Letters: Hospital maintenance and cleaning, the Auckland Design Office and pre-fab housing.

Are our hospital wards up to scratch? It would appear not, according to one letter writer. Photo / 123rf, File

Letter of the week: John Clark, GP, Panmure

I recently spent a few nights as an inpatient in an Auckland public hospital. As a GP of over 40 years experience, it was a big change from sending sick people to hospital.
Through the fog of my rigours and delirium, I observed the professionalism and dedication of the medical and nursing staff - the junior nurses, still fresh and enthusiastic, while the senior nursing staff looked tired and frustrated.
It was no surprise to read in the NZ Herald that a large proportion of senior staff were suffering the effects of burnout.
I was surprised, however, by the amount of "junk" equipment pushed into spare corners of the ward.
The toilet in the four-bed ward I was assigned to smelt as if it hadn't been cleaned for weeks. The bed I was wheeled down to x-ray on still had blood smeared along the handrails.
NZ has done an amazing job in getting through the Covid crisis – GDP is pretty good; unemployment is lower than expected, and spare cash has been discovered.
Why is every government intent on funding the health system at the minimum while expecting the medical and nursing staff to perform at their maximum?

Bye design

Simon Wilson (Weekend Herald, May 8) rightly highlights the problems with Queen St; the key issue being the lack of a vision.
In his job description, the mayor is required to provide a vision for our city. Currently, that is not the case. Vision and leadership for Auckland as a fabulous city would facilitate co-ordinated planning for a quality, people-focused environment for our urban centres; a design-led approach so we get real value out of the money spent.
In the short-sighted abolishing of the Auckland Design Office, the mayor and council have let the city down.
Wilson points out some very obvious actions needed to be taken for Queen St. He shouldn't have to. The council should be all over this. And not just Queen St, all our urban centres.
A city as fast-growing as Auckland should have a well resourced urban design unit at the upper level of its strategy and management team - working with the mayor. Design-led planning is as essential to city-making as all the current investment in infrastructure. It is what makes the city work for people.
Julie Stout, chair, Urban Auckland

Pre-fabulous housing

I have just finished reading the article, mainly devoted to Auckland's new housing (Weekend Herald, May 8). Although there was a mention of "detached dwellings", that simply meant big houses erected on really small blocks.
From what I understand, we need to hone in on those urgently needing the very first rung of the housing ladder. Surely we should be supplying pre-fabricated houses to cater for those desperately needing a home?
They can be removed when necessary, leaving the land available for maybe other requirements. There is a company making these prefabricated houses that has advertised fairly recently. Much cheaper than houses built either from a standard design of a known house building company or built from a specific designer's plans.
It would give new homeowners a chance to work towards upgrading.
Marian Harkness, Ōrewa.

Growth areas

It was a blessing for the stomachs of New Zealanders that the very rich sweeps of soils around Pukekohe and Waiuku have been protected (Weekend Herald, May 8) from short-sighted developers and equally myopic councillors.
Years ago, the Polish Government put all its eggs in the industrial basin and neglected agriculture to the detriment of society and access to plenty of fresh, nutritious food. The problem here is that much-needed housing should not take up these fecund pastures (except some at Paerata) but be located elsewhere.
Paul Protheroe, Manurewa.

A pen stroke

Great points identified by John Caldwell (Weekend Herald, May 8) in his letter headlined "Ongoing consent".
The RMA and other legislation are showing up as having few checks and balances. Fees to fill coffers are needed, as evidenced by continual rate increases.
This is evident in alcohol licences handed out to suit deep pockets with disregard for local socioeconomic situations. Do they bother to investigate the ramifications of an office-bound decision, which will adversely affect our environment?
This is most apparent in the fiasco of the proposed new marina at Kennedy Point with a floating car park, which will pollute the whole bay with runoff, rubbish and further destroy our precious Hauraki Gulf.
A single road leads from Kennedy Point. All island supplies arrive there. Holiday periods are already fraught with visitors and freight.
It is easy for developers to make promises but who are they accountable to?
What are the local and central government decision-makers/employees thinking?
Do they have children who one day may want to catch a fish for dinner; may not be able to own a boat but want to swim, snorkel to enjoy the rapidly diminishing pleasures of our waters?
Mary Elsmore-Neilson, Onetangi.

Full credit

The practice by television stations to modify the programme final credits, making them illegible with a ridiculous scroll in the corner of the screen highlights the situation whereby viewers are prevented from reading who is responsible for the programmes/movies they've just watched.
A gross example was the recent spate of our Royal family programmes. All kinds of people were giving opinions, making assertions, including criticism, etc. Viewers should have been informed by the credits who these people were and what qualifications Blink Films had for its contribution. It was irresponsible to remove the credits, which viewers were entitled to read.
It is invalid to justify such arbitrary action when they show the full length of Simpsons credits every night.
Frank Curzon, Takapuna.

A quick word

Thanks to Simon Wilson (Weekend, Herald May 8) for a thorough investigation into the disaster areas of Queen St. Just what we needed to read - the facts, the facts and nothing but the facts. Coralie van Camp, Remuera.

Queen St and Vision Zero is ethics-based road safety so drugged, drunk, stupid or entitled people can play "chicken" safely with cars. Don't we trust God, fate or Darwinism?
Randel Case, Buckland Beach.

The first thing Auckland Council needs to do to transform Queen St is to remove all the homeless and beggars. Jock Mac Vicar, Hauraki.

There must be safer ways for professional sportspeople to create an income than going to pandemic ravaged parts of the world. John Mead, Waiheke Island.

This viral era has issued a challenge to us... that we must wean ourselves off imported products that enslave us to countries with dubious work ethics. Rob Buchanan, Kerikeri.

How can it be a good idea to encourage people to buy electric cars when the hydro lakes are struggling with capacity and it has been indicated there may be a shortage of electricity this winter? Wendy Hutchinson, Whāngārei.

Could the PM tell my local Kmart to stop playing "hide & seek" with the Covid register book? Helen Lowe, Albany.

Mandatory vaccination for everyone who can safely receive it? Absolutely. To keep others safe. Pamela Russell, Ōrākei.

Most people are sick of seeing bureaucrats continuing to enjoy pay increases year upon year. The average wage in NZ is $53,000 a year, people who earn double this amount do not need more money. Neville Cameron, Coromandel.

Cutting trees down that are protected needs a massive deterrent fine. Goff's council promotes a tree-friendly, vote-enticing stance. Goff needs to show some mettle. Steve Russell, Hillcrest.

Kicking someone in the head with rugby boots on should be a life ban, not a paltry five weeks. Glenn Forsyth, Taupō.

In producing a series of The Apprentice, is TVNZ insulting our intelligence and devaluing our sense of taste? I hope so. Peter Newfield, Takapuna.

With news of Wallaby sponsorship from Cadbury, please Whittakers, get behind the ABs...yum. John Bow, Whitianga.

We need to set up a "Givealittle" page for Bill and Melinda - and also for Harry and Meghan. Andrew Montgomery, Remuera.

When I see the number plate NGR, I think of my favourite school friend Ngaire. M C Ironside, Ōrewa.