Letters: Kīngi Tūheitia’s legacy; Scott Robertson’s lesson in Springboks loss; mobility parking at Auckland attractions

The death of Kīngi Tūheitia has provoked an outpouring of grief and tributes from around this country and the world. Illustration / Rod Emmerson

Tūheitia’s legacy of restraint, diplomacy

The death of Kīngi Tūheitia has provoked an outpouring of grief and tributes from around this country and the world that have highlighted what a remarkable but humble man he was.

His tireless work to promote and advocate for Māori people was acknowledged by many, including Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in a moving and emotional speech at Tūrangawaewae Marae, and King Charles.

However, the most pertinent remark among a long litany of tributes over the past few days was made by MP Willie Jackson, who quoted Tūheitia, in the context of Tuku Morgan and Rahui Papa “ripping into” the National-led coalition Government’s policies towards the Treaty of Waitangi, as saying that, “we must find ways to work together and not continue to drive edges [sic] between Māori and non-Māori”.

Given some of the inflammatory rhetoric that has come from Te Pāti Māori over the past few months, Tūheitia’s call for restraint shows a man who saw constructive dialogue and diplomacy as an antidote towards solving grievances and not confrontation.

The road to confrontation can only end in tears, as witnessed by the many violent disputes throughout the world nowadays. Let us hope that the legacy and memorial of Kīngi Tūheitia will be that the spirit of aroha and kotahitanga prevails and not mauahara (ill feeling).

Bernard Walker, Mount Maunganui.

Doctor delays

People visiting A&E to see a doctor is no surprise (NZ Herald, Sept 2). Someone close to me pays $65 for their GP in New Zealand’s largest city.

They were sick last week, tried to book an appointment and were told the earliest available date was September 6. So they could wait 13 days to pay $65 for their GP to diagnose the ailment they had two weeks previously. Or they could wait for 13 hours at the A&E and have a GP diagnose the ailment while they still had it.

The person chose to suffer and hope their body would fix itself.

Kent Millar, Blockhouse Bay.

Razor’s lesson

Scott Robertson’s bias against Auckland Rugby is the reason we lost against the Springboks, not a poor TMO non-decision.

Our bench was totally ineffective and Robertson knows this and that is why he, unlike the Boks, was loathe to make changes. Finlay Christie should have been on the bench along with Sam Darry as lock and Ricky Riccitelli as hooker. The Blues won the national championship because of players with more skills than some.

Rugby is now a 23-man game not 15 – something that Robertson seems not to understand. It’s no wonder Leon MacDonald got fed up and left.

Reg Dempster, Albany.

Mobility spaces

It’s encouraging to hear that people who use mobility car parks illegally will be given higher fines (NZ Herald, Aug 30). However, there is another issue and that is a serious lack of these mobility parks especially in places where they are needed.

I drive mini-buses for two lifestyle villages. My job is taking residents on trips to places of interest. Just the other day we went to the wonderful Maritime Museum at the Viaduct. Sadly, there are zero mobility parks in the vicinity.

I also like to take trips to Waiheke Island and Gulf Harbour during the summer months. However, despite having enough space for 20 or more mobility parks at Queens Wharf by the ferry buildings again there are zero.

My only conclusion is that Auckland Transport either doesn’t like elderly people or just simply doesn’t care.

Glen Stanton, Mairangi Bay.

Foreign vessels

So the barge Manahau ran aground on Carters Beach in the West Coast.

You would need to ask yourself what the hell is a foreign-flagged and manned vessel of any kind doing working on the New Zealand coast? This certainly would not be happening in the United States or many other countries.

NZ is an island nation with a thriving maritime industry employing hundreds of Kiwis, living and paying taxes here. They spend their earnings here, then along came your neo-liberals with their fanatical deregulation of everything and destroyed Union Steam Shipping Company (and others) overnight, a company that had served and employed New Zealanders for over a hundred years and allowed cheap labour foreign vessels in and around our coast.

The most recent classic example of political hypocrisy has to be Shane Jones on the news, someone who likes to play around with the English language, pointing at the barge coming down the river at Westport and praising this fact.

He’s in a political party that calls itself “New Zealand First” – he’s clearly got that part of the English language confused – when he should have been asking: “How come that’s not a NZ vessel manned by the NZ maritime industry?”

Arthur Amis, Red Beach.