What would another government leadership have done to safeguard quarantine staff from Covid-19? Photo / Dean Purcell.
It seems obvious that there have been serious problems of communication between those on the ground, who should have advised management at the Ministry of Health of the problems they were facing in implementing the order to test all frontier workers (airports and ports). Hopefully, this situation
will soon be rectified.
It is also important that National, who are criticising the Government on this, realise that if by any happenstance they had been in government, would have faced the same difficulties. Simply put, they should shut up and think of the "better look" they would have if they were to make constructive suggestions and stop wasting their energy on trying to politicise the situation.
We are in an emergency and everyone should do their bit and thus help the army of 5 million rather than being so negative.
Duncan France, Katikati.
Why no presence of MBIE at the Covid public briefings? Many sections of the media and general public still think the commercial sector is fully closed at level 3. Why does the media only focus on retail and cafes?
Let's start supporting all of the private sector who after all is taking the full brunt of this Covid recession.
Jim Stanborough, St Johns.
The Covid-19 pandemic seems to have brought with it a new outbreak of bureauspeak which threatens to spread even faster than the virus itself.
Politicians, officials and "experts" are of course fond of jargon because they believe it underpins their authority and also creates the illusion they know more than they actually do. Meanwhile, the public struggles to work out what is being said, and often gives up in disgust.
Examples (with translations in brackets) include:
"Policy settings' or "settings" (policies, rules/targets); "Stood up" (added, introduced); "Gold Standard" (minimum we can get away with); "Stand Up" (briefing or announcement); and "Distribution problem" (we ran out). "Let me be clear" is always the preamble to a long and convoluted statement.
Also irritating is the demeaning habit of starting responses to questions with "So...." This implies that what is to follow is beyond challenge and/or the question was so stupid that it barely warrants an answer.
We all need to play our part in stamping out this scourge, and to insist on moving immediately to Plain English alert level 1.
Duncan Simpson, Albany.
When I can get 50 face masks delivered for $10 all-inclusive, all the way from China, I start to wonder why I would possibly need to pay $3 for one precious mask?
Are they selling me a 20c mask for $3 as a joke, or do they think that a 1000 per cent mark-up margin is the new norm?
To add insult, they place them at high traffic spots and islands near check-outs, a great trick to reel in the unsuspecting punter.
I purchased five woollen masks from Bunnings for just under $10, a week before the current levels 2 and 3 were enforced. A New Zealand made woollen mask for $2 seemed perfectly acceptable to me, in particular when smaller scale and higher labour and manufacturers' compliance costs would make "our" products arguably much more expensive to produce.
Don't give me the excuse of "it's a free market" when greed has as much to do with these huge mark-ups as a river has to do with water.
The people pricing them at $3 each should do this with a balaclava over their face, so we can at least be warned against their daylight robbery.
Rene Blezer, Taupō.
Your writer Simon Wilson has done an excellent job analysing what has gone wrong with Watercare and Auckland's water shortage.
This, along with the failings of our public health system shown up starkly by Covid-19, are the results of 30 to 35 years of neo-liberal economics.
Neo-lib politics have also led to failings with Auckland's public transport and lack of proper road and rail planning in past decades.
The economics that say "take the government out of our public services". The neo-lib economics which say public services have to make a "profit" - not spend money on infrastructure.
The neo-politics which sell off state housing, and run down our social welfare services.
The people of Auckland, and New Zealand generally, are reaping not the benefit of those economic policies, but the very adverse effects on our so-called public infrastructures.
I would like to think the authors of New Zealand's neo-liberal economic experiments are now realising just how damaging that philosophy has been. But I think that's a bit too much to ask.
They did not listen to the many voices asking them to stop - over past decades. I doubt they're even thinking about it now.
Jenny Kirk, Whangārei.
