Gideon Dunton, now 22 months old, is fighting a condition that left him starving to death in New Zealand. His family uprooted to Australia with the hope of keeping him alive.
Unavailable care
The article (NZ Herald, October 14) outlining poor little Gideon Dunton’s traumatic and hellish situation parallels to some extent that of my dear wife. The Herald covered this by printing my letter to the paper a few weeks back.
I didn’t highlight it prior but there wasn’t one gynaecologist in Rotorua at the time and so we travelled to Tauranga. Talking to my GP (not my wife’s doc) about the urgency afforded patients over the ditch, his response was, “Well Australia is a very wealthy country.”
It’s high time funds were prioritised for life-or-death scenarios. Jacinda Ardern should desist from these frivolous staged photo shoots with presidents and likewise her fashion displays on the runway and make some effort to get the health system off its knees.
Graeme Smith, Rotorua.
Tree standing
In all the commentary - both for and against - the proposed farm emissions scheme, one issue stands out. Trees on farms, which are increasingly native, are treated less favourably than exotic pine tree plantations. Not only does this show staggering scientific illiteracy but it is also a perverse, illogical and unnecessarily antagonistic aspect of the proposed scheme.
Surely any sound climate change policy would allow farmers to account for carbon sequestration on their farms? Why this is not allowed is an unacceptable and ideologically driven flaw in the scheme - one that must be revised. This highlights a weakness to understand the wider environmental and biodiversity issues between native and exotic forests. It also shows a failure to accept that farms - given their considerable biomass - are an inherent sequester of carbon. That is something a concrete and steel urban jungle could never claim to do.
M. Boardman, Dunedin.
Gutting communities
Proposed emissions reduction schemes will “gut communities”, according to Federated Farmers, and National is also singing from the same hymn book. Meanwhile, insurance claims for weather-related damage have hit record levels two years running; transport infrastructure is failing faster than the problems can be assessed, let alone repaired, impacting the supply chains that rely on them; farms, towns, and entire districts are finding themselves cut off from the rest of the country; some may have to be completely abandoned as the encroaching and increasingly violent seas wash them away metre by metre. And that’s just in New Zealand.
Communities are already being gutted, as forecasted decades ago, largely because of an ongoing short-sighted reluctance to do anything (because it “might harm the economy”).
Morgan L. Owens, Manurewa.
Seeing the woods
The Government is concerned about the emissions from agriculture and dairying impact on climate change and the carbon footprint of freight via sea and air travel, but who is concerned about the massive amount of logs leaving our ports every week?
Surely the CO2 saved from pine plantations is well and truly cancelled out by diesel-guzzling ships, trucks, road repairs and the decimation of forests. Where is the tax on forestry?
Marie Kaire, Whangārei.
Bad news
Promoted assertively by Minister Willie Jackson, the Government’s decision to merge TVNZ and Radio NZ, at a cost of a third of a billion dollars, seems an unacceptably expensive operation for no justifiable reason.
While TVNZ is a large commercial entity, Radio NZ is on the other hand a public service broadcaster, with the addition of a splendid Concert Programme that is admired around the world.
The amalgamation will result in a monolithic creature, where the heredity of both institutions are so completely different.
Informed critics comment that this union is contrived, has no particular logic except allowing increased government interference, and a change in TVNZ’s culture as demanded by the Minister. It is also being forced through with no proper homework or cost-benefit plan having been carried out.
It is distressing that the creation of such a large media giant is happening with little understanding as to the unfortunate outcome, except one of probably increased government control, and proliferating mediocrity.
Hylton Le Grice, Remuera
Settling scores
I am surprised there has been little news coverage of the recent inter-parliamentary delegation of MPs to Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and Mexico. In the same week that Jacinda Ardern and James Shaw pulled on gumboots to look less like politicians when telling farmers they will have to start paying for their greenhouse gas emissions, three Labour MPs, one Green MP and one National MP were leaving carbon footprints all over Latin America.
Most New Zealanders have always seen the annual speaker’s tour as a junket, so it would be interesting to know whether the benefits of this year’s talkfest outweighed the costs. If the tour produced no tangible benefits, can we at least look forward to the formation of a Labour Party mariachi band?
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown and his team recently took up banjos to communicate with Labour. Why don’t we settle the stoush over Three Waters with a musical duel between local and central government? It could be televised on the new state broadcaster Aotearoa New Zealand Public Media and would probably tick NZ on Air and Creative New Zealand funding boxes, unless the arts czars declared it a “canon of imperialism”.
Richard Edmondson, Kaeo.
Not sorry
It is important that people of some influence choose their words carefully. When John Tamihere (NZ Herald, October 12) was asked a legitimate question by the Herald his reply was: “Go jump in the lake, White man [sic]!” Words carry weight and when used carelessly can cause harm and distress.
Many people would have found his comment appalling, especially when co-governance is under discussion, and expect an apology. However, it takes courage and good manners to make an apology.
James Gregory, Parnell.
Family ties
Further to Minister of Immigration Michael Wood’s relaxation of migrant visas (NZ Herald, October 14), it is important for migrants seeking to bring their elderly parents to New Zealand to realise sadly that family dislocation, and loss of intimate contact with loved ones is an inherent part of leaving their home country for another land, a key factor in making the hard decision to go.
