Letters: Child obesity, jabs for kids, Professor Michael Baker, and Clarke Gayford

The benefits of strenuous physical exercise, aiding the body and mind, have long been acknowledged. Photo / Getty Images, File

A feature (NZ Herald, January 13) highlighted the growing need for bariatric weight-loss surgery for the morbidly obese, a number sadly teenagers.
Increasing obesity numbers are alarming and constitute a serious impediment to personal wellbeing and to quality of life, together with the ever-increasing cost to our health services. This looming epidemic needs to be arrested.
Yes, poor diet is a major factor but equally compelling is the need for physical activity from adolescence which sport in all its varied forms provides.
A sport of personal choice was once mandatory as part of a child's school attendance.
The benefits of strenuous physical exercise aiding the body and mind were widely acknowledged at that time.
P J Edmondson, Tauranga.

Jabs for young vital
As a health professional dedicated to protecting our nation from Covid-19 through vaccination (having personally administered thousands of doses), I would like to congratulate the Herald for its affirmative stance on vaccinating children as expressed during the weekend.
Met with a tirade from an anti-vax naysayer in Te Tai Tokerau recently asking why anyone would ever vaccinate a child, I simply replied because it's the most socially responsible thing we can do. His jaw dropped as he wandered off without an answer.
Let's keep up with our vaccination strategy — for adults with first, second and important booster doses, and of course for our tamariki.
Thanks again, Herald, for the rational and well-put support.
Dr Mark Jones, Albany.

Baker sound adviser
Five excellent Omicron questions from Jamie Morton to the leading NZ epidemiologist Professor Michael Baker (NZ Herald, January 11).
Baker has proved to be our best source of sound advice on Covid in New Zealand and it is a great pity that the New Zealand Government is seemingly not following his pre-emptive measures on what will protect us best.
Very clear, very concise — just needs putting into action. But I guess the country is closed for the holidays.
Gary Carter, Gulf Harbour.

Going public isn't wise
Through this whole sorry Clarke Gayford saga, no one has questioned the ethical responsibilities of the chemist.
Surely there is some commitment that they take not to discuss their customers so publicly on their Facebook page?
Their excuse was that they needed guidance but could they not discreetly ring some colleagues and get professional advice without going public on social media?
If they were my chemist, I would change pharmacies immediately, because it could be you next.
Jacqui Furniss, New Plymouth.

Promote NZ, not NY
Why has there been such an increase in people wearing caps with the logo NY? I thought former National Party leader Todd Muller's action, when he displayed NY and MAGA caps in his office, would cause disinterest in this branding. I was wrong.
Last week I gave way on a beach access to a young woman pulling a kayak off the sand and wearing a NY cap. As she passed, I asked if she did much kayaking in New York. She giggled and carried on her way. I got the impression she had no idea what I was referring to. Why not celebrate our own beautiful country that many people around the world are busting to get into? So congratulations to [rapper] Scribe for "flying the flag" so well. What a positive example he is displaying.
John Mead, Waiheke Island.

DHBs' failure ongoing
Shane Reti is quoted (NZ Herald, January 13) as saying "now is not the time for expensive reforms of the health sector". I disagree.
His comments come on the back of the pressure Covid-19 has placed on our health system and the DHBs' failure to ensure safe staffing levels of nurses in our hospitals through CCDM.
But the DHBs' workforce failures predate Covid. CCDM dates back to a Safe Staffing Report in 2008 and whilst DHBs have funded significant bureaucracy supporting the programme, when push came to shove, they failed to employ the nurses that we desperately need.
This longstanding failure of the DHBs to support their workforce isn't isolated to nurses. In 2016, the Senior Doctors Union published a report, "Tired, worn-out and uncertain: Burnout in the NZ public hospital senior medical workforce". That has deepened to the point of a crisis, as DHBs fail to invest in their medical workforce. Sonographers, psychologists, MRI and anaesthetic technicians, the list goes on of workforces the DHBs have failed to support and all long before Covid hit our shores.
Current legislation dictates each DHB use its budget for its population. Collaboration between what have become sovereign DHB states has, as a result, been largely window dressing and led to abdication of responsibility towards national workforce sustainability.
We desperately need an overhaul and a cohesive system that genuinely values its workforce. Health NZ provides us with that opportunity; we should all get behind the change and make sure that it delivers.
Dr Deborah Powell, National Secretary APEX — NZ Allied Scientific and Technical Practitioners Union.

