A scene from an advertisement advising New Zealand drivers to slow down as part of the 'Road to Zero' campaign. Photo / Waka Kotahi via YouTube
A scene from an advertisement advising New Zealand drivers to slow down as part of the 'Road to Zero' campaign. Photo / Waka Kotahi via YouTube
Letters to the Editor
Deplorable driving
The Road to Zero is doomed without a cultural change in the attitude towards crazy New Zealand drivers, akin to the social opprobrium that smokers now enjoy. There is a substantial fraction of NZ drivers who, once behind the wheel, seem to imagine themselves participating in some kindof speed rally, where you simply must overtake the vehicle in front of you, regardless of the dangers. I live on a peninsula (Mt Maunganui). If you drive from Pāpāmoa to the Mount. you run out of road in about 10km. Nevertheless, it seems that almost every time I drive this road at the legal speed limit (50km/h) there is an idiot driver who tailgates in an intimidating fashion and then roars past at the first opportunity, often in spite of oncoming traffic, and to what end? This same insane behaviour is replicated on the road from Matamata to Tauranga (SH29) where the road crosses the Kaimai Range. It seems as if almost every driver simply has to overtake the vehicle in front regardless of the safety of the manoeuvre. The stupidity of the perceived need for this becomes evident as one approaches Tauranga (or Matamata) and sees the overtaking vehicle has gained at most two or three places in the traffic queue. How do we change the idiocy of this tailgating/speeding/overtaking paradigm?
Ericson List, Papamoa Beach.
Fatally flawed
I agree with Stephen Alpe (NZ Herald, January 18) and his intelligent comments regarding the real reasons behind our horrific road crash statistics. The police close roads and gather information after serious and fatal crashes, no doubt to assess the probable cause of each accident. I am not aware that the outcome of these investigations is publicly and readily available from Police or NZTA/Waka Kotahi. From my observations over many years of driving, in addition to the points raised by Alpe, there are many instances of passing on no-passing lines, tailgating, incorrect or no signalling at roundabouts, and late passing in merge lanes to name a few. All bad driving habits and lack of driver education or training. To concentrate on speed as the main cause is simply wrong. Where is the focus on better driver training, a dedicated traffic police unit with many more officers to deter and catch offenders, and higher fines and penalties for offenders? The Road to Zero campaign is just a catchy dream without drastic changes. A Royal Commission is maybe overdue as officials don’t seem to know the answers.
As with most of the world, New Zealand hasn’t been able to adapt to living in this era of idiocy. First, most of the “family silver” was sold off (e.g. trading banks) or destroyed (e.g. Dept of Ag; DSIR). Now, after nearly five decades of “new right” idiocy, it seems even “Think Big” creations are fair game. A late model example of idiots thinking they are geniuses is money printing - euphemistically called “QE”. There is simply no realisation that the intelligence of a Keynes, or the architects of Think Big, no longer exists - and for a long time to come. I suggest New Zealand urgently investigates constructing a “boutique” refinery at Marsden Pt, perhaps capable of about 50 per cent of the throughput of the decommissioned plant. Just as fuel is temporarily being subsidised now, a boutique refinery would probably need some permanent level of subsidy for the nation’s security. Lessons should be learned from the madness of mid-1984 onwards, so that the “Crown” retains at least 51 per cent ownership of the new refinery company in perpetuity.
It would be a pity if, as Simon Wilson implies (NZ Herald, January 17), the upcoming election may be overtaken by those who have anti-democratic agendas. Academic Matheson Russell from Auckland University agrees that democracy faces enormous challenges, including climate change, economic inequality, and the rise of disinformation and extremism. And yet Russell posits an alternative model to our usual democratic process, citing Ireland, Oregon and Iceland as places where a model known as sortition, an ancient practice from Athens, the cradle of democracy, has been used to solve quite complex problems. Isn’t it time that those of us (the silent majority) pushed back and looked at ways we could have a stake in the future without resorting to violence either verbal or physical? It’s worth a try.
Glennys Adams, Oneroa.
Insulting democracy
Simon Wilson (NZ Herald 17/01/23) laments the current level of anger aimed at the Government and fears that the freedom of our political leaders to attend public gatherings will be curbed by safety concerns. The Labour Party gained the treasury benches in 2017 courtesy of Winston Peters’ decision to deny power to the most popular party of that election. Was that the first insult to our democratic process? The subsequent election of 2020 produced another distortion of our MMP system by an electorate sufficiently gripped by the fear of a virus. Whatever the outcome of this election, we must be assured that the accepted historical framework of our democracy remains sacrosanct.
A follow-up to David Hopkins’ letter (NZ Herald, January 17) drawing attention to the low productivity of egg-laying chickens at just 24 eggs per year per bird, they could valuably draw inspiration from their farm-yard neighbours, dairy cows. According to the Livestock Improvement Corporation, 3.5 million cows produced 12.3 billion litres of milk in 2001, yet in 2021 4.9 million cows (an increase of 40 per cent) managed to produce 21.7 billion litres (an increase of 76 per cent). With so little to cackle about, hens evidently have a way to go to get up to scratch.
John Hunt, Hobsonville.
Are our chickens a bunch of layabouts? Photo / John Stone, File
National wealth
The corporates and the rich individuals who donate so generously to the National Party probably expect some sort of return: lower taxes; deregulation for businesses and landlords; doors open wider at the border to allow in more workers - creating a downward pressure on wage growth and an upward pressure on rents and house prices. All this is just what the “haves” need to make New Zealand a better place for living, working, and profiting.
