Finance Minister Grant Robertson. Photo / Mark Mitchell, File
Our economy faces many headwinds this year. However, low unemployment and higher wages will also stimulate the economy, enabling higher growth, the Henry Ford principle – pay better wages, and workers will buy more cars.
Our businesses need to invest more in our people to train them.
Forty per cent of our unemployed are youth who are crying out for work.
Climate change and compliance can also spur more investment to boost the economy. Lastly - and perhaps counterintuitive, given Covid spending - government fiscal policy and infrastructure spending can take up any slack in the economy.
Our debt level is still one of the lowest among OECD countries.
Road toll audit
Reading the opinion article from Minister of Transport Michael Wood (Weekend Herald
January 22) and then an independent report released by the Ministry of Transport this last week, on lack of Government agency commitment, made me wonder how the minister could ease the pressure on himself. He indicated that the receipt, each week, of his Friday briefing on weekly road fatalities, is the worst moment of his week.
The minister, who has a plan to achieve zero road deaths by 2030, explained that in 1973 New Zealand had a road toll of 843, our highest ever recorded.
New Zealand had some major interventions such as random breath testing and speed cameras but these didn't have the impact New Zealand would have hoped to see.
How have countries like Sweden, Ireland and the state of Victoria in Australia, been able to drive their road toll figures down?
It is time to ask the Auditor General for help in assessing the overseas countries that are now doing exceedingly well whilst New Zealand languishes well behind. The Auditor General is an independent agency responsible directly to Parliament and will take the political posturing out of this very serious issue.
George Wood, Forrest Hill.
Road skills
In the early 1970s, the New Zealand road toll was around 800. In 2021, with many more vehicles on our roads, the toll was 319. Considering that on any weekend tens of thousands of vehicles are hurtling down our highways in opposing directions at 100 kilometres an hour, separated only by painted lines, perhaps the current road toll shows that driver performance has improved.
John Walsh, Green Bay.
Blinded by science
Janet Mansfield (Letters, Weekend Herald, January 22) joins the woke brigade in attacking the Auckland University professors for stating what science is and, obviously infuriating for these wokists, correctly noting that science cannot be racist or colonialist.
Mansfield, and many who are ready to condemn these scientists, likely did not read or understand the letter but some, including notable science colleagues, are mischievously using it to promote themselves and their own divisive agendas.
Stewart Hawkins, St Heliers.
Little Ponsonby
Spruiking a luxury home at Piha that he is marketing, Corey Knapp in the OneRoof insert (Weekend Herald, January 22) proclaims: "Piha is the new Ponsonby ..."
Perhaps he can tell me where I can gas up my car in Piha? Ponsonby has at least three gas stations; Piha, none. At how many licensed restaurants in Piha can I get a drink? Ponsonby has 20-plus; Piha has none. And even if I could get a drink, could I get public transport home? Ponsonby is awash with bus services. Piha has none.
Tony Potter, Remuera.
Extended restrictions
It is easy for the Government to put on further restrictions when Omicron arrives.
It will be a lot more difficult to remove them in the face of what will be regular calls from the medical profession to continue restrictions over winter to protect the hospital system.
John Robertson, Pāpāmoa Beach.
Southern gem
Joseph Mooney, MP for Southland (Weekend Herald, January 22) reserves special praise for the East Coast fishing village of Riverton just north of Invercargill.
For those planning a South Island trip, a visit to Riverton should be a must. Its unspoiled authentic township, shops and tearooms, its working port, the connection to Stewart Island and the area's stunning beaches make Riverton a gem.
The Riverton people are genuine gems also.
Larry Mitchell, Rothesay Bay.
Omicron omissions
Fran O'Sullivan's piece (Weekend Herald, January 22) brings to mind the proverb that begins, "For want of a nail, the shoe was lost…" Sometimes omissions can have grave and unforeseen consequences.
O'Sullivan suggests there is more to do before the country is really ready for the Omicron surge. Our omissions include not using booster shots as an incentive for a border reopening and not getting children vaccinated fast enough.
Further, she advocates for providing combat kits to every household, access to rapid antigen tests and permitting GPs to prescribe antivirals. Let us hope that the proverb's warning that the kingdom was lost doesn't mean the Government's acts of omission, or those that haven't been done quickly enough, cited by O'Sullivan, don't markedly affect our particular kingdom.
Glennys Adams, Oneroa.
Why test for a virus that we know will carpet the country when the only metric that matters is hospital admissions? All resources need to be applied to optimising public health measures and medical services. Andrew Montgomery, Remuera.
Am I being naive to hope that the Government may learn from the British DJ shambles and the Australian experience with Djokovic? My wife says I am. Larry Robbins, Rothesay Bay.
What has happened to Auckland's beautiful "City of Sails"? All the colour has vanished. The buildings are either black or white or sometimes a lot of both. Catherine Curlett, Remuera.
If I want to watch tennis, I will buy tickets to a tennis match. If I want to watch clowns, I will buy tickets to the circus. E. J. Bax, Epsom.
I'm beginning to suspect that Brian Tamaki is actually a Government stooge; the amount of media coverage he gets; distracting the populace from real and pressing issues. Mike Newland, Matakana.
New Zealand has moved to red herring setting. Stuart Mackenzie, Ohura.
Is it possible for TVNZ to rake up some old cartoon favourites like Tom & Jerry or Felix the cat? This would relieve the boredom of incessant repeats like Jurassic Park, Harry Potter and cooking shows. P Salvador, Hobsonville.
Reports mention people dying "with " Covid and not "of" or "from" Covid. There is a very significant difference. Graham Steenson, Whakatane.
Perhaps we should call a failed Covid test a dirty RAT. C.C. McDowall, Rotorua.
What on earth does David Seymour want? Open borders , open society where anything goes and to hell with your fellow man? I for one can think of better causes to die for than his (or Brian TamakI's) "freedom". Rosemary MacKenzie, Rotorua.
Probably the most surprising impact of the volcanic eruption has been our PC autocue newsreaders have discovered another five ways to pronounce the word Tonga. Dave Miller, Matua.
Hipango is an accident looking for somewhere to happen. The National Party simply can't afford to be connected to her. Jock Mac Vicar, Hauraki.
We should congratulate the Government and 93 per cent of the population for our success with the Delta variant. Gary Neil Denney, Eden Terrace.
It is now well over one month since TV1 and TV3 have presented any morning news. Thank goodness the NZ Herald does not adopt the same approach to business. Brian Lough, Greenhithe.
OPINION: New Zealander reflects on delivering speech at St James' Palace.