Brad Stephenson was at MIQ in Auckland and was granted two hours to visit his dying father Alex in Tauranga. Photo / Supplied
When I read the article (NZ Herald, October 29) about Brad Stephenson, it made me realise how sick New Zealand has become.
Brad was in MIQ, double-vaccinated with five negative tests and, on day 13, was kindly taken by MIQ van to visit his dying father in Tauranga for a two-hour visit then carted back to Auckland MIQ for one further night and released the following morning at 8am on day 14.
New Zealand, led by the Prime Minister, has lost the plot. How inhumane can this be?
The same Herald had an article that MIQ stay is being reduced to seven days within two weeks. So what is so magical about day 14 for a double-vaccinated person with five negative tests and a dying father?
The Government has driven so much fear, anxiety and stress into our society that people are fearful of using common sense.
David Hay, Lynfield.
Cause and effect
Judith Collins now wants a Royal Commission. This is hardly an original idea from a leader of the Opposition.
I am assuming that included in the terms of reference will be the travel bubble - pushed for by Opposition MP's for many months before either country was ready. You see, I too have 20/20 hindsight and it is a wonderful thing.
Greg Cave, Sunnyvale.
Keeping precautions
There seems to be an assumption that once Covid becomes "endemic", somehow we can pretend it's gone away and everything will go back to normal. "Learning to live with Covid" as they say. This simply isn't the case.
When a disease becomes endemic it means that preventive actions become a part of daily life. In countries where malaria is endemic you don't pretend it doesn't exist, you make sure you sleep under a net every night and take your chloroquine religiously. In areas of the UK where Lyme's disease is endemic, you don't ignore it, you make sure you wear trousers in long vegetation and check for ticks after every walk.
Endemism is merely the end of the beginning, and there is no end in sight.
Melanie Scott, Mangawhai.
Island escape
I wonder if our Government, having organised events and various other attractions with the assistance of many volunteers, to encourage people all around the country to get vaccinated, may consider an alternative for those who feel their own "freedoms and rights" are being denied them, despite their idiotic actions impinging on those of the rest of us.
I suggest the offer of a month-long island holiday for those who continue to refuse the jabs might be just the thing. I believe the Antipodes and Snares groups are lovely this time of year along with Enderby, Macquarie and many others. Of course, those lucky enough to get a free seat on the ship that would drop them off would have to fend for themselves once at their destination but they would also be able to exercise their freedoms and rights to their hearts' content.
That way, everyone wins. They get their holiday, we get our lives back.
Jeremy Coleman, Hillpark.
Scenes of Penzance
My sister lives in Penzance, right at the western tip of Cornwall. It's the UK's version of Northland: adequately covered by the NHS until holidaymakers invade and the place is shoulder-to-shoulder inundated. Queues of ambulances are accommodating patients who can't find beds in the central hospital, which is bigger than Waikato Hospital, and the NHS staff are exhausted.
As a result, the locals are all being given their third Covid shot in alphabetical order. Almost everyone has had two shots of the Astra-Zeneca vaccine, the chosen one. The third shot is Pfizer because, although more difficult to distribute, the scientists now say it is better and the combination is the best option now.
So: seems our Government scientists made the right choice. Those anti-vaxxers "waiting for a better vaccine" need wait no longer and jump off the fence into a vaccination centre.
Richard Kean, Hamurana.
A team of teams
New Zealand is not a team of 5 million.
On the sidelines, we have the opposition teams; the non-co-operative team; the I-know-best-or-better-team; the resistant team; the couldn't-care-less-team; the anti-vaxxers team; and all those who all know more the medical experts.
All together, these people are forming the we-expect-you-to-save-us-if-we-get-Covid team.
It might just be a little hard to achieve 90 per cent of vaccinated population coverage.
But here's hoping. I've given it my best shot.
Gillian Dance, Mt Albert.
Splashing cash
At last, a lone voice of reason in support of Nanaia Mahuta's Three Waters reform. Thank you, Brian Fallow (NZ Herald, October 29).
The noise from "those sitting around polished mahogany in council chambers" has been deafening.
Easy to talk about "assets" from those protecting their fat-cat incomes when the reality is "Ko te awa ko au, I am the river and the river is me".
For too long, we have watched in horror at many councils' lack of management of water, the large amounts of cash splashed on those tasked with caring for an essential resource.
I have also suspected the old school is not keen on an intelligent woman with new ideas.
It's time to embrace the "fresh eye" of the working group of local government, iwi and water industry experts...
Of course, we Waiheke islanders are responsible for our own water management, therefore we have respect.
