coaching heads are much better than one? Jeremy Coleman, Hillpark.
Judging by his last performance of coaching and selection against England in 2019, Hansen won’t be much help to Jones. Peter Beyer, Sandringham
On Sio
William Sio’s outstanding valedictory speech in Parliament needs to be reprinted in full. It is important for all to understand who are the multiple races that make up being a New Zealander. Gary Carter, Gulf Harbour.
On vaping
How can it be that there are 600 vape stores and for that to be ok? The fact there is that many goes to prove it has become a business of profit, not abstinence. John Ford, Taradale.
Richard Prebble: National and Act should learn from Labour’s broken promises
I think Labour’s intentions were always good, just sadly many problems on execution of policy and sometimes ignoring expert policy advice. Jason P
The economy, Health system, Police/Justice and Education system are in need of a sensible review by an incoming new Govt. Kirsty G
The biggest problem for Luxon is that most of us realise that NZ’s current range of problems are all down to the pandemic and its impact over nearly three years of the current government. Tom B
All polls are too subjective — depends what questions are being asked, of whom, and by whom. You can get any results you want by asking slanted questions of carefully selected persons. Only poll that matters is on Election Day. Gordon T
I’m very interested in National and Acts first 100 days agenda. This agenda should be announced prior to the election. What I don’t want is a new government stating that the books are in such a state that we cannot undertake some or all of their policies. Robert S
Someone smart said: “If a government majors in the minor issues then people start noticing that the major things aren’t working anymore.” This government has focused on identity politics, pet projects and other wasteful ideology while not delivering on Health, Education, Housing and Justice. Voters have noticed that they are paying more tax while government spending is out of control. Craig T
Meanwhile police have renewed their hunt for Hall's real killer.