Did former prime minister Sir Bill English have a workable solution to poverty? Photo / Warren Buckland, File
Last week's Budget has thrown billions of dollars to fix "poverty".
Over the past 80-odd years successive governments have sought to cure "poverty" by committing ever-increasing funding to it.
So has it worked? Do we have less poverty now than previously? What do you think?
If people are
unable to manage the income they already have then giving them more will not necessarily help them.
Sir Bill English was working on a solution. The idea was to have mentors for families doing it hard. Up north, they were called "aunties".
The Labour Party, given a shot at governance by Winston Peters, scrapped this scheme, probably because they thought it infringed on the individual's rights and privacy. Did they really think you have a "right" to remain poor?
Unlike a lot of the well-paid "poverty" advocates and academics, including many in the present Government, I have, at times, been desperately dirt poor. I don't recommend it.
Instead of just throwing more and more money at the problem, were the Government to provide funding for a social assistance scheme it might, for once, actually reduce the level of poverty and the suffering that goes with it.
David Morris, Hillsborough.
Incentive payments
A substantial increase in beneficiaries' income in the budget was warranted, but it is disappointing that some part of the increase was not designed to encourage individual or family responsibility.
For example, there is serious concern about the large numbers of children who attend school for less than 70 per cent of the time. The introduction of a $200 mid-December Christmas bonus to mothers for every child at primary or secondary school that had achieved a 90 per cent attendance record, measured to a date in November, would cost little more than $180 million. It would be a tangible message to all parents that education is important for their child's future.
Although not targeted specifically at beneficiaries, that message, and that bonus, would have disproportionate value to disadvantaged children of both beneficiaries and struggling workers.
John Strevens, Remuera.
Cash injections
The National Party apparently does not think that the Budget has done anything for the economic recovery.
Common sense instructs one that beneficiaries spend what they get. They have no option.
When did the National Party pump over $3 billion directly into the retail economy?
Earners and businesses got a "leg up" with Covid support packages last year – this year it is the turn of the beneficiaries.
Over the past 50 years or so this country has followed others by becoming more and more unequal and divided economically. This Budget has made a tiny dent in that trend.
Tony Sullivan, St Heliers.
Gang funds
Monday's front page (NZ Herald, May 24) discusses increasing gang violence and increasing fear among the public.
Police Association president Chris Cahill says "if you take the money off them, you take away the incentive to join in the first place".
The current illegality of drugs makes drug-dealing profitable. This makes recruitment easy and leads to gangs becoming increasingly violent to protect their income.
We should accept that the gangs are a much bigger problem than the drugs themselves.
Chris Elias, Mission Bay.
Unvaccinated arrivals
The fine imposed on those who refuse or cannot provide evidence of a pre-entry negative Covid-19 test is only $1000. The proposed fine for being caught freedom camping without evidence of a self-contained camper van is identical.
Being "loose" at the border is far more problematic- it could risk lockdowns costing billions and worse pre-vaccine.
Clearly our sense of smell is far more sensitive than our common sense. A realistic deterrent of at least $10,000 is necessary.
The question of unvaccinated travellers is on the horizon. Those with vaccine hesitancy need to beware. The border is an easy beat for Covid, with pathetic deterrents. As we loosen restrictions to the world, personal safety is going to be your own problem. Covid will only get more transmissible and vaccines less efficacious. Herd immunity is never going to be 100 per cent.
Steve Russell, Hillcrest.
Power switch
Bryan Leyland (NZ Herald, May 20) is correct to assert that: "It is high time we started a debate on nuclear power".
Small modular reactors are close to being mass-produced. Rolls Royce is leading an impressive UK Consortium. The concept uses proven technology, allowing off-site modular construction. It will provide 220MW to 440MW depending on configuration (equivalent to 150 onshore wind turbines), and be ready by 2028.
Unlike power produced from solar panels and wind turbines (which are dependent on increasingly uncertain climatic conditions) it will importantly provide a continuous baseload and make us less reliant on fossil fuels and fluctuating lake levels. It can also be situated where the demand is.
Huntly Power station has recently turned on its third turbine generator, burning gas and coal (imports of which are at record levels), and is the only thing keeping our lights on. Definitely time to have that debate.
