Letters: Climate march, Covid inquiry, and King Charles' tough time

King Charles III and Camilla, the Queen Consort sign the visitors book during a visit to Hillsborough Castle, Belfast. Photo / AP

Opinion

It's all on for young and old
For over three years our young have been silenced in their pursuit of a cleaner, less dangerous world. The pandemic and its toll saw to that. But they're now readying again to march for a global call to save our planet. The last gathering they had saw few senior citizens alongside them. When young in their day, many actively protested for an end to would-be disasters like the Vietnam war, a smelter site proposal for Aramoana, nuclear war/power usage, human decency laws and more. One must ask: How do they feel about today?
This Friday, our youth are marching. They want and have a right to life on this planet as we knew it. They know they have to face a heating planet, filthy land and seas and the deterioration of forests, all happening now, so they are pleading for our and other countries to stop the rot, stop the heating, stop the use of fossil fuels and to take climate change seriously and start the healing. It would be great to look around Aotea Square at 1pm and see many more heads of hair like mine mingling among these young warriors to help them win their fight.
Emma Mackintosh, Birkenhead.

Joyce on the money
Steven Joyce (Weekend Herald, September 17), as usual, makes an excellent case, this time for a Commission of Inquiry into the handling of the Covid-19 epidemic. His call for a commission offers the Government a chance to demonstrate its maturity and leadership in place of defensive, ideological and obdurate resistance to the notion.
Larry Mitchell, Rothesay Bay.

Covid marks
No need to pay millions for a Covid inquiry when the results are self-evident. Did the Government provide enough ICU beds? No. Did they respond quickly enough? No. Did they order the vaccine quickly? No. Did they have to pay a premium price because they delayed? Yes. Did they order enough vaccines? No. Did this delay the vaccine roll-out? Yes. Did they delay ordering rapid antigen tests? Yes. Did they order sufficient of them? No. Did they have to commandeer private imports of RATs? Yes.
Was the quarantine process successfully managed? No. Did everybody pay for their quarantine? No. Could any area of the Covid campaign be considered a success? No. Which government department will I send my invoice to for payment?
Jock Mac Vicar, Hauraki.

Monarchy's value
It seems that anti-royalists have no idea of the eternal trouble that could follow abandoning our monarchy. NZ going republic might become a prime example of not appreciating what you've got until you've lost it. Perhaps too many activists are thinking "What could possibly go wrong?". It's sobering to look at government systems around the globe, starting at the world's richest nation, which has no reins on its politicians after they are voted in.
Jim Carlyle, Te Atatū Peninsula.

King's tough times
Since becoming king, Charles III has conducted himself with grace and dignity. One small show of irritation when a pen malfunctioned and critics such as John Roughan (Weekend Herald, September 17) mark him down as prone to tantrums and not fit to be king. For goodness sake, he is only human and has been under a bit of stress lately, in case they hadn't noticed.
Anne Martin, Helensville.

Nats' prospects
Claire Trevett (Weekend Herald, September 17) speculates on National taking the Treasury benches next year. National can't even get a mayoral candidate to the start line in Auckland and Christopher Luxon doesn't have the stuff to be PM. If National wants to improve its chances, put Harete Hipango and Maureen Pugh in the top slots.
Mark Nixon, Remuera.

Risk in housing rules
All local councils should follow Christchurch in refusing to accept the Government's new housing intensification rules. It is pushing this law through before the ramifications are thoroughly investigated. It might sound a good idea, but many negative possibilities need to be considered first. If this is such a great idea, it will withstand a few more months to consider all possible outcomes.
Everyone from those living in conventional housing to the tenants of these future apartments will be impacted. We must demand our councils refuse to accept the planned changes, until extensive consideration is completed, or we could end up with serious social impacts. It will be too late once built.
Vicki Wild, Pāpāmoa.

Art agreement
For the first time in my life, I find myself agreeing with Helen Clark about the auctioning of BNZ's New Zealand artworks. It would have been so simple for the Parliament which included her at the time to have withheld these from the sale to the National Bank in 1992.
Rod Lyons, Kumeū.

Make vote count
Recent polling has shown that up to 80 per cent of Aucklanders are unhappy with or do not trust the Auckland Council. It is to be hoped then that they take not only more interest in the council elections but also vote.
Aucklanders complain about the reduction in council maintenance and services under the Super City and Auckland Transport's activities, yet don't vote or, if they do, re-elect those whose policies and actions they complain about.
Let's hope there is more scrutiny of those standing for election as councillors and particularly more scrutiny of current councillors seeking re-election.
Ken Graham, Greenlane.

