Aspirations for home ownership in New Zealand have never been so challenged. Photo / Michael Craig, File
Ben Leahy's article "Out Of House & Home" (Weekend Herald, July 10) squarely sets out the issues facing housing but it offers no explanation of how we got to this point or the possible way out.
We got here because of Neo-liberal economic policies by all governments from the 1980s up until the last National Government was defeated in 2017. Under this regime, less and less social housing was built (State houses). The market will decide was the mantra.
Well, the market decided, and this is the result. The market model is a complete failure.
The most successful housing policy in NZ's history was that implemented by the 1936 Labour Government and continued by subsequent governments up until 1984. State Housing ran on the basis of government-subsidised rentals; if you wanted to buy, the fundamental criteria was that payments under the State Advances Corporation took no more than a third of your income.
This scheme was the basis on which the wealth was built of the World War II generation and their children, "the Baby Boomers". Surely such a similar scheme is the way forward rather than repeating failed policies.
House sales tax
Regarding your article on first home buyers (Weekend Herald, July 10), the one thing that no government, left or right-leaning, past or present, has been willing to do to ease pressure on house prices is tax all profit from house sales. No exemptions for the house you live in, houses in trusts or hidden behind other forms of blind ownership.
The ridiculous situation we are in now is inequitable and heavily biased in favour of the chosen ones with existing property.
No wonder the future looks so bleak for our younger generation of potential homeowners as the already entitled pull up the drawbridge behind them.
James Archibald, Birkenhead.
Lightheaded
I hope a senior politician has read John Roughan's column on light rail (Weekend Herald, July 10), a light switches on in their head and they become enlightened.
Hopefully they will have the backbone to say to their colleagues, "he's right you know, buses are a better bet".
New, clean-running buses, lots of them, in various sizes, and subsidised to make all fares one dollar, would revolutionise transport in Auckland. Cheaper than the billions to build one light rail route, up and running in a couple of years, and offering serious competition to private cars all across the city.
But I'm dreaming. The light switch will remain in the off position. Politics will get in the way of common sense, and an ill-thought-out policy will be clung on to in the name of strong leadership.
Tony Waring, Grey Lynn.
Bus limits
John Roughan may be right about the Government's plans to use light rail to the airport, but he is not right to say buses can do it all.
Seventy-90 per cent of all air pollution comes from road transport. At least 20 per cent of this is from dark dust particles which come from tyre dust. What is not breathed in goes into our waterways, with all the contaminants.
Tyres then become the second-highest contributor to microplastics in our oceans.
Buses are the least efficient "mass transit" system and light rail is the most efficient.
Light rail is the best intra-urban "mass transit" system, and heavy rail is the best inter-urban "rapid rail" system. The Government needs to, at least, get that right.
Niall Robertson, chair, Public Transport Users Association.
Kiwisaver contribution
I would like to reassure Bruce McLachlan (Weekend Herald, July 10) that he is not being required to pick up any part of an annual government contribution of $521 for people who are not contributing. The government contribution is 50 cents for every dollar invested - non-contributors get nothing.
Bob van Ruyssevelt, Glendene.
Caution ahead
The paper (Weekend Herald, July 10) produced a dichotomy of opinions. Claire Trevett saying the PM has got it right, unlike Scott Morrison in Australia, in not producing a roadmap out of the Covid crisis while we still are unsure how to safely manage our way through this. Fran O'Sullivan is saying let's follow Morrison's (and others) road maps for the sake of our business community.
Australia's current record on dealing with Covid leaves a lot to be desired with the health of Sydneysiders and the economy of New South Wales in serious trouble. Quite frankly if we had followed all of the advice advocated by the business community during the last 18 months or so, we would not be in the enviable position we are in the world with our economy in such good shape.
Our cautious approach, so maligned by some opinion writers, has been exactly the correct approach. Jacinda and crew, keep at it.
Neil Anderson, Algies Bay.
Better management
I prefer Fran O'Sullivan's view of the need for a Covid plan (Weekend Herald, July 10) to the more rose-tinted views of other correspondents.