Michael Fountaine, St Heliers.
Port improvements
The recent resignation of Tony Gibson as chief executive of Ports of Auckland says something about the support from the Mayor of Auckland and some of the consultants who appeared on stage at the recent Herald Premium event.
Not one said anything about Tony's hard work in a very difficult environment.
Every one of these people agreed that the Port needs to move and nothing was mentioned about how advanced the container transfer system was operating and would get better as more qualified crane operators were trained or recruited.
Most support was for North Port. Most of the containers offloaded at Auckland are for Auckland so if unloaded at North Port means a road-rail journey of around two hours by many hundreds of trucks or trains.
If one takes the trouble to investigate some overseas ports that had the same problem as Auckland, you will find highly automated ports moving containers off-port areas fast. Most of these ports are in Asia.
Given time, Ports of Auckland will achieve its goal of handling growth and moving containers off-site fast.
Gordon Rodger, St Heliers.
Spending priorities
I didn't care that they had slashed the police budget because I have huge respect for our police and faith in our community constable.
I didn't care that the emergency housing in motels was a breeding ground for gangs because I don't live in Rotorua or Wellington Central.
I didn't care that the Corrections budget had been reduced because the Green Party assures me that the drug problem is a health issue.
I didn't care until my home was invaded by a drug-fuelled recidivist and my 111 call went unanswered…
With apologies to Martin Niemoller, the prominent German pastor.
Chris Parker, Campbells Bay.
Select data
The editorial (NZ Herald, May 20), "Dream of a higher-wage economy", was excellent and balanced.
In comparison, many of your columnists use cherry-picked data to support dubious claims.
For example, using inflation for the restaurant and takeaway sector in March quarter as evidence that an increase in the minimum wage caused high inflation. At 1.5 per cent this was even below the Reserve Bank target rate.
Or another is saying our debt level was even higher than Venezuela as evidence of an out-of-control debt level, whereas a fairer comparison shows our debt level is well below the average for the OECD.
Kushlan Sugathapala, Epsom.
Overrun hospitals
To the question of why so many emergency departments are overrun, the answer seems obvious: a total lack of after-hours health services, especially in smaller towns - and the simple fact that visiting an ED is free of charge.
Most towns in New Zealand had after-hours GP care, whereby GPs were rostered on as a first point of call for many, often minor emergencies. This service has been mostly abandoned over the years.
Add to this everyone expects their health service to be cheap or free, even though we accept the fact that we have to pay for all other professional services.
F. de Haan, Kerikeri.
One state
Frank Ritchie offers a useful summary (NZ Herald, May 24) of the twentieth-century colonisation of Palestine by Israelis backed by imperial powers and the United Nations.
Sadly he offers no other solution to the dispossessed, disenfranchised, Palestinians than bleak hope for peace. The only route to justice is one state, Palestine-Israel, with guaranteed human rights for all.
Janfrie Wakim, Epsom.
On Budget
The well-being budget will help many of those in desperate need to lift themselves out of poverty but it will also give many of those in desperate need who are stupid with money, more money to be stupid with and as a consequence find themselves back where they started. Gary Hollis, Mellons Bay.
On nuclear
In response to Bryan Leyland (NZ Herald, May 20) surely nuclear power stations have no place in any country subject to earthquakes. Look at what happened at Fukushima. Valmai Shearer, Remuera.
On bullying
Phew, Prince Harry now, whatever next? Crying bullied is the new big thing, and can be lucrative today. In my day, we just found a new job. Jim Carlyle, Te Atatū Peninsula.
On forebears
Why aren't the people who love to be outraged complaining about the name "Ugg boots"? Isn't it making fun of an ancient group that might have spoken differently to us? B Hartson, Kohimarama.
On health
Putting money into the hospital system without addressing the causes of ill health will not change the overall health status of the population. Glennys Adams, Oneroa.
On vaccine
Having read several stories about "well-educated" people refusing to have the Covid-19 vaccine, I can't help thinking: educated in what field? Jacqui Ross, Massey.
This summer will be critical to discover if the sharks have started returning.