Letters: Hepatitis A from berries, Government surplus, Will Ellis' accusers atone?

Peter Ellis with his lawyer, Judith Ablett-Kerr QC, contemplate what's next after an application for his pardon was refused by the Governor-General in 2001. Photo / New Zealand Herald

One question that has not been posed or answered with respect to contracts awarded to the Mahuta/Ormsby family is: how many did they fulfil prior to Nanaia assuming ministerial responsibilities? If the consultancies can show an ongoing series of prior work carried out for various departments then the sceptics would have less to complain about.

However, if the answer is none then further in-depth investigation into the issuing of these contracts without any tendering is required.

Gavin Baker, Glendowie

Smoke and mirrors?

Should we be worried that Treasury's deficit forecast in May was out by more than $9 billion or is this another case of Labour's smoke and mirrors, designed to fool us into believing the "look how well we're performing" narrative?

Maxine Samson, Whakatāne

Hepatitis A from berries

Hepatitis A sounds as nasty as it can get, with one infected person saying this week they thought they were going to die. If it was known these imported frozen berries being contaminated mid-September, why did it take three weeks to recall them? The process should have been swifter.

Boiling these berries, cooking at a high temperature or washing your hands while preparing them all would have made no difference — soft berries can take on a virus like a sponge and can be deadly.

Buying New Zealand fresh berries to put in the chest freezer is safer — you know their history and they won't be more than 12 months old.

Glenn Forsyth, Taupō

Will Ellis' accusers atone?

Now that Peter Ellis has finally — after his death — been found not guilty, how does this leave the families of the young children who accused Ellis of these horrible crimes?

Does this mean they will finally apologise for their wrongful accusations and perhaps more importantly repay the council or government agency that paid them reparations?

Can the accusers be made to apologise for the fairly obviously extreme comments and accusations that we now know were made by the parents of these children — or perhaps they should now be asked to pay compensation to the council, the Government and the Ellis family?

Bruce Woodley, Birkenhead

Compensation repaid?

Now that the late Peter Ellis has had his conviction quashed may we expect the families of some of the children involved, be asked to repay the significant sums of money paid to them by ACC?

That money was paid out well before the trial, and in my view may have had a bearing on some of the evidence given at trial.

I will never forget how Peter's mother stood up for him over so many years.

Hugh Hamilton, Cambridge

Gas guzzlers a trade loss

Fuel prices near $3 and CO2 emissions causing global warming have no effect on many people still choosing to buy behemoths.

But now we have a third reason to buy an economical means of transport.
We have become a net importer country and our balance of payments is such that we import more than we export, not a sustainable situation.

The biggest single import cost for New Zealand is motor fuel.

The farmers are doing a sterling job with exports, the foreign funds they earn are then in part used to purchase a product that is wastefully burned.

Vince West, Milford

Government surplus

Every single cent of it should go towards making education fairer for all.

Any talk to the contrary such as tax cuts for the wealthy is arrogant, self-centred and in total ignorance of the government's prime function, that is unequivocally to put food on the table (already available in abundance). Housing likewise.

Next comes education for all, not for only the wealthy who can afford it, and health, and in that order. No quarter in the coming election should be given to politicians who think otherwise.

Any investment in education is an investment in our youth's future and all of New Zealand's youth should be able to count on it. As it stands that simply is not the case, far from it.

Gary Hollis, Mellons Bay

Queen Elizabeth tribute

Following the death of Queen Elizabeth I think it would be a great gesture by Auckland Council to rename the square in front of the Britomart railway station in her honour to recognise her years of service. Queen Elizabeth II Square has a familiar ring to it.

Charles Fraser, Freemans Bay

Buses not the answer

The intention of Auckland Transport evidently is to coerce a significant percentage of commuters to wait at bus stops rather than use their cars.

Accordingly, AT has intruded bus lanes into city roads, excluded cars from new causeways and cut speed limits to a crawl. Now it is converting pedestrian crossings into abrupt humps designed to further impede the flow of traffic.

But what percentage of commuter journeys by bus is realistically attainable? AT would do right by ratepayers to consider that in the UK, a country that has mature infrastructure, buses carry a very small percentage of commuters. This is due to the inherent inefficiency of buses: they necessitate three distinct trips to reach a destination, a car just one.

The sooner AT admits that commuting by bus is appropriate for comparatively few people in this city, the sooner the billion-dollar AMETI Pakuranga bus flyover project can be abandoned.

AT may claim that no matter the cost, no matter the inefficiency, coerced adoption of bus commuting is justified because there is a "climate emergency".

Well, any response to that claim should be considered through a democratic process, not foisted upon Aucklanders unchallenged.

Peter Webster, Beachlands

One of Auckland's Ramraids at Liquorland Stoneridge on Lunn Ave, in Mount Wellington. Photo / Hayden Woodward

Hit rammers and raiders hard

The only way to deter ram raiders and those involved in smash-and-grabs is to inflict sufficiently severe punishments that will genuinely prove a disincentive to commit these crimes.

The existing slap-on-the-wrist penalties are laughable, have no deterrent factor at all and the perpetrators know this all too well.

These lowlifes are well aware that security staff and the police have been instructed not to put themselves in danger if confronted by anyone carrying a weapon, so they have a free run.

Really tough consequences need to be applied immediately, otherwise we can fully expect an increase in these crimes. Maybe government-subsidised steering wheel locks for those vehicles without immobilisers would be helpful as well.

Alan Walker, St Heliers