Letters: Lack of support for neurodiverse students a national disgrace; vile-looking school lunches will end up at the tip

Heretaunga Intermediate was giving away a surplus amount of butter chicken school lunches. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Letters to the Editor

At-risk student support a national disgrace

It has been a humbling experience to interview parents with neurodiverse boys enrolling in Sacred Heart College. No doubt my primary and secondary school colleagues feel the same.

They are powerful advocates for their children, many of whom have battled for over a decade against an education system that makes it difficult to get a diagnosis, creates bureaucratic roadblocks to access funding and then provides manifestly inadequate funding to schools to support these students.

Waiting lists for referral for suspected alcohol foetal syndrome are extensive and expensive. Principals with students with suicidal ideation are often told there is a six-month waiting list to see a child psychologist or psychiatrist if one is even available in the area.

Applications for ORS (Ongoing Resource Scheme) resemble the requirements of a statement of claim before the High Court. The funding available for ORS is a fraction of what is needed. Nothing is available for children in early childhood settings.

Despite numerous reviews of “Learning Support“ over the last 20 years by various governments, it remains a national disgrace. Our most vulnerable and at-risk students deserve much better than this. The parents of these boys are already battle-weary from years of pleading for a fair deal.

The Government owes it to them and their children to create equitable access to education so they too can enjoy the same life opportunities as all other students.

Patrick Walsh, Sacred Heart College (Auckland) headmaster.

Vile lunches

Watching Parliament’s question time on Tuesday as Chloe Swarbrick was questioning the PM about the nutritional value of school lunches being delivered at $3 a head rather than $8 or so, the PM declared he would like to see the money saved by doing this spent on education and health for our children.

Surely a decent meal during the day will cover both these requirements adequately? A full belly is a happy, healthy belly.

The number of these vile-looking, unappealing and unappetising creations which end up in rubbish tips should suggest that this isn’t working. At all.

David Seymour was proud that very nearly all the meals were delivered on time that day, which met with joy from Christopher Luxon. Does delivery on time make them any more palatable?

Something the politicians of this generation need to consider is that the children of today will be their doctors, nurses and caregivers when they themselves grow too old to cope on their own. It will be too late to say “I wasn’t aware of that”. You have been warned. Good luck.

Jeremy Coleman, Hillpark.

Young offenders

The excellent editorial “Tougher measures needed for minor crimes” (Feb 11) made me reflect on the many years I was an “Independent nominated person” prior to the Covid pandemic.

At times I was called upon to support a young person before and during an interview with a police officer, helping the child to understand their rights and to support them should they choose to make a statement. It always struck me as extremely sad that the young person didn’t have, or in many cases didn’t want, an adult they knew to be their support person. Although sometimes the person they wanted was refused by the police, couldn’t be found, or were too far away.

I often wonder how many of these youngsters carried on to become hardened criminals. They were so young and aways polite in their interactions with me.

But the offences some were being interviewed about were dreadful. I can only imagine their home life was devoid of decent parenting. And this is no doubt the reason for all the rampant crime we are now seeing.

Lorraine Kidd, Warkworth.

Haka guise

Unfortunately your editorial regarding TJ Perenara’s haka introduction missed the point (Feb 8).

By using the phrase “Toitū Te Tiriti”, which is the Māori Party-aligned protest group’s adopted slogan, TJ was going beyond the plain meaning of those words and was instead aligning the team and wider rugby collective with that particular protest group, including its political stance and rhetoric.

He clearly did not adequately consult those who would be impacted by that decision, who have since expressed discomfort at what transpired. A true message of unity could have been delivered without adopting the rallying cry of a protest group, so it seems TJ used this as a guise to make a personal political statement.

Speaking in a personal capacity, in a post-match interview or similar, would’ve been a more appropriate way to make such a statement.

Jack Fox, Northcote Point.

Foreign investors

The Government rejoices at the prospect of the injection of billions of foreign investment dollars into the economy. Like correspondents Reg Dempster and Isaac Broome (Feb 11), I wonder about the effect on the lives of ordinary citizens. Families already have to compete with wealthy bidders to buy a home and the possibility of home ownership could become even more remote. With a large proportion of their income going on rent, ordinary New Zealanders (dare I say “bottom feeders”?) will find it impossible to save for their retirement - not a happy prospect for our future senior citizens.

Anne Martin, Helensville.