Addin Fonua-Blake celebrates a try for the Warriors. Photo / Photosport
Addin Fonua-Blake celebrates a try for the Warriors. Photo / Photosport
Letter of the week: Game tickets a reward for breaking the law
It is becoming more and more apparent that in New Zealand if you don’t obey the law nothing much happens to you. Furthermore, in some cases you are rewarded. Census day took place on March 7 and, aslegally required, most people duly filled in the forms on or around that date. However, quite a large number of people have refused to do so. So here we are at the end of April and they are offered rewards. “Come to an event in the lead-up to this Sunday’s Warriors game at Mr Smart, fill in your census and get a ticket to the match and a $25 food and beverage voucher to spend at the game. Do your census at the match and get a $25 food and beverage voucher plus go into the draw to win a trip for four people to Australia!” This prize includes return flights from Auckland to Sydney, transfers, two nights accommodation and four tickets to the Eels v Warriors game on July 8. When the next Census day comes around I suggest we don’t fill the forms until we are offered a reward for doing so. Perhaps free fruit and vegetables for a year?
Lorraine Kidd, Warkworth
Harbour crossing must be cheap and direct
Simon Wilson writes (Herald on Sunday, April 30) “For climate reasons, Eden Park is the better bet” for the stadium upgrade. For the same reason, the next Waitemata harbour crossing should be a bridge above ground across Meola Reef to Northcote from the Waterview Tunnel, connecting straight to the airport and south to the rest of New Zealand. Lower cost, less concrete, better for the environment. Earthquake- and flood-prone New Zealand does not need more tunnels. The most expensive infrastructure is not necessarily the best and any tunnel will certainly be delivered much later and at much greater cost. Our planners do not seem to realise that 80 per cent of Aucklanders who live, work and play more than 10 kilometres outside Auckland City do not wish to visit the city often, if at all. But we do want to circumnavigate the city to the airport and the rest of New Zealand. The “Walkable Town Centres” planners are currently articulating are for those that reside close in. So planners, please realise that not all those persons crossing the harbour want to be cascading into one collection point at the bottom of Auckland City — it is not our destination.
Transport Minister Michael Woods and Prime Minister Chris Hipkins in front of the Auckland Harbour Bridge ahead of an announcement about new Waitemata Harbour crossing options. Photo / Michael Craig
New stadium a waste of time
It is generally agreed that the ASB Tennis Centre at Stanley Street and the Eden Park stadium are historically in the wrong place for a variety of reasons. Over many years, various band aid solutions at these locations to fix their problems have meant that rebuilding them on far superior sites on the waterfront with far better transport links including train, ferry and vehicles would be eye-wateringly expensive. Aucklanders have a long record for never reaching agreement on anything so I would realistically suggest that it will never happen and it is therefore just a waste of time, money and resources debating the issue. The money for this folly would be far better spent on fixing our broken health, education, housing and infrastructure problems.
Recently 19,000 nurses had “left” the profession according to the leader of the opposition. Then the deputy leader stated New Zealanders were being “crushed” by their rising interest rates. Less than 1 per cent are in arrears less than anytime during the last three terms of the National party. Neither are anywhere near the truth. Painting the situation as far worse than it really is without full factual reliable information is an election ploy perfected by Trump. Can we expect more distortions of the truth as a prequel to the election? I expect the right wing media to downplay these fake political sound bites as did Fox News in the US over their election results. Destroying any confidence in their expertise or ability to run the economy in those who actually vote, so far out from an election, starts a sinkhole ready to swallow their credibility. Of course it worked in the US to exaggerate the truth. You just don’t expect it to go unpunished by responsible media in New Zealand do you? An interesting test case? An apology for misleading the public for exaggerated distortions by the leaders of the opposition should be the minimum response or the media should expose this if they are deserving of our trust.
Steve Russell, Hillcrest
Political examination
Emmerson’s cartoon (April 30) showing Parliament in complete disarray with the Speaker lamenting that ‘If only daycare was more affordable’ together with Gary Carter’s published letter suggesting that all aspiring and current politicians pass a quality examination was a fortuitous coincidence. Given the current truancy rates in schools will the politicians take a leaf out of the student handbook on attendance and not even turn up for the exam? I can’t see Winston turning up and I don’t think someone like Trevor Mallard, if he ever chose to run again, would pass as people like him would be a reflection on the abysmally low literacy rates in the country. Also, Gary Carter suggests that political scientists and personnel consultants should write the exam. Unfortunately due to staff cuts at our universities there may not be too many political scientists around as they will be busily lining up in the dole queue whilst lamenting the fact that cancel culture has completely cut everyone off from communicating with each other making the reasons for the existence of a university redundant. Finally, that personnel consultants be included is also not a viable suggestion. This is because this government has created an army of them and their experience over the last five years in trying to get politicians to do things has been absolutely abysmal.
Has anybody been able to figure out how the world carbon tax system works and explain it in layman’s language? Who runs it, who decides the level of carbon tax and where all the billions of dollars goes to when it is collected and what happens to all this money? I think the rank and file would love an explanation.
Jock MacVicar, Hauraki
Child immunisation
We see and hear in the media about the alarmingly low childhood immunisation rates in New Zealand at the present time. There is a very good reason why they are: an unfortunately large number of people are simply unfit to be parents. Despotic as it might at first sound, how better might things be all round if people had to qualify and apply for a permit before becoming parents, like one has to do for just about everything else in this country.
Phil Chitty, Albany
Missing Kiwis
It is very disappointing that only 86 per cent of New Zealanders have chosen to complete their Census forms as that leaves 14 per cent of funding allocation that will may not go to the place it should because 14 per cent of the population is not counted. Obviously some people do not understand the purpose of the census or have a mistrust in the government who were elected by people who bothered to vote! If you are one of these procrastinators, please do not whinge about the state of the roads, the health system, transport etc, in your area due to your lack of interest or duty. Everyone has an equal chance to participate.
Marie Kaire, Whangārei
Bank earnings
Bank profits are topical again. Would you love to be in a business where you were almost guaranteed a profit even when many businesses and individuals are suffering financial pain? How can it be that banks make multi-billions with so relatively few employees and not producing a whole lot towards the progress of our country? Compare banks with companies like Mainfreight, Rocket Lab, Air NZ and Fonterra with many more employees and yet nowhere near the percentage profits of banks. Banks are hardwired for profit. There is a very good reason for this and it is going to keep on happening unless there is a sea change in the role of banks and the banking system. Can you think of any other industry that largely gets their assets for free? We do not seem to mind because that’s all we’ve ever known.
