A reader writes that the drop in basic numeracy and literacy standards coincides with the sharp increase in ministry staff numbers, from 2700 to 4000. Photo / 123rf
Formula for failure
A major impediment confronting the country is the parlous state of our education system. It is a handbrake on our economic progress. The Ministry of Education has abdicated its duty to provide adequately for our children’s learning. Successful charter schools have been closed, national standards abandoned, syllabuses compromised to conceal underachievement, our history rewritten, all this while truancy becomes endemic all under their watch. The fall in basic numeracy and literacy standards coincides with the sharp increase in ministry staff numbers, from 2700 to 4000. Despite this burgeoning bureaucracy, they still fail to provide acceptable standards of tuition. Broad-based education for every adolescent is paramount. Without this, and with many devoid of suitable qualifications or skills, the country will never become high-tech or a high-wage economy.
P.J. Edmondson, Tauranga.
Lop lobbyists
It is patently ludicrous that some lobbyists and ex-MPs have swipe card access to Parliament. They should be treated no differently than any of us mere mortals. There should be a publicly available record of which lobbyist is lobbying which Cabinet minister or MP, and the subject. This practise should have been stopped 20 years ago.
Bruce Tubb, Devonport.
Crime causes
It was very reassuring to read Jarrod Gilbert’s (NZ Herald, April 3) praise for the leaders of the New Zealand Police and their dual focus. Meanwhile Mark “bring back three strikes” Mitchell attributes a rise in crime stats to judges’ increased non-custodial sentencing, cued by Government messaging. But isn’t it much more likely that any rise in criminal activity is caused by the worsening conditions of life in the modern world - social factors, rather than failure to punish adequately? Along with a steady inflow of 501s, methamphetamine trafficking and use, and far more illegal guns in our population, we are also struggling with issues of mental health, family dysfunction, unemployment, cost of living, a divided and angry society - all on the rise. Some of this translates directly into crime, which then requires good policing, social work and communities learning to do the mahi. Incarceration can be counterproductive, as shown by high recidivism rates.
B Darragh, Auckland Central.
Ka pai
I find the comments from your correspondent (NZ Herald, April 3), criticising te reo on buildings, in street names and as spoken on TV to be complete ignorance. Te reo is an official language of New Zealand, a fact I thought all New Zealanders were aware of. The 80 per cent of the population who do not understand te reo, as he puts it, doesn’t mean the language should be hidden. I am proud Jacinda Ardern was a Prime Minister who did push for the language to come to the fore, as it is, after all, our unique language.
Sharon Marks, Te Aroha.
Over the line
We in Ōnehunga have been given just one month, ending April 10, to submit on two options for Auckland Light Rail in our suburb. Anyone knowing the history of abuse Ōnehunga has suffered will tell you that neither option is appealing. We have suffered for too long with pylons and a state highway across our bay, and sewage in our harbour, with little recompense for the detrimental environmental effects. The Auckland Light Rail project team should be trying to do better. The two options as they stand are unacceptable, presented with little information for people to really judge them on. The Auckland Light Rail team seem to be hoping to get this one across the line by concealing the damaging details. They don’t seem to have learned the lessons of the East-West Link, where consultation and debate were also woeful and caused the community to campaign against them. It will happen again for Auckland Light Rail if they don’t take notice and start a proper dialogue with our community.
Stephen Lasham, committee member, The Ōnehunga Enhancement Society.
Short cut
While the various consultants, working groups, iwi, etc are deliberating over another harbour crossing and the future of light rail in Auckland, why don’t “we” get cracking with extending the existing rail line from Ōtahuhu to the airport? Then at least, by the time deliberations are over - if ever - there will be something useful in place at a relatively minimal cost.
J G Olesen, St Heliers.
Last broadcast
Around 20 years ago, I worked for a radio station called Soul FM. It was small but we were a passionate team with a passionate audience. Unfortunately, being part of the Aotearoa Radio Group, we were falsely thought to be aligned with the troubled Aotearoa Television station, and started to lose advertisers. We were all called to a meeting with our manager and lawyer (John Tamihere) and had it explained that the situation wasn’t great. We were able to field questions. A week or so later, we were called to another meeting to be told things had got worse. On the third meeting, we were informed that, regrettably, the station had to close and we were all about to be made redundant. Even though we were forewarned it was still upsetting. Two warnings for a little station and a third gentle letdown. Mediaworks is a large company - why couldn’t something similar have been done so that the staff didn’t need to suffer so much and so publicly?