Let there be light
I work in the city but haven't been there at night. Goodness, it looks so dark and dreary — no wonder it attracts so many troublemakers. The city has few lights and they are old types. Why can't the council replace them with high-wattage LEDs, thereby saving on cost too?
Mohammed Yakub, Māngere East.

Rugby time-wasters
Ian Foster is right — time wasting has to be cut out of rugby. We all get agitated as players stroll to lineouts and the thrower, previously of good hearing, has gone suddenly deaf. After play has moved up and down the field at a furious pace a prop or lock falls to the ground, grimacing with pain, only to miraculously recover after several gulps of fresh air and drink of the magic water.
Goalkickers, after staring at the posts for ages, suddenly come out from their trance and actually kick the ball. Time wasting is ruining the game but referees have to be consistent as until now it has been an almost accepted part of the game, with referees only admonishing players verbally.
Reg Dempster, Albany.

Cab cost v train fare
My wife and I have just flown from Auckland to Brisbane. We stayed the night prior to our flight in a hotel beside the central railway station, so we could train out to the airport in the morning. Found the train fare $40 for both. Advice that a taxi direct to the airport from the hotel was cheaper and more convenient proved correct — $35.48. And no having to hump our suitcases down to and on and off the train.
Why would Auckland want to spend millions on a non-user-friendly and possibly more expensive airport train?
Peter Hawley, Havelock North.

War-crime playbook
What is being discovered after the Russian Army has been forced to flee from areas of Ukraine which they previously occupied — mass graves — brings to mind post-World War II atrocities committed in the Katyn Forest in Poland, when the Russians massacred 22,000 Polish officers. Czar Putin is following the Russian playbook.
Peter Patten, Albany.

Boris isn't disturbing
In reply to Martin Ball's question (Weekend Herald, September 17): No, I for one, would not be disturbed if I came across Boris Johnson in New Zealand.
In fact, I would welcome the opportunity to join President Zelenskyy and the people of Ukraine in thanking him for the "unmatched" moral, humanitarian and military support that he and his country have given to Ukraine in its desperate fight against Russian aggression and cruelty.
Robin Rimmer, Tauranga.

Short & sweet

On reduced sentences
Does abuse in private homes count for reduced prison time? Wendy Tighe-Umbers, Parnell.

On mayoral race
The best outcome would be Efeso Collins for mayor, Viv Beck as deputy and Wayne Brown as CEO. Martin Ball, Kelston.

On ABs v Wallabies
The Wallabies' penalty for time wasting is payback for the underarm cricket incident.Rex Nathan, Dargaville.

On monarchy debate
I hear New Zealand is turning into a republic — a banana republic. Glenn Forsyth, Taupō.

On road cones
There are at least as many orange cones on Auckland roads as vehicles desperately trying to avoid them. Paul Baker, Waitākere.

On Queen's funeral
Heckling a man attending his mother's funeral. How low can you sink? C.C. McDowall, Rotorua.

I take back all the times I chuckled at snotty comments about David Beckham. He queued for 13 hours to pay his respects to the Queen when he could have joined a privileged "express lane". Ron Hoares, Wellsford.

I was impressed by the double-page spread in the Herald on Sunday, showing the Queen in all her coloured outfits. What an amazing woman. Sandra Halling, Ōrewa.

The Premium Debate

Goodbye to Covid rules

Of all their promises — solve the housing problems, eliminate poverty, fix the health crisis etc — can anyone think of one promise they delivered on? Alan M.

To be fair, they are the first government ever to pay a cost of living payment to dead people. Quite an achievement. Michael H.

Certain parts of their caucus hold too much sway and it is clear to every party except them that we need a full and open inquiry to learn what we did right and what we did wrong.
Given what we went through in lockdowns the country deserves at least that much. Ian U.

I agree with many of the points made. I still have an issue with those who complain about the vaccine mandate, particularly for frontline medical workers. We have lost hundreds of people post-lockdown and completion of the vaccine rollout. Ralph H.

Agree, there is a vaccine mandate for other infectious diseases for nurses and nobody complains. Potter O.

This Government is the most incompetent ever, I am ashamed that I voted for them. The hard-working people of this country deserve better. Sandra H.

Worst government ever? Not even close. Rob Muldoon and the National Party bankrupted the country, crashed the value of our dollar, wiped out whole industries, and caused a mass exodus. That was a bad government. Keep some perspective, please. John B.