Letters: Emergency housing, Pacific Islands, Civil Aviation Authority, shrink-wrapping, and Omicron variants

An initiative to house rough sleepers has attracted others out of private rental leases to also seek the offer of 'free' motel accommodation. Photo / Mike Scott

Opinion

Housing burden
The Government's social housing programme is threatened; 27,000 applicants seek assistance; a massive increase from 5000 in 2017.
An initiative to house "rough sleepers" has instead seen others terminating private rental leases as they too seek the Government's free offer of motel accommodation.
In addition, many were residing with "family" and they also enticed were by the generous terms on offer.
Further, the situation was aggravated by the shortage of private rental housing, compromised by government regulation.
The result is thousands occupying motel units, hindering the tourist market.
This is a problem of the Government's own making.
The solution is to encourage private sector participation and loosen the stringent rules surrounding rental legislation.
P. J. Edmondson, Tauranga.

Island 'neglect'
It must be disappointing to leaders in Wellington, Canberra, Washington, and Tokyo that their hundreds of well-conceived, respectfully negotiated, co-operatively executed, grant-financed aid projects in the Pacific Islands are dismissed as ignoring core needs, lacking "equity, equality and the inclusiveness", and "treating the islands as geopolitical pawns".
By my accounting, for a half-century the traditional donors have contributed far more in social, administrative, educational, agricultural and health value to the Pacific countries than China's recent infrastructure projects financed by loans and executed by Chinese state corporations. This should be acknowledged, not dismissed as "neglect".
Granted, traditional donors can, and should, re-structure some of their projects to enhance adaptation to rising sea levels. And so should China.
A climate-change-adaption project focus could promote healthy cooperation rather than divisive competition between donors.
Stephen Hoadley, Castor Bay.

Secret accusers
In the Doge's Palace in Venice there is a lion, in whose mouth one could post anonymous denunciations.
It appears that this practice is used in New Zealand by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Being accused of being a danger to the public by an anonymous accuser leaves the victim of this practice totally at the mercy of bureaucrats.
Secret justice is an anathema that we criticise China for; but it seems it is now practised in NZ by the CAA.
We have an exposed case where an ex-wife's new husband vindictively destroyed a career and, now, more of this but with CAA refusing to identify the complainant.
That the CAA was not able to even contact the complainant, makes the matter worse.
It seems we are heading back to the Inquisition and witchcraft trials.
Neville Cameron, Coromandel.

It's a wrap
Temporary shrink-wrapped scaffolding structures, erected to keep the building site dry in wet weather, are I believe a potential hazard as they could blow over in a strong wind.
My wife and I live next door to a site where one of these structures is about to be erected.
As someone who has spent their entire working life in the construction industry, I wrote to the property owners and to the Auckland Council building inspector, who is being paid to inspect this project.
The reply was that we should just let the temporary shrink-wrapped structure be built and then, if I have any further concerns, I should communicate with him again.
As there are now probably more orange cones in New Zealand than there are people, I thought that health and safety were considered by public authorities to be important.
I thought that the Pike River disaster would, or should, have caused us all to reflect on the difference between checking and approving your own work to having independent inspectors check.
But I guess, as they say, it is what it is?
Ray Peel, Kohimarama.

Ominous outcomes
One thing Christopher Luxon was not talking about while in Ireland was Covid-19 deaths. That outcome is nearly five times our outcome but we have similar populations.
The "outcomes crusader" needs to explain why they allowed more than 7500 Covid deaths. Is that what we could expect from Luxon in power? Is he hiding from the truth? Covid is not over. Epidemiologists say it isn't and Luxon admits he will take their advice.
The truth is, even Jacinda Ardern is not listening to advice from epidemiologists to go early to flatten this second Omicron wave, looking ominously like it could swamp our health services.
Politicians putting their votes ahead of rational advice disgust me.
Steve Russell, Hillcrest.

Pacific divide
Well done to Kiribati for sticking to its principles by leaving the Pacific Island Forum because larger countries are not taking its global warming problems seriously.
One slight problem with that is it is now aligning itself with one of the world's worst causes of the pollution that is leading to its imminent demise.
James Archibald, Birkenhead.

Ride the stardust
Christine McNamara, like a lot of Jacinda Ardern's critics, mistakes the Prime Minister's popularity overseas as merely a personal thing.
Do those critics not see the benefit that the Prime Minister's star power brings to promoting New Zealand?
And, I dare say, creating a "groundswell" of support for this country's primary produce, manufactured goods, and tourism?
John Capener, Kawerau.

