Never mind the bread and butter, what about the price of cheese? Photo / Dmitri Maruta, 123rf, File
Feed the need
The new Prime Minister will be facing a list of critical issues needing urgent re-mediation and “food insecurity” should be at the top of that list. What an innocuous way of saying my children are desperately hungry and I need to feed them before paying the rent? In March 2022, the Commerce Commission completed a two-year investigation into competition in the grocery sector and concluded NZ consumers weren’t being well served and grocery prices were comparatively high by international standards. Fairly self-evident when we pay an exorbitant $25 for a branded 1kg block of cheese. What happened to the Government’s pledge to hold the grocery duopolies accountable and why, in New Zealand where dairy farming is a primary industry and the country’s largest export earner, do we continue to be extorted at the checkout for dairy products? It doesn’t take an economic expert to grasp that the cows aren’t the only things being milked, and someone in the supply chain is laughing all the way to the bank. Mary Hearn, Glendowie.
Moved and carried
Well said, Mayor Brown (NZ Herald, January 25). Never before in the history of Herald comments has so much common sense been crammed into so few columns by someone of such high influence. Most encouraging. We need an integrated plan that combines major air, road, rail and ferry infrastructure routes with flexible means of reaching the major transport nodes. Please make sure we prioritise new housing developments near existing major transport nodes and closely look at subsidised local suburban transport to major nodes. Make it easier for more of us to leave the car at home. David Hopkins, Remuera.
Her worship
While choking on my cereal, I read (NZ Herald, January 25) that “Ardern could only inch forward as spectators pressed up against each other, desperate to have their moment with the former Labour leader.” “We are sad,” one woman confessed to Ardern. “Touch her like Jesus, touch her gown,” another woman urged her friend. Arrogance is never a pretty sight and the prime reason leading to the end of Ardern’s tenure as Prime Minister which commenced with a meteoric rise accompanied by a cloak of fairy dust that, instead of a fairy-tale ending, became a nightmare. The future of New Zealand and its people will be at stake on October 14 when the result determines whether or not the nightmare continues. Leonie Wilkinson, Tūākau.
Loss for words
Gosh, I feel so sad, and ashamed of New Zealanders right now. How could we have let that bright star slip through our fingers? People, and journalists around the world are shocked and amazed at the horrid, torrid venting our lovely Prime Minister has faced. It’s a tragedy and travesty. Go well, Jacinda, may your star continue to shine brightly. Janette Anderson, Paeroa.
Ugly truths
Thank you to Simon Wilson (NZ Herald, January 24) for revealing the extent of National’s indebtedness to some of the richest people in New Zealand. It is a frightening thought that money might become the winner of elections. Yet these donors are no doubt very vocal about the virtues of democracy. And on name-calling, Wilson was right on about Jacinda Ardern being hated not for what she had done, but just for “daring to be”. She had no right to be there. How old, or how unattractive, should she have been, to win the approval of some people? Judy Mills, Whangārei.
Having influence
People will continue to speculate whether Jacinda Ardern’s resignation was influenced by abuse, threats and intimidation. We will never know for sure. What is concerning is that there are obviously people in New Zealand who believe that such abuse can influence Government policy. It is time for all parties to speak out against any form of abuse and to make it plain that they will never be influenced in this way. Politicians could set an example by focusing on policy alone. Greg Cave, Sunnyvale.
Seats of power
It has not taken Christopher Luxon long to escalate his dog-whistle politics, stating that, “Māori seats don’t “make a lot of sense.” Anyone who has bothered to research the origin of separate Māori seats will know that these were established by the European, male parliamentarians of New Zealand around the 1860s specifically to prevent Māori from gaining too much power. Now Luxon, another European, male parliamentarian, wants to disestablish the seats because they might give Māori too much power. In Warren Buffet’s paraphrase of a well-known quote: “What we learn from history is that people don’t learn from history.” Jennifer Ma’u, Hamilton.
Punishing business
We’re all looking forward to the details of Christopher Luxon’s new boot camp policy even though at the moment he seems to be struggling to think of any. I have some suggestions for him:- For failing to do routine maintenance on a monopoly CO2 plant and causing major financial stress to your customers, the CEO gets 30 days’ forced marching with a 30kg pack under the supervision of the army. For failing to supply plasterboard from your monopoly factory despite five years of warning from the Government to increase supply, thereby creating a 10 per cent increase in the cost of building a home for everyday New Zealanders:-the CEO gets 60 days’ forced marching with a 40kg pack under the supervision of the army. For leaving slash on the ground, thereby ruining lives and livelihoods of everyday New Zealanders and creating millions of dollars of clean-up costs for the taxpayer: the CEOs get 90 days’ forced marching with a 50kg pack under the supervision of the army. These new provisions will undoubtedly help CEOs do their job properly and satisfy National voters’ desire for punishment. Mark Nixon, Remuera.