Taking trees a crime
What a ludicrous response from David Tyler (NZ Herald, January 15). A view is not easiest of all to give up when you have paid half to a few million dollars for it. Dull olive evergreen native trees, now so revered, can be planted anywhere; on all the uneconomic hobby lifestyle blocks, pet horse farms, potential pine-growing country etc.
A far greater crime was the removal of grand exotic trees from local maunga, but little publicity is given that. Hundreds of thousands of Auckland users have been very significantly affected, with little or no asset to any private owners restored by the action.
Bob Culver, Avondale.

Djokovic debacle
There is a saying "how many people does it take to change a light bulb". The Djokovic debacle exemplifies the reason why a pandemic has thrown our so called "modern world" into chaos and uncertainty.
How difficult should it be ascertain whether an unvaccinated person can play in a tennis tournament in Melbourne?
Ask Tennis Australia, the Premier of Victoria, the Prime Minister, the immigration minister, border officials, a Federal Court Judge, umpteen overpaid lawyers , department of Home Affairs and after eight days the answer is still "hanging in the balance". Little wonder Covid has run riot in Melbourne.
Bruce Eliott, St Heliers.

Water solution
Watercare — why not encourage every Auckland home to install a small gravity-fed rain-water tank for toilet flush refills? Rather than use scarce treated drinking water. This is normal for rural Australian homes. ACC could help by offering an incentive. Something similar to how the Government recently subsidised home insulation.
We all see the problem, Water Care, what we need are your expert solutions.
Mark Jones, Royal Oak.

Tonga needs our help
People fled their flooded homes as waves crashed into Tonga after a huge underwater volcanic explosion. Let's hope the NZ Government quickly assists. Our Pacific neighbours deserve our help. I would love to see a warehouse near Whenuapai airport stocked with 100 or so small kitset homes.
These could be quickly deployed by our Air Force to our neighbours. There will be other disasters and this could be a fantastic way of offering emergency assistance.
Glen Stanton, Mairangi Bay.

Short & sweet

On Tonga
People in Tonga are being encouraged to wear a mask to protect them from the fumes caused by an erupting volcano. Is anyone protesting about loss of freedoms? Greg Cave, Sunnyvale

On Gayford
How's the doghouse at Premier House, Clarke? Raewyn Maybury, Westmere.

On water
Just when the groups opposed to the Government's three waters proposal may have thought they were getting some traction, along comes Timaru with its brown drinking water to remind everyone what the real issue is. John Capener, Kawerau.

On gangs
I have recently seen the musical movie West Side Story, set in New York in the 1950s about gang warfare on the streets. This could be Auckland in the last few years. Wendy Galloway, Omokoroa.

Most of us are not in favour of gangs, their drug dealing and antisocial behaviour. If we want them to disappear, the solution is to simply stop buying drugs from them. They will be hard pressed to survive. Jock Mac Vicar, Hauraki.

On cars
You know the status has gone when real estate agents give up their BMWs, Mercedes, Audis and Maseratis for Teslas. Just another sad day for the overpriced status symbols of old. James Archibald, Birkenhead

The Premium Debate

Key: Work on UFB not done

Wonderful. For those living in large towns and cities. Not wonderful for those of us living in rural areas. No fibre in sight anywhere. Also with the lack of competition, WiFi charges are up to double those plans available in cities. Wayne R.

Yes good job John, not. Living 14km from a city of 50k. Fibre runs 400m from our village linking New Plymouth and Palmerston North. We have 3G mobile and copper VDSL. Fantastic for us, not. Christine W.

John Key is the only person on the planet who thinks he made the decision to deliver UFB. Everyone else knows this was a business direction determined by many years of tech refinements and the investment was just a fact of life. Welly G.

At least JK is actually talking, planning and thinking. He's not at the beach. Mark C.

One of two promises made by Key in government. Neither was successful. NZ wide access to WiFi was the first and the building of walkways still being built. Teflon John was great at smiling. Carol H.

Love UFB. Mr Key is correct calling it an essential service. And should be treated as such. Tim B.

How fondly most NZers must now look back at the halcyon days of the Key/English administration. Back when government was hands-off our freedoms ... How very, very different to the ... Ardern Government today. Justin L.