Letters: Christopher Luxon critique unfair and unbalanced – Sir Bill Birch

'[PM Christopher] Luxon has strong moral principles and is respectful of people.' Photo / Mark Mitchell

Letters to the Editor

Luxon critique unfair, unbalanced

I am astounded by the article written by Matthew Hooton which asserts that Christopher Luxon is not providing the leadership required of a Prime Minister (NZ Herald, November 22). This critique appears to overlook several key facts and achievements that speak to Luxon’s capabilities and effectiveness as a leader.

Despite being a relative newcomer to politics, Luxon has been selected as the leader of the National Party and as the Prime Minister of New Zealand in 2023. These accomplishments are not coincidental but are the result of his demonstrated leadership abilities, which have gained substantial support from New Zealand voters in the last election. Furthermore, Luxon has shown his adeptness in political negotiation by successfully forming a coalition agreement and establishing a Cabinet filled with highly talented New Zealanders.

Hooton’s criticism of Luxon being outside the country too long overlooks that gave Luxon valuable international experience as a result. The international aspect of John Key’s CV was a celebrated qualification. Hooton makes a big issue of Luxon being a backstabber of his colleagues, but that kind of criticism is accusation rather than evidence. I have never heard of that characteristic on the ground. Luxon has strong moral principles and is respectful of people. The Treaty issue is the most challenging political issue in which Act and NZ First wanted to differentiate themselves so it is somewhat harsh to assert the counterfactual of Luxon having totally smooth waters on that matter.

It is unrealistic of Hooton or anybody else to expect Luxon to remedy these entrenched positions in the relatively short time that he has been in office.

These negative criticisms seem unbalanced and do not acknowledge the positive achievements Luxon has made in his time as Prime Minister. My comments are grounded in my 27 years as a Member of Parliament, including 15 years as a Cabinet Minister under Sir Robert Muldoon, Jim Bolger and Dame Jenny Shipley, during which time I observed and participated in the complexities of political leadership first-hand.

Sir William Birch, Karaka.

Obesity and sugar

Congratulations to the Helen Clark Foundation highlighting the ongoing “obesity epidemic” in their report (NZ Herald, November 25). We know that fad diets don’t work, education doesn’t work and self-regulation doesn’t work.

The report suggests that we could start with reducing the level of sugary drinks, but a much greater effect would be to reduce the level of added sugar by adding a levy where manufacturers and importers include more than, say, 8% added sugar. This would reduce to 4% over four years. This gives time for consumers to adjust to reduced sugar content in their food and drink and manufacturers time to adjust their recipes.

Manufacturers and importers would be given, say, a year to bring down their sugar content to below the 8%, and they would be incentivised to do so to avoid the levy. The levy should be punitive, say 20%.

Reducing added sugar content would make a huge difference in the rate of obesity and therefore in the rate of Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and dental caries.

Tony Falkenstein, Mission Bay.

Sweet plan

Professor Boyd Swinburn states that a soft drinks levy introduced in 2016 in the UK led to a 35% reduction in total sugar sold over four years and lowered hospital admissions for dental treatment.

My experience of referring patients for hospital dental treatment is that the majority of these patients are children who are suffering pain from decay and abscesses. They usually require a general anaesthetic.

If a soft drink levy can reduce the number of suffering children, everyone should insist it is introduced.

Craig Fraser, Mission Bay.

School failures

I have been analysing school leaver data annually since the introduction of NCEA, so I was interested to read the opinions as to why achievement rates are declining (NZ Herald, November 25). Over the years since its introduction, achievement rates increased steadily for all groups and reached a peak in 2016/2017, several years before Covid appeared on the scene.

My own view as to why it is happening? More and more young people are being turned off schooling, and the relevance and value of what it offers them. The Covid experience has simply accelerated the reality.

David Hood, Hamilton.

Rough justice

Sad to read of Kim Dotcom’s health issues (NZ Herald, November 26), but even sadder to read the partisan American justice system is still chasing his extradition. They did it for several years with Julian Assange.

Both cases fade into insignificance when compared to Donald Trump telling a mob to go forward and overturn a fair election, not to mention his many other serious misdemeanours. I will no longer point the finger at Russia and so many other countries where justice is just a word. The US justice system has become the world’s biggest joke.

Brent Marshall, Whangaparāoa.