B Darragh, Auckland Central.
Just stop
At a time of an annual 15 per cent fall in bus passenger numbers and a desperate shortage of drivers, Auckland Transport’s latest pet project sees both groups being blasted by high-volume “next stop” audio “service announcements” every few seconds of every journey. Given the infrequent stops and greater engine and track noise, no one objects to such announcements on train journeys. Bus drivers and commuters alike, on the other hand, are being driven insane by the incessant new high-decibel announcements. With GPS on every modern mobile phone, one can only surmise that AT’s new target market is urban commuters who are not only blind or technophobic but also deaf in both ears.
Stephen Bayldon, Mt Roskill.
No surrender
I must take issue with Kushlan Sugathapala (NZ Herald, January 18) over his claim that the West, i.e. the EU, Nato and the US, are to blame for the war in Ukraine as much as Russia. Surely he must agree that Russia began this unprovoked war and that it is up to other countries to assist Ukraine in responding to this state terrorism. If Russia was allowed to get away with this, how long before it attacks other countries on its border, such as Finland, Sweden, Latvia, Lithuania or even countries such as Poland, Hungary, etc? This unprovoked war was started entirely by Russia, and I do not see how anyone can claim that the West is in any way to blame. If Russia attacked New Zealand, wouldn’t we expect the West to assist or should we just hand NZ over?
Lloyd Anderson,
Te Awamutu.
Rebuild communities
The term NIMBY can be insulting to people who are rightly concerned about what is going on around them, (especially when their ability to affect it is so limited ). Auckland has problems that are a result of over-population and many of the present housing policies are making them worse. There needs to be a proper regional development strategy - rebuilding industries and communities and spreading the population. The overall population size needs to be thought about, too. For too long we have accepted the mantra “growth is necessary” which has largely been spread by companies and individuals for financial self-interest. If money and effort were spent on rebuilding the industries we used to have throughout the country, we would not have to spend it on digging up Auckland and importing practically everything.
David McMahon, Sunnyvale.
Holed out
Twenty years ago, there was a company in Henderson manufacturing trucks with quick pothole repair solutions for use here and exported to Australia, Pacific Island, the Middle East and further afield. This is the most efficient system I have ever seen, and extremely cost-effective. However, the NZ Government deemed that a man walking behind a slow-moving truck was too dangerous, so banned the use of this system in New Zealand. Yet other countries still use it.
Warren Prouse, Papakura.
Short and sweet
On Harry
I was an only child. Imagine how shocked and hurt I now am to realise my parents thought so little of me that they didn’t bother to have another in case I needed some spare parts. Ron Hoares, Wellsford.
On donations
Large sums of money to the National Party is called investment. Ordinary taxpayers will be funding this investment if National gets elected and makes good on its suggested tax cuts for the highest earners. Neil Anderson, Algies Bay.
Are people so gullible, they will vote against their own interest because of expensive propaganda paid for by billionaires? Remember how successful Muldoon’s dancing Cossacks were? Frankie Letford, Hamilton.
On recession
If economists continue telling us there will be a recession, customers will reduce spending and retailers and suppliers will increase prices to recover costs, and yes we will indeed have a recession. You will get what you ask for. Bob Wichman, Botany.
On Ukraine
I struggle with the idea that what is happening in Ukraine must be allowed to continue to the bitter end. There must be greater efforts to stop the madness and work harder toward peaceful coexistence. Frank Olsson, Freemans Bay,
On censors
On Facebook prior to Christmas, I was discussing flyfishing lines, one of which is called a “shooting head”. No prizes for guessing what happened next - an instant Facebook ban, so unable to send or respond to Christmas messages. You need a sense of humour today. Dave Miller, Matua.
I’m in the business of dairy farming. My interest bill has more than doubled in the last 18 months. It’s got to the point where I have to make serious cuts to my spending in all areas. I have laid off a manager and stepped back in myself. I’ve cut back on fertiliser and feed which will mean that, eventually, I’ll produce less milk. I’m not spending anything on maintenance or replacing gear. Basically, I’ve pulled around $1m out of the wider economy and given it to the bank. All other dairy farms with debt are in the same boat. Think about the downstream effects of that. We are the only country in the world where the Reserve Bank requires trading banks to hold reserves for a 1 in 200-year event. According to my bank and my accountant, this has added 1 per cent to my rate by itself. I can’t believe my own Government is punishing me so hard. It has the power to stop this nonsense but does nothing, all the while the powerhouse behind the economy goes slowly backwards. Craig W.
A year ago banks paid depositors about 1 per cent and lend out at 3 per cent. Now they pay depositors about 4 per cent and lend out at 8 per cent. Do the maths on the extra profits banks are going to make. Peter M.
The big issues that require debate and cross-party agreement really do need to be put on the table. How big do we want the population to be, what are our immigration limits, and what infrastructure do we need to support that population? Then we can work out how much is needed to pay for it. And what do we need to do to solve some of the more challenging social issues that appear to be growing, because if these aren’t tackled we are stuffed. And at the moment they aren’t being tackled. Our lowering rates of literacy and numeracy are truly staggering and very concerning; we can’t delay on this. The siloed nature of the public service isn’t helping, we need a true systems approach to policymaking, and to consider how to build subject matter expertise back into the public service. Kathy A.
Inflation is killing us, let the bank do whatever is necessary to bring inflation back to a realistic level, asap. Mike Y.
