A man who is having his cancer drug funded for free with his wife in Nelson. Photo / Supplied
The full context of heartfelt stories of people with terminal disease and limited access to expensive treatments/drugs, may be lost when described as "life-saving" treatment (NZ Herald, June 26). We all die of, or from, something. These treatments do "extend" life sometimes, but
not always. Accordingly, I think that it is important to always describe these as "life-extending", rather than as "life-saving". This would then prompt helpful questions: what likely life extension might be achieved, how often the treatment provides benefit, at what cost in side effects, at what cost in dollars, and paid for by whom?
More comprehensive information and reason would better contribute to discussions of individuals in such sad circumstances.
Patrick Frengley, Remuera.
With a great flourish and fanfare our government announced deposit guarantorship for our Australian-owned banks, the banks that are taking home $6 billion profit per year from us. In 2001, with a great flourish and fanfare, the then-Australian prime minister announced end to all benefits for Kiwi visitors to Australia. The kangaroos can rightfully look down on us as dumb-sheep neighbours in hobbit land.
What would have made sense would be our government announcing guarantorship for our only actual New Zealand-owned bank. That might gradually shift customers, and keep a little more of the exorbitant banking profits at home here.
Jim Carlyle, Te Atatu Peninsula.
There is simply no safe way e-scooters and pedestrians can share footpaths. Debra Christensen's serious injury after being clipped by a Lime scooter opposite Victoria Park (NZ Herald, June 26) is the tip of an iceberg. For a start, these scooters are fast and silent. The riders are often young, impatient and many inexperienced or non-drivers. They are paying by the minute, not the distance, so any voluntary speed limit is nonsense. They want to go as fast as they can, often swerving around unsuspecting pedestrians with inches to spare. A slight miscalculation or inattention by either party and we have serious injury or even death.
I am all for electric scooters in cycle lanes, but there is no way they should be allowed on footpaths. AT need to wake up. The scooter companies only want to make money.
Jeff Hayward, Auckland Central.
On behalf of the thousands in New Zealand who suffer from ME/CFS I would like to thank the Herald for publishing (June 26) an informative, unbiased and non judgmental article about this disease. Having suffered horribly and endured many aspersions trying to get a proper diagnosis, I hope doctors and specialists around the country take note, and realise that their ignorance and unwillingness to believe that ME/CFS is a serious illness of biomedical origin and not simply made up has harmed many patients and stripped them of a life. To quote Professor Ron Davis, "treatment has been barbaric, malpractice even, and doctors must stop". I dearly hope this will happen.
Sharon Jameson, Cambridge.
Well done to those students and citizens who demonstrated on the street of Hong Kong to stop the extradition bill and thereby the ongoing creep of mainland China's domination of the "independent" territory (NZ Herald, June 22).
What I do not hear is the condemnation from our own commentators and ex-politicians who hold positions on Chinese business boards or friendly societies.
Craig F Hewett, Torbay.
Donald Trump's comment that the United States is "by far the most powerful military force in the world" are nothing but the words of a bully. I do share his concern over Iran or North Korea obtaining nuclear weapons but if I were an Iranian or a North Korean I would be asking why is it acceptable for the United States to have nuclear weapons but not acceptable for Iran or North Korea to have them. And when I hear the term "obliteration" I would be thinking about the only occasions when nuclear weapons have been used and who used them.
Greg Cave, Sunnyvale.
A million disposable nappies going to landfill in New Zealand each day is shocking.
Modern cloth nappies are so easy to use nowadays and with cute and stylish designs that parents should be using them as standard.
Buy your cloth nappies second hand and you can re-sell them when you've finished, making them free. The baby wipes industry is also wasteful. Just use wet baby facecloths and take a small bag of them when going out, and no waste is created.
Disposable nappies should either be banned or considered a luxury item and priced accordingly (at least $3 each) so people are discouraged from using them unless absolutely necessary.
The baby food manufacturers have also created new unnecessary waste by inventing "pouches" which a lot of parents are now using instead of the recyclable jars and tins. It's easy to make your own baby food - all you need is a masher or blender, then freeze portions in something like a silicone muffin tray.
This is all how parents used to do it in previous generations. It doesn't take much effort and makes you feel good about yourself and the state of the planet you're leaving for your children.
Elizabeth Browne, Birkdale.
We rightly hear much about the sugar in fizzy drinks making us obese and rotting our teeth.
