Social development should be just that. Every New Zealander has the right to a roof over their head and a full belly. Any cuts here will be the end of the tether for many poor people.
It should be no wonder some turn to crime to feed their families, much as it affects the wider community. Take the cuts to these ministries out of any financial equation and our country will be a much safer, healthier and better-educated place where everyone has a place to enjoy the quality of life they deserve.
Leaders who have the most effect on their followers are those who lead by example. If this coalition is, as it claims, one that will help all New Zealanders, then perhaps they would be willing to take a voluntary 10-15 per cent salary cut or redundancy to show how engaged with the general public they are.
After all, they’re just public servants too, aren’t they?
Jeremy Coleman, Hillpark.
Pointless protests
Students do not need to take a day off school where learning is paramount daily. Let their parents protest.
I believe protests are for 18-year-olds and older who ask for time off work. Whether they are paid or not is not the question. The question is - why are they doing it?
I feel they believe in something so deeply that they feel the only way to tell leaders of our country is to do something practical, which disrupts traffic, workers and many people. I know protesters are concerned about many things in our country, but sometimes they go too far and spoil the environment in the process.
We all have concerns but the Government needs to listen more deeply and show positive reaction practically by changing policies and talking to people personally What does a protest really do for the country? Annoys traffic, shoppers, schools and workplaces.
There must be a better way to show our concerns for the way our country is going than clogging up streets and annoying people. Maybe a protest in a park would be a wiser choice.
Marilyn Cure, Pāpāmoa.
Cheapskate roading
Recently roading contractors have been present in Piha. Post-cyclone many local roads were beleaguered with potholes, however, the recently applied solution of resealing virtually every road with chip seal has proved extremely alienating.
This is a beachside community where people use roads to walk dogs, ride bikes or skateboards. They wear open footwear or bare feet to and from the beach. There are rarely footpaths to walk on.
These new roads hurt dogs’ paws. Skateboarding is no longer possible except in one small flat area. Biking becomes unpleasant.
Who is responsible for cheapskate decisions like this which reduce the pleasure of an entire community?
Chris Chrystall, Epsom.
Cathedral charging
More money worries for the completion of the earthquake-damaged ChristChurch Cathedral and questions about where the money is going to come from.
The ChristChurch Cathedral may not be on the same scale as the Sagrada Familia taking 140 years so far but hey, here’s an idea.
Tourists to the Sagrada Familia wait an hour or more in a queue for the pleasure of seeing the inside of this great structure at a cost of $50 or more each. Let’s continue with the construction of the cathedral even if it takes a hundred years.
Make the site safe for visitors and build a platform for tourists to visit the cathedral and charge the appropriate price. The architect said about the Sagrada Familia, “My client is not in a hurry”, referring to God.
Jim Anderson, Half Moon Bay.
Feel-good factor
The reduction in EV sales is not a surprise. They were initially highly subsidised and the use of them on public roads was free.
Buying something that now costs virtually the same as a vehicle with a combustion engine will naturally have no incentive. Those with an EV must pay their share of using the roading infrastructure.
There will still be those harbouring a feel-good factor that they are surreptitiously not polluting the planet when they drive to work, something that will take a century to truly realise.
John Ford, Taradale.