Vaccination by the end of this year is not going hard and early. In light of overseas experience, the Government could have approved the Pfizer vaccine in January and we could all have been vaccinated by the end of April with a better-managed rollout.
Had this happened, Wellington would not have been in lockdown last month and the NZ Tennis Open would probably be proceeding to boost our economy, just as Wimbledon has done for the UK.
More effective management would also have ensured higher vaccination rates for quarantine workers.
It is disappointing the gains made last year in controlling Covid were not followed up with more effective action to maintain the momentum.
Janie Weir, Newmarket.
Here's the plan, Fran
Fran O'Sullivan asks Jacinda to show her the Covid plan (Weekend Herald, July 10).
Well Fran, it goes like this: Go hard and early and save thousands of Kiwi lives and our economy. Support heroic front liners at the border and in Health. Successfully repatriate 150,000 New Zealanders with only a dozen border breaches over 18 months. Order enough of the gold standard Pfizer vaccines to inoculate us all by the end of this year.
Have no community transmission for 140 days and counting. Be rated by Standard and Poors as number one in the world for economic recovery. Don't play guinea pigs with our vulnerable Kiwis like the UK gamble of living (and dying) with Covid.
It's a good plan and 75 per cent of Kiwis support it.
Thanks, Jacinda and all those at the frontline protecting us.
Roger Laybourn, Hamilton.
AT must be alarmed by the possible changes to Queen St. If cars are removed, how will, customers get to the AT parking building? J. Billingsley, Parnell.
Sydney, with 5 million people needs to be a team too now, a rallying call that evokes wartime unity to fight a virus, armour-plated with Barrier Reef-like tentacles. Rob Buchanan (in Coffs Harbour), Kerikeri.
Gavin Baker (Weekend Herald, July 10) asks whether our Olympic team will march into the stadium under the letter A or N. Perhaps, for an international (non rugby) audience, W might be more appropriate. Who? Where? D B Smith, Napier.
At last, the national anthem was sung with a good strong beat before the All Blacks v Fiji rugby test, and all could sing along and enjoy. Rosemary Cobb, Takapuna.
Congratulations to John Roughan for his article about the economic folly of the
proposed Dominion Rd light rail to the airport. He is right. It's a joke, exactly like the bike bridge across the harbour. Richard Hurley, Mt Eden.
John Roughan (Weekend Herald, July 10) made a compelling case for not spending any money on light rail infrastructure but one remembers he made much the same argument against the Northern Busway. Warren Sanderson, Campbells Bay.
If this country has come to the stage where 99-year-old people can be evicted from their home (Weekend Herald, July 10) then surely that is a very poor reflection on just what New Zealand society has become. Paul Beck, West Harbour.
Two things that Viv Beck, CEO of Heart of the City, said (Weekend Herald, July 10) deserve more prominence. "The challenge is we are a city in transition" and "Queen St will revive, there's no question." D B Hill, Freeman's Bay
Our climate change policies, if implemented, will be as useful as turning on the heater and putting it in the fridge. Andrew Montgomery, Remuera.
Next, I'm expecting this headline: "Police pay koha during a raid on a gang headquarters to find illegal guns and drugs. Gang says koha insufficient to cover the resultant legal costs." Michael Walker, Blockhouse Bay.
Gang membership up by over 40 per cent and now Government funding. Mexico, here we come. Michael Single, Bayswater.
There is now a push for a four-day week on the basis of improving productivity. It's time for a little realism: Come back please Ruth Richardson. Neville Cameron, Coromandel.
Some people are genuine jobseekers but we are undermining good parents by continuing to pay our youth to leave school and stay in bed. George Williams, Whangamatā.
The English football team clubrooms must sound like the Warriors one – "Next biennial is our year". Glenn Forsyth, Taupō.
Forget Pfizer - we urgently need someone who can speak orca. Renton Brown, Pukekohe.
Health NZ is expecting to vaccinate 1400 RSE workers.