The mask mandates are gone, as are most measures to prevent the spread of Covid. Photo / Brett Phibbs, File
The mask mandates are gone, as are most measures to prevent the spread of Covid. Photo / Brett Phibbs, File
Opinion
It ain't over Roger Laybourn (NZ Herald, September 14) is premature in his praise for our success in combating Covid. Our death rate certainly has been very low but it is interesting to note that our cases per million at 352,277 are now higher than that of the US (291,028) andSweden (251,863). Both these countries have supposedly failed in their responses. (Figures from Worldometer at September 17). Consider the economic damage caused by lockdowns and strict border closures. And we are still reporting high cases with many more undoubtedly not notified. I suggest that the jury is still out. We need an inquiry. John Billing, New Plymouth.
Un-needed inquiry David Seymour, in wanting a review into how we managed Covid (NZ Herald, September 16), would rather spend $20 million on trying to blame Ashley Bloomfield and others for any small mistakes instead of improving education, poverty, and housing. I believe a review would find overall we handled the pandemic much better than most countries. Seymour claims he will insist on a review within 100 days of National winning the next election. He will have to wake up to the reality that the Act Party will have no negotiating power and will not be able to demand anything because they have nowhere else to go. Eddie Mann, Newmarket.
Critical mass In response to Jock MacVicar (NZ Herald, September 19). Did Covid spawn a whole lot of "wise-after-the-event" critics? Yes. Did New Zealand have one of the lowest death rates in the world? Yes. Are those critics now alive to criticise some more, given what the Government achieved? Yes. John Capener, Kawerau.
Diplomacy is dead Surely, enough is enough. There is clear evidence that the Russian invasion of Ukraine is no longer tolerable. The atrocities perpetrated against Ukraine by Russia are evidence enough that New Zealand must act to show support for the upholding of humanitarian values. We must immediately close our embassy in Russia. We must follow this up by closing the Russian Embassy in Wellington and giving all members of it a directive to leave New Zealand within 48 hours. The Embassy and the grounds should be nationalised, the buildings pulled down and the empty site turned into a green area named Ukraine Park. Warwick Bringans, Taupō.
War time Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, probably echoed the feelings of most of us who live on this planet when he told Vladimir Putin that now is not the time for war. We have had enough time to learn that nobody wins in war and perhaps Modi should have said that there is never a good time for war. Few people now doubt the impact of climate change and aside from the death and destruction, Putin's war must be also contributing to global warming. Now, more than ever is the time for everyone to learn to get on with each other. Greg Cave, Sunnyvale.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, listens to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during their talks in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Photo / Sergei Bobylev, Pool via AP
By appointment I was working in Australia in the 1990s when they held their republic/monarchy referendum. The arguments from there may be instructive in view of the present discussion here. Had the question been simply monarchy versus republic, the republicans would have won hands down. The real fight was over how the president would be selected. The politicians insisted that parliament would appoint the president. Their argument against a popular vote was that it would give the president strong moral authority, even though he would not have any executive power. The people insisted that they should have the say because they saw the appointment by parliament as the position becoming a sinecure for political mates, which the people considered unacceptable. The referendum paper when it came out had the proposals to be answered yes or no: To alter the constitution; and to become a republic with the head of state appointed by a two-thirds majority of parliament. The motion for a republic was lost. G. N. Kendall, Rothesay Bay.
Bottom line The BNZ was owned by the people of New Zealand (NZ Herald, September 19). Then the so-called "Labour" administration of 1984-90 grossly mismanaged it, so that the incoming Government of James Bolger had to bail it out – $600 million. Politicians sold the nation's trading bank, locks, stocks, and artworks. This milk was spilt long ago and is not worth crying over. Perhaps we'll do better next time, but don't count on it. Arch Thomson, Mt Wellington.
Beck and call The C&R organisation deserve the dummies of the year prize and perhaps the dummies of the decade. Viv Beck's pulling out at this late stage but her name remaining on the ballot has changed nothing and all but guarantees the mayoral election goes to Labour's Efeso Collins. Why the C&R did not wake up several weeks ago to the fact that running too many centre-right candidates would split the centre-right vote and therefore favour Collins? The C&R controller should stand up and be identified. Their rank incompetence is likely to stop a much-needed cleanout at Auckland Council. They have let the people of Auckland down. Brent Marshall, Whangaparāoa.