Andrew Webber's article (NZ Herald, August 18) was on point. It is extremely difficult to define a "good" teacher because they vary so widely. It may be a larger than life personality, so infectious that learners are drawn to him or her. We can all probably remember a teacher like this. It may be a quieter, more scholarly character who is admired and respected or any combination of these traits. However, the "good" teacher is immediately recognisable and feted by students and parents alike. The 'good' teacher does not fit a tick-the-box model. Often they are not run-of-the-mill characters but outliers.
What does define them is their devotion and commitment to teaching in whatever setting they choose to be in.
Barbara Matthews, Onehunga.
Are Aucklanders aware that close on $6 million has been spent on moving sand at Ōrewa Beach this century?
At this moment giant machines are once again raising the sand level by the Ōrewa Domain to protect the foreshore trees. How long will the protection last? Until the next storm/extra high tide occurrence whereupon it will be washed back down the beach, that is of course not counting the tonnes of sand being swept by the easterly wind on to the reserve or across the road creating a devasting effect on the environs. Drains will be clogged, gutters blocked, and ground levels changed from flat picnic areas to undulating hills.
Dozens of foreshore houses have 2.5m walls of large boulders and experience no wave or sand problems. The council once had a 1.5m wall of medium-sized boulders but they were removed and have been replaced with sand which has meant dangerous banks being formed after storm damage, continuous and expensive maintenance, and a reshaping of the whole park.
Solution: bring back the rocks or build a promenade.
Michael Baxter, Ōrewa.
It is evident from numerous letters and media generally, that correspondents are critical of various faults, corrective action not taken etc but little attention is given to the fact that we are all on a steep learning curve with no previous experience.
Early on, the example of the two women who went to Wellington was a necessary occurrence as a trigger to improved performance, as were some recent ones.
We have a long way to go on this marathon.
David Reid, Cockle Bay.
What a great idea from your correspondent Trevor Smith (NZ Herald, August 19) regarding care for the elderly. We could corral all the old people and keep them in continued lockdown.
I think more could be added "to flesh the idea out". I suggest a special box at Eden Park designated for the elderly only so that they can still support The Blues removed from the rest of the crowd.
There could be a footpath similar to the cycle paths where only the elderly are allowed to walk.
I think all visits to retirement villages should cease entirely. Most of the relatives are only waiting for you to slip your clogs and inherit.
The only problem I see is that old people are cunning – it is sometimes called wisdom. What about the people over 70 who still live in their own homes and not in a retirement facility? They will slip through the net and the next thing you will see them popping up throughout the community, often in volunteering roles.
By all means, catch all those old people if you can but, as a feisty old woman myself, good luck.
Rae McGregor, Mt Eden.
On election
There was no obligation on Jacinda Ardern to offer this extended opportunity for other political parties to regather and put their plans of action back together in our lockdown situation, but her innate sense of fairness demanded it. Jeremy Coleman, Hillpark.
On immunity
The bugle call for herd immunity, "Open the borders and shelter the vulnerable" has been dignified as Plan B. What does the "B" stand for? I fear it's that same B from bull's foot.Dennis N Horne, Howick.
On Sroubek
What a fiasco the Sroubek affair has turned into. What more does this man have to do to get deported? Jock Mac Vicar, Hauraki.
On speech
Politicians are the worst offenders for prefacing their sentences with "look". Just like being at school, when children quickly pick up other children's speech mannerisms. Pamela Russell, Ōrākei.
On frontier
At least we'll have jobs for the hundreds of thousands of workers coming off wage subsidies - they will be needed to help with border security and testing. B Darragh, Auckland Central.
On elimination
Doctor Bloomfield is directing an organisation which is not responding in an appropriate manner and we should be very concerned. Alan Hay, St Heliers.
NZ has done brilliantly, but now we need a no-lockdown plan to take us into the future. Perhaps it's time to swallow our national pride, pick up the phone, and ask Taiwan for help. Adele Little, Balmoral.
On gouging
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff is urging businesses not to price-gouge in the current environment - perhaps he has forgotten about his own organisation's 4.5 per cent household rates increase? Nick Baird, Henderson.
Toll rises from an apparent mass poisoning in Laos tourist town of Vang Vieng. Video / TVNZ