Chris Hipkins and Carmel Sepuloni emerge from the Labour caucus as New Zealand's incoming Prime Minister and deputy. Photo / Jason Walls
Climate for change
The centre pages (NZ Herald, January 20) reviewed the future of New Zealand agriculture. Ian Proudfoot, head of agribusiness at KPMG, covered current thinking against the background of climate change. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, has already spelled out voter concerns and what he will be focusing on. We all need to take a new approach to how we use our land and earn a living from it. Hopefully, many Kiwis will have read “Nomad Century- How Climate Migration Will Reshape Our World” by Gaia Vince. Canada is taking on 400,000 new migrants each year. Many are from climate-threatened nations. How many will we be taking on, where will they all live? NZ has a Managed Retreat and Climate Adaptation Act. Will we see massive urban sprawl? Climate change means we need to rethink the variables of land use. Tree planting for all reasons, will we have enough storage of water and biodiversity is a must for our own survival. Prime Minister please get all voters to understand that spending on climate action is the number one issue.
Martin Toop, Rototuna North.
Seizing opportunity
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins reportedly speaks of how important aspiration and hard work are for people to create opportunities to get ahead and provide a better life for their children. Sadly, our education system is simply not up to the job of turning hard-working students with aspirations into well-educated adults - let alone those who don’t have those attributes. And Hipkins knows that. We lag most OECD countries on key educational ratings. Hipkins, as Minister of Education, had no impact on educational outcomes and the Pisa international ratings slide continued. So how can he possibly believe a better life is even remotely possible for our children? He has no excuses now for failing to transform our education system. If there is any substance behind Hipkins’ rhetoric, he needs to take bold initiatives in education to give all Kiwi kids the sort of education that, for him, when combined with hard work and opportunity, helped him to become our prime minister today.
Paul Jamieson, Remuera.
Rule of recession
Beware, National, what you wish for. This year could be the worst of times to win an election. Incumbent governments always get blamed for bad economic times and are given credit when times are good, regardless that they are no more than slightly instrumental in either. (Note: These are not bad economic times - much worse is to come.) The party that wins this year’s election will have promised to fix the “mess left behind”. But the extremely serious world recession that we will suffer into 2024-25 will likely result in their expulsion after one term, replaced by a triumphant opposition regarded as saviour as conditions begin to improve after 2026. The Hoover Government in the US was blamed for the Depression following the 1929 crash, getting thrown out after one term. Democrats under Roosevelt got the credit for the fix and remained in power for a number of cycles. Loss of public confidence in the Republicans meant they stayed in opposition for the next 20 years. An election win in 2023 may be a chalice of poison. Go National, you’re welcome to it.
Gary Ferguson, Epsom.
National response
I wonder – is there more to Jacinda Ardern’s resignation than meets the eye? National is now rubbing its hands in the expectation of an easy electoral victory, but has the canny lady, under the guise of “nothing left in the tank”, perhaps handed National the trap of complacency? Has she realised that she had become such a polarising figure that voters, in an effort to show their displeasure at her personally, would “punish” her by abstaining or voting en masse against the Labour Party? By taking a strong political decision and removing herself from consideration she has, in effect, won back thousands of hostile and wavering Labour voters. Can National take advantage of the absence of Fairy Dust? Not with the present Opposition Leader who has both feet firmly in his mouth all the time and who has to constantly backtrack on his public comments. Is it now National’s turn, before it is too late, to take a strong political decision and dump the affable, but politically inept, Christopher Luxon? Time for another female PM?
Johan Slabbert, Warkworth.
Tough lessons
I am flabbergasted every time I see reports of drownings at beaches in NZ. This seems to coincide with primary schools shutting down their pools due to the cost of maintenance etc. The local council pools have free admission for children but the cost of lessons ($14 per half-hour lesson) is prohibitive for many young families. I would wish the cost of these could be heavily subsidised so all children in New Zealand have the opportunity to learn the necessary skills to stay alive at the beach.
Christine Lamb, Stanmore Bay.
Slash costs
A recent editorial (NZ Herald, January 19) highlighted the environmental damage arising from slash on the landscape and people in parts of the Tairawhiti region (and no doubt other parts of New Zealand). It also outlines the case for larger fines and increased powers of environmental enforcement needed in reducing the damage from poorly managed forestry operations. The damage caused by run-off of sediment and slash has been devastating. Those advocating for the increased use of timber in construction, who are typically focused solely on carbon emissions, conveniently overlook the impact on land under plantation and surrounding rivers from slash. If one company was responsible for that level of environmental vandalism, they would be hounded by the media and be made to change their ways. But, because it’s an “industry issue”, it seems to fall into the too-hard basket. Now, like steel and concrete, timber has a role to play in building and construction but let’s not kid ourselves that it doesn’t have an impact on people and the land. Just ask the good people of Tairawhiti.
