Driving to survive
The recent, horrible fatal crash in the South Island leaves much to be considered. Everybody is quick to blame the conditions of the road but we are supposed to drive to the conditions no matter what state the road is in.
Countries with the lowest road toll have the
highest traffic fines. In Switzerland, overtaking on the inside lane will cost you 2000 Swiss Francs [$3700] and no licence for three months as a first offence. Radar detectors are illegal and the police have devices to detect them in your car.
On some Finland roads, photos are taken and again later a long way down the road to work out if you have been speeding. Fines are based on your income: a businessman was fined €54,000 [$90,000] once.
Britain, a densely populated country with heavy traffic, has a third of our fatalities.
Same as Germany, no speed limit on some motorways with heavy traffic and half of our road toll. Trucks are limited to 80km/h on all roads.
To get a driving licence in most European countries you have to learn a lot - driving schools teach motorway, night, wet weather and city peak hour driving.
Don't blame the road, blame the driver.
Siegfried Jordan, Royal Oak.
But wait
Some weeks ago, we contracted an Auckland-based business with a branch in Christchurch to build us a carport. The carport will, I hope, eventually be built with components imported from China.
The business has communicated well and given us the name of the vessel bringing what is necessary for carports and maybe other things the business supplies. I have tracked the vessel and it arrived in Auckland harbour and anchored behind Rangitoto last Thursday. At the time of writing five days later, there it remains waiting to get into port and unload its containers.
I know there is Covid disruption and I know the port messed up with its automation, but the inefficiency of this delay increases the cost of shipping and impacts the businesses and their employees that depend on prompt delivery of goods.
For us, getting a carport or not doesn't matter much but the performance of our port impacts on our whole economy and the livelihoods of most of our citizens.
We all have a stake in the performance of Auckland Port, and it is far too important to be allowed to underperform.
Norman Wilkins, Avonhead.
Supply sense
Building, residential and commercial, is a very competitive business. A participant who can assure their material and labour supplies would be foolish not to do so.
Fletchers happens to be the producer of Gibraltar board as well as a user of it. Why would it not make sure its own requirements were taken care of before supplying competitors? It would be remiss to sell plasterboard to its customers and leave itself short in the process. The commercial naivete of some critics astounds me.
Peter Clapshaw, Remuera.
Perceived wisdom
Herald Business reports (June 21) John Mendzela, a consultant who advises central banks around the world on governance is "immensely" concerned that Rodger Finlay, the chairman of NZ Post which owns 53 per cent of KiwiBank, is working as a consultant to the Reserve Bank of New Zealand while still holding his role at NZ Post.
Finance Minister Grant Robertson however is not concerned about any potential for conflict of interest. Whether there is any real conflict of interest is not the issue here.
Of much greater import is there is the perception of a conflict of interest and, as such, Finlay should be very much at arm's length from the organisation which has the responsibility of regulating all banks in this country, including KiwiBank.
Rod Lyons, Kumeu.
Return flights
Australia previously rejected its supplied NH90 helicopters; and has ordered instead American-made helicopters. Now, I see that Norway has also rejected NH90s that were previously supplied – even going so far as returning the used NH90s and asking for their money back.
This obviously raises the question of why New Zealand is apparently continuing with them.
Rex Beer, Whangaparāoa.
