Truly honoured
It must surely be time that the eligibility criteria for inclusion in the NZ Honours to be reviewed.
Many of the recipients are being rewarded/recognised for simply performing their generously paid full-time job.
Surely that is what an employee is expected to do?
Current awardees in the legal profession have chosen that
field as their professional career and are financially rewarded. Why must they receive an honour for performing the task for which they were employed?
Similarly, professional sportspersons are paid to participate and (hopefully) excel in the sport of their choice. Those who do excel and win are recognised by their respective sporting code administrators or the Olympic Committee with medals or awards. Why must they be rewarded again in our Honours system?
Is this a case of gilding the (already generously paid) lily again?
There is, however, an army of unpaid volunteers who work tirelessly to assist those less fortunate. It is time that these "unsung heroes" are given recognition.
It wouldn't take too much effort to identify those who are really worthy of recognition and include them in our Honours system.
Paul Boswell, Pakuranga.
Co-governance discussed
The concept of co-governance needs clarification and debate. It is, at the very least, misunderstood or confusing to many and downright threatening to some - especially on the political right, surprisingly, as John Key, Bill English and Chris Findlayson played a part in its early institution.
The problem seems to be that it is being equated with the notion of Māori ownership or control of a resource, traditionally not "owned" even though it is often commercially exploited by certain vested interests.
I gather co-governance does not mean Māori suddenly have equal, or worse, dominant rights but it does seem to mean that Māori want a bigger say (a "co-say") in how the resource gets used and cared for.
Let's face it, many of our waterways (and irrigated, over-fertilised farmland) have degenerated. The needs of the general public get overlooked while industry is prioritised. Too many short-sighted decisions have been made, and new players are needed to ensure greater safety and sustainability of these resources.
That's what co-governance means to me. Naive? Simplistic? We need more discussion.
B Darragh, Auckland Central.
Dream team
In my considered opinion, it's time for a reshuffle of duties at the Beehive. In addition to being Prime Minister Jacinda should take over Foreign Affairs. Then, after buying a new plane, immediately get on it and tour the world promoting Aotearoa New Zealand. First stops: Australia, China and India. After that our neglected Pacific neighbours, Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. Then start to work on South America and on to Europe and the UK.
Ardern is immensely popular in almost every country and undeniably an excellent orator and communicator. In my view, her talents are wasted here. Her deputy, Grant Robertson is well qualified to run the day-to-day affairs of the country in her absence and sort out the cost of living and other domestic financial matters. Nanaia Mahuta can then concentrate on her other portfolio of Local Government and try and sort out the Three Waters debacle. This will be the best use of our leaders' talents and will be immensely beneficial for the future prosperity of our nation.
Glen Stanton, Mairangi Bay.
Bureaucratic rule
Of the many benefits civilisation has given us, probably the greatest has been the bureaucrat. New Zealand once had a large and sufficient bureaucracy, built up by the first Labour Government starting in the 1930s.
This large bureaucracy gave us the planning needed, the pipes beneath and the wires above and the roads to get there, to guarantee every New Zealander had a house to live in.
Further, the bureaucracy organised training sufficient doctors and nurses to staff our hospitals. During the huge baby boom, which ran until the 1960s, new mothers had 14 days post-birth rest and to learn to breastfeed. Bureaucrats organised and built our public transport system. Trains, trams and buses carried our goods and people cheaply and - more importantly - safely.
Right-wing ideologues fought to kill off the rapid rail from Whangaparaoa to Howick through Kumeu and south to Papatoetoe. Congestion now costs us $1.3 billion every year.
We need to build up our bureaucracy again so that we can plan our hospital staffing, our police force and our public transport needs and get everyone housed again.
Mark Nixon, Remuera.
AT travails
Shane Ellison thinks (NZ Herald, June 6) Auckland Transport "is on its way". Yeah, right.
My husband and I, both 70, went to catch the train Wednesday afternoon. The mobile AT app showed the southern line to Britomart was not running. A 15-minute call to AT confirms it doesn't know what is happening.
Catch a bus from outside Epsom Library, but the outer link to Newmarket has been cancelled. Number 30 bus is coming in 5 minutes; it arrives 20 minutes late. Get off at 277 to catch the Inner link with our two suitcases to discover that the route has been changed.
Instead of going to Britomart, it goes through Parnell, via the university to the Civic.
Get off and run to catch a red bus down Queen St and run to the Ferry Building - nearly run over at crossing. Miss the ferry to Waiheke by one minute.
Retreat to McDonald's for a coffee and apple pie and catch the 3pm to Waiheke, then bus to our house with a short walk.
A three-hour, 10-minute nightmare from Epsom to Oneroa by AT. "On its way" to a disaster.
Maryrose Morgan-Coakle, Epsom.