Rick Osborne, Manukau.
Basic needs
It seems clear after reading your front page, (NZ Herald, January 23), that Chris Hipkins, at least, did not agree 100 per cent with the speed with which the Government under Jacinda Ardern was introducing policies. It was pleasing to see he wants to get back to basics - another difference of opinion it would appear. Let’s hope he has the strength to make the changes so the homeless, the poverty-stricken children, businesses, the police, medical workers, teachers, and everyday people can all enjoy better conditions, and those committing crimes are dealt with appropriately. Now that would be a Prime Minister to be proud of, but I’m not holding my breath.
Janet Boyle, Ōrewa.
Light on detail
Someone needs to tell Christopher Luxon that the electorate is not stupid. He also needs to add an additional word to his vocabulary; that word is “how”. Anyone can stand in front of a camera and tell us that he will solve all of New Zealand’s problems but it takes a real politician to tell us how.
Gerald Payman, Mt Albert.
The other side
Knowing when to go and having the courage to do so, is a very rare characteristic in a politician but Jacinda Kate Laurell Ardern has shown herself to be a rare politician before now. Her showing of exceptional emotional intelligence when a white supremacist gunned down worshippers at two mosques in Christchurch, killing 51, in March 2019 is a case in point. Albeit, that she resided on the opposite side of the planet to me, I found her leadership and common sense very reassuring during the ravages of Covid and the narcissistic “reigns” of Trump and Johnson.
Michael Gannon Kilkenny, Ireland.
Litter bugs
Looking at photos of the mess left by departing attendees at the SoundSplash music festival at Raglan, (over the weekend) left me wondering about the hypocrisy of some of our younger generation regarding pollution of our planet. Tents, gazebos, clothing, and plastic rubbish littered the ground. I presume they expected the older generation to pick up after them.
Steve Horne, Raglan.
Supporting role
Jacinda Ardern deserves the accolades for her remarkable leadership during five extraordinarily tough years. The support her partner, Clarke Gayford provided throughout also deserves public acknowledgment. He took on the parenting role, without fuss, assisted by devoted four grandparents. Such hands-on help is what every mother in paid work would dream of. Bravo Clarke and whānau.
Janfrie Wakim, Epsom
On policies
Congratulations to Chris “Chippy” Hipkins and Carmel Sepuloni. Does this mean an end to Three Waters, Co-Governance and fanciful interpretations of the Waitangi Treaty, or am I to remain a stranger to the Labour Party? Kerry Craig, Mt Eden.
On Ardern
After reading all the accolades directed towards the outgoing prime minister I can’t help but wonder what rock or cave have they been under or in these past few years. A J Petersen, Kawerau.
On course
Cost of living and inflation heading north; economy, heading south; Jacinda, heading off. We are sailing into the headwinds of 2023 in a very leaky vessel. R Bartle, Half Moon Bay.
On Mayor
If you have a man who was voted mayor but hides away from the people who put him in the job, and the journalists who are supposed to hold him to account, is he simultaneously in the state of being mayor and not being mayor until he is actually witnessed carrying out a mayoral duty? Ken Taylor, Māngere.
On National
Appointing Chris Hipkins unopposed delivers a decisive, united message of renewal to the Opposition. National’s answer? Judith Collins. Marcel Thompson, Te Aroha.
On rodeos
How can anyone treat an animal so viciously and unkindly? Rodeos must be banned. Dawn Yore, Henderson.
On Harry
UK papers are suggesting that Prince Harry has signed a four-book deal with Penguin Random House. Spare us, and God save the King! Rosemary Balme, Howick.
Fran O’Sullivan: Next PM needs a soft heart and a hard head
It has been frustrating to read the comments from people such as Sam Neill and Helen Clark pushing the misogyny and vitriol reasons for Ms Ardern’s resignation. As one of many who have for the past five years tried to run a business, struggle to hold the hand of a dying parent and cross a border for the funeral and had RATs confiscated and see the division and polarisation take hold of our country , I am unable to have anything positive to say about Ardern as our PM. I don’t know her as a person and she might be wonderful - but that is irrelevant to me as that is not what has shaped my last five years. Let’s hope for a new chapter to try and bring us to a country where compromise and common sense take the lead. Peter L.
Pathetic. This country like others was shut down for six years during World War II. You were told where to work and pretty much what to eat by way of rationing. And if you protested you were quickly put behind bars. So. Grow up. The world has changed and it is going to get worse. Narena O.
How kind. Peter L.
What exactly is your point? We didn’t have frenzied waves of Japanese soldiers approaching our borders during Covid - although we did have the Wiggles and DJs frequently at the border. So I don’t think your comparison stacks up. Miles J.
I thought it was obvious. If your nearest and dearest died or were wounded in the war, you couldn’t go and bury them, let alone bring them home. Narena O.
The 19-year-old disappeared without her wallet or mobile phone.