Well travelled
Our PM is an amazing ambassador for New Zealand. On her recent tour of Europe and Australia she made well-received speeches, raising our profile well above our weight on the world stage. Just reading the itinerary was exhausting.
The FTA with Europe, although not pleasing everyone, was a win for many exporters. The extension of the working holiday visa in Britain was a true gain for getting more temporary workers into the country. She even managed to get the Aussies to have a look at pathways to residency for Kiwis living in Australia. A miracle in itself. I heard an interview with one of the business leaders accompanying the PM. He said doors were opened that he was sure would not have opened without the PM's influence.
And now, with hardly any time to draw breath, she is off to the Pacific Forum. Whew.
Fiona Alexander, Pakuranga.

Golden mile
I've lived in Auckland for more than 50 years and have been a ratepayer for 48 of them.
There's never been a single year where some grand plan or other hasn't been wheeled out to spend a huge percentage of the rates grab on a tiny proportion of the city as a whole, the "CBD".
If Queen St was an aorta, it would be declared blocked with aortic occlusive disease. That's normally fatal if not fixed.
Get a bulldozer in and clear out the whole golden mile back to a free-flowing avenue for all traffic with one-hour parking on both sides. You'll start to see shops flourishing and people returning pretty quickly.
Proof of this is found close by, just visit Newmarket and enjoy a vibrant main drag like Queen St used to be.
Larry Tompkins, Waiuku.

Player depth
Your correspondent Neil Hatfull (NZ Herald, July 11) is mistaken when he believes New Zealand has the best pool of players in the world to choose from. We have an abundance of very good super rugby players but very few players of true test match class.
We have no decent test match props anywhere. All six might be good at scrum time but, apart from the odd carry and crash, are pretty much ineffectual around the field. Nor do we have a decent true blind side flanker, or a real true test match No 8 (notwithstanding the efforts of Barrett and Savea). Our midfield is, at the best, shakey and we are limited to two or three game-winners in Aaron Smith, Beauden Barrett and Will Jordan.
It's easy to blame the coach but the problem is much more deep-seated and, until we start finding some better players and start filling in the holes in some of these positions, we will continue to struggle against the good teams from Europe who have lifted their game.
The next World Cup has a very forlorn look about it.
Rex Molloy, Ōrewa.

Playing field
If I'd paid big money for a ticket to a rugby test where one team had 15 players and the other team had 13 or 14, I'd feel cheated; I wouldn't do it again.
Most on-field collisions are caused by players just playing hard and are not deliberate.
A fairer solution would be extra points for the affected team, for example by the current three-point penalty for a successful kick at goal; or a two-point penalty for an unsuccessful or unkickable attempt at a penalty goal; and change the offender with a substitution.
Bob Blakey, Mission Bay.

Short & sweet

On variants
Everyday we have "modellers" warning of what could be in store for us and the cartoonists making light of it. Okay, we all get the picture. Please let it drop. V. Hall, Whangaparāoa.

On losses
Are the rugby writers who are yelling for Foster to be replaced, the same who one year ago were all calling for his contract to be extended? Steve Dransfield, Wellington.

Note the usual knives appearing for the odd rugby loss while we smooch up to the same political parties decimating our economy for 60 years. Gerry O'Meeghan, Pāpāmoa.

On Luxon
So Christopher Luxon believes the world has moved on from Covid. I challenge him to visit any of our big hospitals - our doctors and nurses are not able to move on. Greg Cave, Sunnyvale.

On Christchurch
Christchurch, another super city like Auckland? Please Christchurch residents, don't ever think about it. Tiong Ang, Mt Roskill.

On Māori
Of all the people protesting ideas of Māori representation, co-governance, Māori Health Authority, etc say there should be one system for all but it's not about race. None of them suggest the one system should be the Māori one. Morgan L. Owens, Manurewa.

The Premium Debate

New Covid wave will be more damaging

News flash: There's no room in the hospitals. Has Labour increased the capacity? No.
As usual, they talk a good game but no delivery. Ian U.

The definition of idiocy is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different result. Jonathan S.

So where are the antiviral treatments ordered for the purpose of treating Covid, still sitting perched on the shelf somewhere and due to expire? Australia is now using these treatments for its over-70 age group to reduce hospitalisations and deaths and is preparing to widen the eligibility. New Zealand is typically on the backfoot, due to inept Government planning and execution. Once again, history will repeat as worldwide demand for these meds increases and we sit at the back of the queue. Keith T's wife.

The anti-viral treatments were immediately determined to be ineffective once Trump spoke of them. Talk about cutting off one's nose. Mark C.

The reason the second booster uptake is so low is that to get it there has to be a six-month gap from the last Covid vaccination. This is not a medical requirement. It's about looking to have options and doing something. The smart way forward is to make anti-virals available to a wider group of Kiwis. Ross J.