What I have yet to hear is that the fizz consists of the dreaded carbon dioxide - yes, CO2 -which is released directly into the long-suffering atmosphere millions of times a day when bottles and cans are opened everywhere. And if by chance the gas is swallowed before it reaches the atmosphere, it will eventually find its way there anyway by natural processes which politeness forbids me to mention.
John Hampson, Meadowbank.
Well done, Rachel Stewart (NZ Herald, June 26). By comparing pride in Israel Folau's Christianity and her own gay pride, Rachel draws attention to something much bigger that we should all consider. Voltaire (or Beatrice Hall) said it best, sorry Rachel, in proposing that while I "disapprove of what you say, I will defend to the death your right to say it". While I disagree with Folau, I do agree that pride in diversity and free speech predicated in belief, not prejudice are cornerstones of any democracy. Long may that be the case.
Lindsay Neill, Beach Haven.
Paul Moon confidently asserts that free speech will enable us to attain "the truth" (NZ Herald, June 26). This view is naive.
Plenty of factual material is available on global climate change. The "freedom of expression" issue here is not about the facts but about values. Is a careful study of the relevant science worth the bother? And is trying to do anything about climate change worth the inconvenience?
Why don't we turn the problem over to free speech? – that will at least help us to fill in the time.
Arch Thomson, Mt Wellington.
What a wonderful contribution from Professor Paul Moon (NZ Herald, June 26) on the issue of free speech - a beautifully written summary on an immensely important way of "feeding the good wolf" inside humanity.
As historian Yuval Noah Harari emphasises, we are a story-loving species and we can get stuck inside the ones we are exposed to, leaving us ill-equipped to adapt to keep ourselves and the rest of the world safe. Critical thinking needs both a private and a public component. We need to feed the good wolf both personally, by sometimes thinking slowly and carefully, questioning ourselves, and as a culture through publicly debating important issues. Otherwise we can inadvertently feed the bad wolf, inside or outside of ourselves, bringing chaos and suffering.
Allowing differing perspectives to be publicly articulated in an attempt to discover "the truth" or the way, is a lot safer than the right to carry arms to confront dangerous leadership in a democracy, as enshrined in the Second Amendment of the US Constitution. And as Professor Moon explains, it has been perhaps been the most important tool we have had to date for making progress towards the goal of a better life on Earth.
Joy Edwards, Coatesville.
Israel Folau has held his hand out to people with far fewer resources than he has, to fund a legal challenge which he brought upon himself. So far over $1 million has been raised. I read in the paper this morning (NZ Herald, June 27) of a family who have recently discovered their daughter has an inoperable tumour. To get treatment for her, they have had to move from their home to stay in Brisbane.
A givealittle page set up on their behalf to help with their costs has raised a massive $27,600.
What's wrong with this picture?
Ray Clifton, Forrest Hill.
I am truly shocked by the attempt to bully and intimidate Maria, the spouse of Israel Folau, by a large Australian bank. We must never allow massive companies, or indeed governments, to threaten people that have different opinions to their management on political or religious matters. In my opinion, implied threats by massive companies against such individuals is the thin edge of a very nasty totalitarianism wedge. It is the stuff of horror novels such as The Hunger Games.
Martyn Geary, Milford.
On babies
Why on earth has a woman, who has had her previous five children removed from her, been permitted to keep a 17-month-old who is now in Starship Hospital?
Andrea Dorn, Meadowbank.
On attache
If the Pākehā military attache in Washington had been a Māori truck driver from Ōtara, would he have received home detention?
Tony Potter, Remuera.
On Parliament
Increasing MP numbers and the parliamentary term to four years cannot guarantee three criteria: stability, few wasted votes and broader proportional representation.
Kenneth Lees, Whangārei.
On gold-diggers
There are millions who virtually have nothing as opposed to Hurley and Gray fighting over $129 million dollars in an ugly court case. How much money does one person need?
Marie Kaire, Whangārei.
On speech
Rachel Stewart is right, big tolerance is the enemy of freedom of speech.
Mike Wagg, Freemans Bay.
On vaping
It is unethical and awful to encourage vaping and make it appear to be an attractive and harmless activity, especially if young people are taken in.
Clare Dudley, Coromandel.
On EVs
Until EVs are affordable for all, let's just pause before we open up an even bigger gap between the haves and the have-nots of the transport world.
James Archibald, Birkenhead.
'We now have the internet!'