Succession rate
Our new PM would do well to reflect on the names of Marshall, Rowling, Shipley, Moore, and English; all recent holders of the top job, none of whom were elected to that position, and all of whom were returned to the cross benches at the first opportunity. David Lee, Pt Chevalier.
Inflationary pressure
Those clever Aussies have now outscored us with a jump to 7.8 per cent inflation (and probably climbing) to our modest 7.2 per cent. We also trail the UK at 10.7 per cent and the EU average of 10.5 per cent. Oh dear, it can’t be superior economic management by our Government could it? Roger Laybourn, Hamilton.
Go fish
It is no use, Bruce C. (NZ Herald, January 25) complaining about a lack of service. After a 12-day drive around the South Island over the Christmas break and talking to people from the USA, Germany, Britain, Australia, and France, I can tell you now that no one is coming to save us. All of the above citizens said the situation was the same where they come from; no one around to do the work with 45 minutes to an hour waits for meals lunch and dinner. If people come from any of those nations for a better life in NZ, they are only putting their own home nations under more pressure. We are on our own, so I suggest Bruce leaves this depressing and broken country to fish elsewhere. J McCormick, Gisborne.
Hard knocks
The new rugby rules to protect players’ heads for their whole life should copy the safe Australian Rules game where, if you do not tackle between the knees and shoulders, you are sent off. Rugby must do the same to protect many New Zealand lives for decades. People are worth it for sure. Sport is not worth ruining your life for decades as rugby often does. It must stop right now. Murray Hunter, Titirangi.
Arming Ukraine
The Europeans and Americans have finally decided to supply tanks to the Ukrainians to help them firstly, to resist an expected major attack by the Russians in the northern spring and secondly, to enable the Ukranians to launch offensives to drive the Russians out of Ukraine.
New Zealand should support this initiative by revisiting the issue of supplying armoured vehicles and Javelin anti-tank weapons to Ukraine. Our army has dozens of Canadian-built light armoured vehicles and an adequate stock of Javelins. Our new Prime Minister could demonstrate he is prepared to go further than his predecessor in providing much-needed military aid for the embattled Ukrainians and authorise sending at least 20 armoured vehicles and an appropriate number of Javelins. David Stevenson, Wellington.
On inflation
If the Government is serious about defeating inflation, it will take steps to increase competition in the private sector and reduce regulations in the state and local authority sector. Nick Hamilton, Remuera.
On Census
I hope the Census organisers remember people living in retirement villages this time. Pamela Russell, Ōrākei.
On takeaways
In these harsh economic times, it appears the fast food people have really ramped up their advertising spend. Jock MacVicar, Hauraki.
On McDonald’s
Is it just me? Is everything around me getting bigger and bigger or are the hash browns at McDonald’s getting smaller and smaller? Chester Rendell, Paihia.
On photograph
A dreary summer day (NZH, Jan. 25), a dad taking his twins fishing for the first time, Dad’s beaming, children grumpy - with life jackets on. Brilliant. Lorraine Kidd, Warkworth.
On election
Don’t complain about the opposition. Tell me what you will do to win my vote. Warren Prouse, Papakura.
On inflation
Chris Hipkins says he will focus on the high price of living and inflation. The more cynical would ask just what has this Government been doing for some five and half years? Bruce Woodley, Birkenhead.
Inflation data offers little cheer for new PM
First day, the first speech for the PM and it’s all about the cost of living crisis they refused to recognise until pushed. The same group of people, so we can expect the same old results. Warren B.
You’re right, Liam. The data offers pretty much nothing, just like the answers the new PM just gave at the stand-up. All of the focus seems to be on residential building, which suits the Labour Party. But with such an expensive infrastructure programme underway, I feel the worst is yet to come in terms of cost blowouts and inflation to build all of these vanity projects. Sadly, it seems we’ve just inherited another slippery PM who won’t answer basic questions. Mark W.
But Liam, he will cheer. He will make sweeping positive comparisons with “like economies” which are as unique as the NZ economy, thus rendering them pointless. There will be no change to anything with the boy wonder in charge and, on past record, he will certainly not “fix it”. Andrew R.
And ignore Japan with 2 per cent inflation. Warren B.
Unfortunately, the worst is yet to come for our economy. I would like to see an audit of Government spending given that tradable inflation does not seem to be coming down any time soon. Kirsty G.
That was a short honeymoon! Geoff N.
The 19-year-old disappeared without her wallet or mobile phone.