The child vaccination rate is dropping. Photo / Wayne Drought
Letter of the week:
Tragedy that child vaccination rate is dropping
A note to those reluctant to vaccinate their children. In 1921 in the USA there were 200,000 cases of diphtheria. In 1980 there were three. Before vaccination there were more than a million cases of whooping cough and measles a year. Now there are 1500 a year. Polio went from 20,000 a year to seven cases in 1980. Vaccinations saved more lives in the 20th century than antibiotics. It’s a tragedy to hear that the vaccination rate for children is now dropping. Susan Grimsdell, Auckland Central
Now let’s see Govt find way to fix ram-raiding problem
If the Government can make so many quick decisions on large policies such as Three Waters, why can’t it come up with a proposal to fix ram raiding? Ram raiding has been a major problem for at least five years. Where are all these people who get King’s honours for services to the community? This problem is community based and they all know who is doing the business. So why don’t they dob them in? Jock MacVicar, Hauraki
Water reset clear as mud
The water reset is as clear as mud from the PM — “it is not co-governance, it wasn’t co-governance” there is no requirement for the entity boards to be co-governed, only the controlling group the boards report to are co-governed. Whoever heard of an operational board reporting to a higher decision-making body about an entity? So much for the honesty and transparency from this Government. Ownership is still not clear. The cost and “savings” are also cloudy. At $185 billion over 30 years, the capital cost is $5.5b per year. Does that include interest on capital borrowing? Remember the Government does not have any money — it taxes us or increases charges or borrows money or prints money to spend. Interesting how the figures provided show water and rates rising by $1900 to $9000 per year, but Local Government Minister Keiran McAnulty says his model would deliver savings to households of $2770 to $5400 per year by 2054, so his plan costs $870 to $3600 per year more. Here’s a suggestion — take all the Labour Government’s hare-brained think big projects (the ones they have told us about and the ones they haven’t) and put all the capital and consultant money into the 10 council-controlled local water entities. Māori (like everyone else) can apply for employment at the water entities and stand for councils (as they do now for Government) to have their say. Water problem solved. Gary Carter, Gulf Harbour
‘Charismatic’ leadership
The alternative realities of Chantelle Baker by David Fisher (Herald on Sunday, April 9) was a fascinating insight into how she has been able to build up a following of gullible people who believe her disinformation. Baker’s behaviour is dynamic, charismatic and convincing – the characteristics of a cult leader. They support her financially, always an aim of a cult leader, so she doesn’t need to work, and they’re now immersed in the alternative reality she is in. Rod Emmerson’s cartoon in the same paper was really funny, and summed up Baker perfectly. Lorraine Kidd, Warkworth
Norman evasion
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Herald on Sunday, April 9 ) has chosen to forget or ignore that Norman Kirk dispatched HMNZS Otago to protest against French nuclear testing in Mururoa, thus laying the foundations of this country’s nuclear-free policy. And to non-white people like me, he will always be remembered for stopping the racist Springbok tour of New Zealand in 1973. Frank Tay, Christchurch
Catch and release
Garry Hollis writes that security cameras are a “Ram raid solution” (April 9). Apart from the fact that most stores installed CCTV cameras years ago (to catch petty shoplifters), placing them at “head height” will make no difference at all. These criminals are known to the police, and – in most cases – they are caught, arrested and “taken into custody”. Sadly these offenders are out on the streets within days, if not hours! The people to blame are the limp-wristed judges…and the three Ministers of Justice over the past five and a half years: Andrew Little, Kris Faafoi and Kiri Allan. Chris Parker, Campbells Bay
Postal cost increase
Your correspondent Marie Kaire asks why postage is getting more expensive and the service less frequent. Fewer letters do not mean lower cost because the postie has to go the whole round anyway, even if only one of three households gets mail. Cost per letter is determined by overall cost, divided by the number of letters, hence the increased cost per letter. By the way: Did her letter come by NZ Post or by e-mail? K H Peter Kammler, Warkworth
Lobbying power
The recent farce of only 17 Labour members supporting Chloe Swarbrick’s alcohol harm amendment bill is not surprising given the excessive lobbying by alcohol stakeholders. If you put sports sponsorship ahead of harm reduction for children that is plainly despicable. The only vestige of conscience they have is to their donors. Lobbyists ensure the message isn’t lost but most Kiwi voters want reform which has been lost on Labour. The image of Labour has been tarnished forever by Stuart Nash’s obligatory excuse letter to his donors for not getting them what they wanted. The alcohol industry want delays. Labour has given them exactly what they wanted. Steve Russell, Hillcrest
Change in political climate
The irony of Jacinda Ardern’s plea during her valedictory speech to take the politics out of out of climate change must have been lost on the Green Party. Why didn’t they all suddenly get up and walk out of the House? Climate change is one of the main reasons for their very existence as a political party and to lose that as a policy in the political arena challenges this existence. However, maybe they should have left the House anyway as a triumphant gesture knowing full well that this major platform of theirs had been recognised at last by a high profile public and international figure and that they no longer needed to politicise it. On the other hand this comment came from a former Prime Minister who shut down further oil and natural gas exploration off the coast of Taranaki with no hint of this in her Party’s manifesto prior to her being elected. There was no open debate about it either in the public domain or in the House. She said at the time that she had made a captain’s call. It would appear that she had taken the politics out of climate change many years before her speech. Bernard Walker, Papamoa
Brown critics
To all of the critics of Wayne Brown may I suggest you be careful what you wish for. If you want to replace him with a grinning person who has no knowledge of engineering principles, go ahead. You may have to apologise later to any friends who suffered because of recent flooding. Bill Allen, Milldale.
New harbour tunnel
Letter-writer Trevor Burgess correctly suggests a connection from the Waterview Tunnel via Meola Reef to the North Shore is an appropriate course. Or, a tunnel from Takapuna to Greenlane. Plan for the coming 50 years, not for what is cheapest. Bypassing the choked CBD is the priority, not feeding more vehicles in to St Mary’s Bay and Spaghetti Junction. Common Sense and it didn’t take a $50m consultancy fee. Columnist Garth Falconer overlooks that it is NZ poor management and lack of experience that leads to tunnel cost over-runs. Japan have 10,000 road tunnels spanning 5000km. China has more than 10,000 road tunnels including 10km under ocean tunnel connected by bridges each side on their 50km Hong Kong-Zhuhai engineering feat. Let the experts build ours in half the time and half the cost. Ken Milne, Parnell
The fire is the third suspicious blaze at the property in the space of a month.