Susan Wilson, Surfdale.
Go north
The answer to Auckland’s growing pains does not lie in higher, closer intensification with more clogging of arterial roads and despotism over public transport use. Rather, we clearly need a “decentralised” solution. We need a brand new self-contained city north of Auckland, close to the Kaipara Harbour and the western rail north via Wellsford. Kaipara is one of the largest natural harbours in the world and most harbours have to be sand-dredged. There is ample land for housing, avoiding our prime soils. The climate is warmer, with access to beaches on both sides of the coast. Metal and timber resources are ample, avoiding transportation impacts. Public/private initiatives to assist first-home buyers could deliver much better, cheaper homes in the greenest and most exciting new city, while saving Aucklanders’ health by enabling more trees, more land for parks, more sunlight in homes and more outdoor living space. Retrofit is far more costly than greenfield, is not guaranteed to work and a lot is at stake. We must enable people’s mobility in high-quality environments with excellent amenities. We can do this by thinking differently and we need to do this now before it is too late.
Victoria Lowe, Shamrock Park.
Dischord dance
The music had a deep bass and was played at high volume which caused the air to vibrate and created waves of sound that reverberated through walls and floors. The intensity of the vibrations at times was so strong they could be felt in the body. Altogether, the experience was powerful and immersive. And if I had actually been at the concert in the Domain last Sunday, no doubt I would have felt exhilarated, alive and dynamic. But I wasn’t. I was a kilometre away, wondering why obscene overamplification of mindless raw music was allowed to disturb the wellbeing of residents in surrounding and not-necessarily-nearby areas.
James Gregory, Parnell.
Sensible and mature
Reflecting on various reader comments, Keith Duggan’s laudable (or should it be laughable?) expectations on Posie Parker’s visit (NZ Herald, March 24) come to mind, where he stated: “I found her threat to Hipkins offensive but I am glad people with way-out views visit us. She might prove how tolerant, sensible and mature we are.” How sad it was to witness almost the total opposite.
Eric Haslam, Albany.
Hear, hear
I’m not in a position to go to concerts in Auckland but reading William Dart’s reviews has, for several years, been almost as good as being there. Reading his sparkling, lyrical descriptions, I can almost hear the music. His review (NZ Herald, April 3) of the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra’s recent performance in the Auckland Town Hall is a symphony in itself. He deserves a knighthood for services to music.
Anne Martin, Helensville.
On lobbyists
Lobbyists’ access to our MPs should be no different to any member of the public. Derek Paterson, Sunnyhills.
On Vodafone
Good on Vodafone for rebranding to One NZ, not One A. Wendy Tighe-Umbers, Parnell.
On gender
I am cis male, hear me roar; in numbers too big to ignore (with apologies to Helen Reddy). Mike Wagg, Freemans Bay.
The sad truth of the matter is that I, and every and every other white cis male, are not allowed to be the victim of racism and/or sexism. We just have to suck it up. Peter Brooks, Mairangi Bay.
Cis males have been telling us about how they’ve had their feelings hurt by something unkind that Marama Davidson said. In the good old days, real men would have called people like this “a bunch of girls”. Arch Thomson, Mt Wellington.
On editions
It seems to me that the current crop of sanitised versions of well-known authors’ works is at least as much about making money as it is about political correctness. John Hampson, Meadowbank.
Shane Jones: Chris Hipkins’ handing out Easter policy eggs
Interesting and entertaining article by Shane Jones. Shame he will not be in Parliament to entertain us more. Derek P.
Good on you, Shane. Shame your politics never marries with your writing. Mark C.
Isn’t it great the way Shane writes about Māori issues? The sad thing is he can say these things because he is Māori. If I spoke these glaringly obvious truths I would be hung out to dry as a middle-aged, privileged white male. I guess the good news, as Shane points out, is that when we get into that booth to cast our vote we can express ourselves freely. Glenn H.
This is middle politics. The problem is, Labour and the Greens have desecrated the middle so much with the international socialist ideology being fed to our young, excessive handouts being welcomed by leftist academics, consultants, and much more, than the needy. Let’s hope there is a middle NZ left so NZ has a future. Mark I.
I’ve been more than pleasantly surprised at the well-written, perceptive opinion pieces Shane has been producing over the past year or so. Surprised because I saw none of this while he was a minister in the first Ardern government. Keep it up, Shane. I like your thinking. Tom B.
Former National leader on his greatest fear, biggest dislike, and a key to NZ's success.