Letters: Did you ever smoke? The first-asked question at hospitals; the season of goodwill; public transport; and our education system

The new Government plans to repeal Smokefree laws, which include banning cigarettes for the next generation. Photo / 123RF

As a member of the public, I’d like to add to the chorus of health professionals and others who are dismayed at the Government’s plans to repeal New Zealand’s smokefree legislation.

As an outpatient, or patient in a ward, at Auckland City Hospital, a nurse always comes with a list of questions for the patient to answer before any new procedure is done or new medicine is prescribed. This same questionnaire may have to be filled out several times during one hospital stay. The questionnaire collects valuable information for the specialists before they operate.

The first question on the questionnaire after your name, age and NHI number is “have you ever smoked?” Why is that question on every hospital’s questionnaire form? Why is that question at the top of the questionnaire?

It must be because health professionals everywhere agree that smoking is a precursor to many different illnesses and diseases. So, why is this Government easing up on smokefree legislation?

V Buckland, Mt Albert.

Season of goodwill

If as Mike Munro suggests (NZ Herald, December 8), our brand and reputation matter, how about this for an idea. Let us all in this season of goodwill to all women and men, show we can leave politics aside and those that can, contribute to charities that support families to make sure no one goes hungry and that no child goes without gifts this Christmas. Now that would be something really worth getting us mentioned on the international stage.

Glennys Adams, Ōneroa.

Why the change?

With a change of government perhaps there has been a change of attitude? Fran O’Sullivan (NZ Herald, December 9) complains that a relatively hostile media is giving Prime Minister Chris Luxon and his ministers no quarter. This from a columnist who was not at all averse to regularly holding the feet of Jacinda Ardern and her ministers to the fire.

Neil Anderson, Algies Bay.

Quality public transport needed

Bruce Cotterill’s opinion article (NZ Herald, December 9) is correct that public transport must be an attractive option to work. For this to be an everyday choice, cities must design, fund, and operate services well. High-quality public transport services that are reliable, frequent, comfortable, accessible, convenient, affordable, and safe, serving the routes for travel demand will improve public transport networks.

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown’s idea for a $50 weekly maximum fare makes public transport affordable. Auckland’s traffic congestion is deterring workers from riding buses as they face long waits, delays and getting stuck in traffic. Bus priority measures, such as 24/7 continuous bus lanes on main arterial roads and traffic light signaling for buses would incentivise people to try public transport as an alternative.

Infrequent and unreliable train services for Auckland and Wellington need to improve to increase patronage. Completing the Auckland rail network rebuild and infrastructure rail upgrades for Wellington will solve these issues. Providing safe and spacious bike lanes would encourage more cyclists. Expanding the Auckland ferry network by building new wharves and electric boats will serve Auckland’s three harbours’ waterways.

Patrick McFarlane, Ōnehunga.

Actions need consequences

The previous government’s proposed Smokefree legislation had no teeth. I am not aware of any recent prosecutions of retailers who sell cigarettes or vaping products to minors, yet thousands of young people are vaping. So long as tobacco retailers who sell to minors are not punished, the law will be ineffective.

Janie Weir, Newmarket.

Look to Finland

With Finland as a role model and the most successful education system worldwide, Erica Stanford has no further to look for guidance. Pre-school, primary and secondary education is free of charge and for the most part tertiary education is the same. The teacher-pupil ratio in primary school is 1/13.7, general secondary 1/15 and tertiary education 1/19.84. All teachers have a masters degree, children start their formal education at 7, and 9.9 per cent of the government’s total budget (as against NZ’s 5.98 per cent) is spent on education.

If Stanford wants to aim high, she could do no better than visit Finland (which has the same population as here) and see how it is done. In Australia, another good model, 13.5 per cent of total government budgets is spent on education and the average teacher pupil ratio in schools is one teacher per 13.1 pupils, as compared with one to 28 in New Zealand.

Unless Stanford doubles the money the Government spends on education, reduces the teacher-pupil ratio 1 to 20 (the OECD average) and makes all education free - or at least within the scope of your average wage earner - she may just as well be employed as a professional drying paint watcher.

Gary Hollis, Mellons Bay.

Sugar problems

If progressively decreasing the nicotine content of cigarettes will help smokers quit, why are we not progressively reducing the sugar content of drinks, to tackle obesity and tooth decay?

Chris Elias, Mission Bay.