Among equals Equality isn't about picking and choosing the parts you want, and ignoring the parts you don't like – is it? Or is that okay? We keep hearing about the gender pay gap (NZ Herald, September 16) which has repeatedly been proven false once accounting for all factors including hours worked and years of experience – time and time again. Yet, this one keeps cropping up. Okay, let's put that aside, let's assume it is true. What about other inequalities? Men die years younger than women, men are the victims of 85 per cent of murders, men are 83-90 per cent of the road workers, construction, dirty and dangerous workers, men are only 40 per cent of university graduates, men are 90 per cent of homeless, men are less likely to get their children in divorce, men have significantly higher prison sentences. These are indisputable facts. No one just wants to talk about it. Even men don't push for equality. Where is the equality for men? Albert McGhee, East Tamaki.
Love conquers The world is expressing gratitude to Queen Elizabeth for the love she showered on so many. For those who express violence to their neighbours, they might like to consider that love is far more powerful than hate. Jasmine Archer, Rosedale.
Rocky reception In 1970, I embarked on my first overseas experience, in those days by ship. When the Oriana berthed at Port of Spain, Trinidad, my friend and I decided to walk around the city centre. On innocently passing a building site we were pelted with rocks and had to retreat quickly. We assumed it was because we looked ethnically British. Trinidad and Tobago has a very different history from New Zealand, Australia and Canada, hence its different constitutional arrangements since 1976, as noted by your correspondent Justin Sobion, (NZ Herald, September 16). Jim Frater, Greenlane.
Prolonged pause Tim Horan suggested the referee froze in the last minutes of the test. I suggest Bernard Foley froze, he had the referee and teammates telling him to kick the ball and yet he couldn't. The referee had to do something and made the right decision. Paul Mason, Rothesay Bay.
Short & Sweet
On monarchy If we do have a referendum on retaining the monarchy, I'll be considering who is more likely to mount an armed insurrection against our democracy. A hereditary monarch, or an elected president? Doug Hannan, Mt Maunganui.
To help settle the kerfuffle over a republic, our national anthem and te reo, let's open the batting with a joyous rendition of Peter Allen's "When my baby smiles at me, I go te reo", and see what happens from there. Dean Donoghue, Papamoa Beach.
On buslane One wheel in the new Broadway Newmarket bus lane at 1pm on a weekday cost $150. Thank the almighty I didn't have my whole car over the line. Barry Fitzgerald, Remuera.
On humps Can someone please tell Auckland Council to pour concrete to fill potholes instead of pouring concrete on the road surface, creating bumps? Juergen Petersen, Pt Chevalier.
I simply don't believe the problem is as big as the Government or academia say it is. How about we start looking at the population as a whole rather than pursue this identitarianism? It really is off-putting. Mark C.
To be blunt, a lot of middle-class people have no idea of the reality of child poverty. If you live in a nice area, have a job unrelated to children and your children go to nice schools in affluent suburbs, you may never come into contact with it. This was my case living in Mt Eden where my kids grew up. I only became aware after landing a secondary teaching job in South Auckland. Boy, what a comedown, I had no idea how the other half lived. Now my daughter is a new teacher this year in a secondary school in Tauranga and has kids that fit this profile. Come to school with no food, drink water and go home hoping to eat something. The school does provide food for the desperate, but not all. Robert M.
I don't have any British in me, but somehow I'm to blame. My ancestors came here poor, marginalised, and guess what? They worked hard and made it for themselves, despite the many roadblocks in front of them. No handouts, no benefits. Just self-determination. Kathy A.
It is the parents we should be having a conversation about. I believe all hard-working middle-class New Zealanders were happy to hear that Labour would address this issue, that is one of the reasons we voted them in. However, it has become increasingly clear that they have achieved nothing and at great cost. Money has been thrown at the problem, but it has only increased welfare dependency, truancy and crime. The average middle-class New Zealander is very hard-working. They also make lots of sacrifices to help their children do well at school. We understand the value of education and hard work. I am happy to give anyone a "hand up" to help them improve their lives and that of their children, but whatever money the Government spends needs to be spent wisely and we need some evidence that their ideas are working. Sandra H.
Of course, middle-class NZ cares. It is middle-class NZ who have little or no governmental recognition in relation to caring. Middle-class NZ volunteer in support agencies. Middle-class NZ volunteer in food banks. Middle-class NZ volunteer in schools. Governments don't recognise, understand or care about the contribution of middle NZ to this growing problem. Lynette S.