Mary Elsmore-Neilson, Onetangi.
Conditional acceptance
Regarding the Three Waters proposal. Will the four massive Government ordained bureaucracies operate any better than the existing system?
When I see MIQ, Oranga Tamariki, ACC, Health, Corrections, Courts and other Government agencies running efficiently, only then will I believe the Government on this.
And if I see a Government not forcing social agendas and doubtful philosophies on to the population, and not seeking to indoctrinate children with questionable moral perspectives, and when I see rights and freedoms respected and the sanctity of the human soul honoured, and the lust for power and control abated; then, and only then could I trust it.
D Whitfield, Havelock North.
Barging in
When I read the letter (NZ Herald, October 29) detailing the plan to make Amsterdam's canals into roads I had a vision. Simon Wilson often refers to uncovering the stream that runs down underneath Queen St, which I thought seemed a little extreme, but now I see this is kind of what they did to Queen St. Revisited, it could be amazing.
There is no reason for Queen St to be accessible to anything but delivery vehicles, access for the disabled to be dropped off and public transport.
Imagine Queen St full of native shrubs and little bridges; it would be amazing.
Paris is turning whole areas into pedestrian zones. It is the future.
We have to get out of cars, people. It's no use continually saying you want to do your bit for climate change as long as you don't have to change.
Let's have courage, vision and beauty at our heart. It would be amazing.
Sam Cunningham, Henderson.
Welcome results
With both winter and summer sports overlapping now it is fabulous to have the All Blacks win one day and the Black Caps the next.
Hopefully I am speaking for everyone in NZ when I wish both of these teams every success as they continue to do us proud - the All Blacks on their Northern tour and the Black Caps at the ICC T20 World Cup.
Glen Stanton, Mairangi Bay.
On Facebook
Mark Zuckerberg's Meta sounds like a scene from Fahrenheit 451. Kate Tomson, Waiheke Island.
On hesitance
I have heard people joke that they will wait to be vaccinated until the Government offers a home and land package. Such an approach could also assist Labour's failure in building affordable homes. Mike Baker, Tauranga.
On climate
Two items omitted from the Glasgow agenda; birth control and nuclear power. Brian Barraclough, Devonport.
On x's
It perplexes me that most people spell anti-vax and anti-vaxers with 2 x's. Surely one would suffice? It's almost an adult movie title. R Howell, Onehunga.
On protests
Can anyone tell me where I can go to protest against the protests? John Pollock, Golflands.
Now that Pfizer has the Covid vaccine sorted, it should start developing a vaccine to prevent stupidity and selfishness. Auckland could buy the first 5000 doses. Paul Hicks, Warkworth
On trust
Jacinda Ardern should do whatever she deems necessary to fight off the Covid-19 virus. I wouldn't trust the judgment of people who voted for a bat as "bird of the year". Hans Apers, Whitianga.
Every business leader commenting on our pandemic response has a suite of policies that are obvious, simple, and wrong. They just can't understand why governments aren't as clever as them. Steve E.
Sir Ian Taylor is right. But I'd go a step further and say that quarantine should not be required for fully vaccinated inbound travellers. From today, fully vaccinated travellers can fly to/from NSW and Victoria with no requirement to quarantine. Yet fully vaccinated travellers from those same regions cannot enter NZ without quarantining. Nonsensical policy that keeps loved ones apart for no good reason. Ian C.
Pressure is going to be put on the Government with the announcement that fully vaccinated New Zealand travellers may once again enter Australia without needing to quarantine. Air NZ needs to move its February 1 date requirement for full vaccination forward and fully vaccinated Kiwis should be allowed re-entry to NZ for self-isolation. Sally H.
Sir Ian's last paragraph says it all - no one from Government is listening or responding to him. How often have we heard that from so many different people. This Government is arrogant, condescending and hopelessly lost in their own weird world of central control ideology. Grant H.
A colleague made an observation this morning. If this experiment was as assured as it appears it may be, why does it need to be accompanied by a public entourage of media attention? But "no". It's all about "self" and self-promotion. In the same way people are bleating about an apparent delay in vaccinating, Taylor could have been running joint party experiments with Government, border and health agency personnel to critique what works and what doesn't - refined to a workable solution. Thomas M.
I congratulate Sir Ian on trying to make a change but it feels like the next step needs to be less complicated, instead - vaccinated travellers self-isolate alone at home, test at key points and have daily contact with healthcare professionals. It shouldn't be forgotten that, pre-Delta, early infections did self-isolate. This isn't new. Kath H.
Communications released after minister apologised for his behaviour last month.