One million Kiwis live outside New Zealand, the second highest diaspora in the OECD, by percentage of population, second only to Ireland, according to Massey University’s Paul Spoonley. Thousands of New Zealand families have children living overseas. Many older Kiwi parents are missing the close affection and support of their children, and bonding with grandchildren in faraway places.
It came home to me recently when an old friend died, and his two daughters were living in Dubai. My son and family live permanently in America, and I have not been able to visit annually to see my grandchildren due to Covid.
Many seniors cannot afford to do this and grow older away from their family and their support. Unfortunately starting a new life means the cutting of old roots Both old and new Kiwis must share this sad reality.
Bill Rayner, Devonport.
Zero chance
After seeing a newborn baby, on Mum’s knees, in a new silver Audi, doing 80km/h, it’s easy to understand why “Zero” can never happen.
The strange part is how the baby’s death will be the Government’s fault (but never the grieving parents’ fault) and a call for even slower vehicle speed.
Randel Case, Bucklands Beach.
Gloves off
Hugh Webb’s letter (NZ Herald, October 14) hits the right note regarding the “kid gloves” approach taken in education and parenthood with many young thugs and violent offenders.
Perpetrators of ram-raids, burglaries, and smash-and-grab crimes do not take a “kid gloves” approach with their actions and neither should business owners, police or the justice system with theirs.
Many of the “silent majority” may well agree with this “firmer” approach - but it is time to remain silent no longer.
Hugh Aitchison, Whangamatā.
Pronounced difference
Can someone please explain to commentators in the Women’s Rugby World Cup that foreign names with vowels at the end of a name aren’t pronounced in Māori?
Because there seems to be heaps of Italian rugby players who sound like they are NZ Māori. Maybe the current propensity for NZ journalists and sports commentators to throw in every Māori word possible during their communications means they have forgotten that vowels of a foreign language aren’t actually Māori-sounding?
Thomas J. Waite, New Plymouth.
On farming
Yes Allan M. Spence (NZH, Oct.14) we need to protect the goose. But the goose is planet Earth, not the agricultural industry. Allison Kelly, Mt Eden.
NZ’s global emissions are 0.17 per cent. Let’s wreck our farming sector and spend lots of climate dollars on what, exactly? R.F. Pearson, Hillsborough.
On police
Policing by consensus (NZH, Oct. 14) but a consensus by whom? Many of us would not agree that an apprentice tradie should be left unsupported by the police despite him doing the spade work to recover his tool kit. Glennys Adams, Oneroa.
On Ihumātao
As a family member of the vendor who sold the land to Science of the Soul (NZH, Oct. 14), at no stage was there any protest involved in the sale of our property. It was a free and unencumbered title at the time of sale. D Credin, Ōrākei.
On Government
If this Government was a motorist, they’d have been disqualified by now because of demerit points for the number of U-turns they have completed... if there was a cop around to ticket them. Glenn J Pacey, Glendowie.
On Brown
If Mr Brown can redirect the council to doing core business better and eliminate those who just indulge in inefficient OPM spending (other people’s money) , then he will have my vote next time around. Rod McMahon, Birkenhead.
On parenting
Providing pupils with breakfast is the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff. Giving their caregivers budgetary advice is the fence at the top. Nick Hamilton, Remuera.
Liam Dann: Has inflation peaked?
This morning I read of record numbers of kids arriving at school hungry and unable to concentrate longer than 20 minutes. Next article is a food bank that has been burgled. Yes, we are post-pandemic and yes, there is a war on the other side of the world. Meanwhile, the Government staunchly marches on, on unelected policies, allowing for millions in consultants fees for the TVNZ/RNZ merger, for which no one has actually seen a business case. Where are our priorities right now? I shake my head in bewilderment. Robb K.
“I shake my head in bewilderment.” I don’t, I tried to warn people pre-election that they would be a disaster, there must be hundreds of my letters to various publications on record, all to no avail. Geoff B.
Well, I’m getting in early to warn you now should there be a change in government nothing will change. Watch Christopher Luxon and Nicola Willis backpedal on taxes after the debacle in UK. Kevin J.
Our son moved to Sweden, married and, even though he earns well, lives in an apartment. The cost of owning a home there is a pipe dream. Returned home and now facing the same here. I really feel for young people. Tina W.
Non-tradeable inflation is entirely down to this Government. Headline is also mostly attributable to this Government as food prices, volatile as they are, will remain significantly higher as producers recover their increased costs from compliance, energy, transport, insurance, and wages, etc. Recent falls in fuel costs are temporary as OPEC reduces demand and countries stockpile reserves. The RBNZ is hellbent on focusing on the CPI and will ignore other data until it is convinced CPI and expectations of CPI fall back close to its target, which will be more than one year away. Kiwibank is utterly wrong in its 4 per cent ceiling. Glenn P.
How the heck do you assess inflation if you leave food and fuel out of the equation? Roy H.
Don’t forget the subsidised fuel taxes and 50 per cent discounted public transport. It’s just hiding the obvious. Anthony C.
Legislation banning the display of patches in public came into effect last week.