There will be drawbacks. There will be slower delivery to consumers unless they wish to pay a premium for fast delivery.
The debate needs to happen now with all costs examined.
Richard Cole, Waipu.
Conservation impact
After yet another year of economic difficulties in New Zealand, we should reflect on the positive impact - or otherwise - of our very well organised conservation groups, including within the political parties.
The main objective of these groups is to restrict or, if possible, prevent any type of mining or exploration for oil and gas in New Zealand.
The main and awful effect, according to these organisations, is the terrible by-product these activities produce which is emissions leading to global warming. This argument is aimed at the usually caring average Kiwi.
Mostly well disguised is the indisputable fact that emissions from this country are barely measurable on the world scale, and this will not change no matter what - including 100 or more oil rigs on the offshore coast.
There will, of course, always be an environmental risk when mining or exploring but surely, we must compare risk with reward. Should there be a major find in oil or gas reserves, for example, in a few short years our economy could well be booming. To rephrase the expressions of one well-known politician “are a few frogs more important?”
Rob Peterken, Auckland central.
Head trauma risk
The story about former Maori All Black and NZ Sevens player, Shane Christie’s repeated head trauma from playing rugby comes as no surprise.
Studies in Scotland and elsewhere have shown that our national sport is inherently dangerous with many former players suffering serious brain injuries even after they stop playing.
A growing number of parents won’t let their kids play the sport and you can’t blame them.
Sixty years ago, when I started high school at Mt Roskill Grammar, every boy was automatically weighed in and put in a rugby team, unless you brought a note from your parents requesting that you played soccer or hockey.
If you were selected to play in the forwards it was suggested your parents bought ‘headgear’ from the local sport shop. I see on google such headgear is available at Rebel Sport for $59.99 or online at Temu for just $14.93. I wonder if parents know that they could help protect their child from possible head injuries for such an affordable investment?
I also wonder why so few of our All Blacks wear protective headgear. I did notice several of the Italy team forwards with headgear in a recent Six Nations’ match. Are the Italians smarter than us? Perhaps they are.
Glen Stanton, Mairangi Bay.
Rights of the child
Seventeen years since little Nia Glassie was murdered. Wasn’t that and other tragedies involving young defenceless children, supposed to provide a wake-up call for their protection? Apparently not.
According to Detective Sergeant Garry Hawkins of the Rotorua CID, who was involved in putting Nia Glassie’s murderers behind bars, things haven’t changed a lot, and we still have children dying while families cover up for others.
It is obvious that we have a vulnerable group of children who are neglected and abused during their short lives and that we have a parenting crisis.
It is obvious we are becoming involved in the lives of children at risk far too late. As a society we are often held back by fear of infringing adult rights and freedoms. These must give way to the rights of the child whatever it takes.
Glennys Adams, Waiheke Island.
Water views
Reading the article about the top priced homes sold in 2024 I realised that estate agents still had imagination.
The $10 million, Lake View Rd, Takapuna, house was stated as having “access to the beach waterfront”. Lake View Rd is on the edge of Lake Pupuke which could not be classed as a harbour waterfront.
To get to the waterfront from this house would entail a drive around roads and possibly to the end of Barry’s Point Rd which is about the closest you can get, in this area, to the harbour waterfront.
If the buyer still hasn’t found their harbour waterfront I am not surprised.
John Webster, Takapuna.
Nordic example
David Little (Letters, Dec 26) is only the latest in an endless line of correspondents suggesting that we should emulate the Nordic countries, and all would be well.
Okay, let’s do it: achieve the productivity of Denmark, which is twice as much as ours. Achieve the accident rate of Norway, which is one quarter of ours; the drug use of Sweden, which is one quarter of ours; the incarceration rate of Denmark (indicative of the crime rate), which is half of ours.
Once we have achieved all that, we will be rolling in money without any additional taxes.
K H Peter Kammler, Warkworth.
