Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has suggested the city's public libraries could be staffed by volunteers. Photo / Inna Reznik, 123rf, File
Poor book-keeping
Mayor Wayne Brown seems happy to cultivate a reputation as someone disinterested in understanding or supporting the arts - fair enough, you may say. But he also risks a reputation as a successful businessman by ignoring the considerable contribution arts and cultural activities make to the city’s GDP. His suggestion that libraries can be run by volunteers makes neither cultural nor business sense. A businessman would benchmark this move against international examples like the UK, in particular England and Wales. The Public Libraries News website stated that, since April 2010, an estimated 381 library service points have closed and at least 262 are now being run by volunteers. A further 233 are known to be currently under threat of closure or transfer. Public spending cuts have closed almost 800 libraries in the past decade – a fifth of UK’s total. Libraries have a history of volunteerism, but it is not without its challenges. Volunteer workforces also require managing, resourcing and a budget. Volunteers provide valuable support, but even volunteers know they are not substitutes for qualified librarians.
Hilary Beaton, executive director, Public Libraries of NZ.
State care?
The story of “Moana” being returned to Oranga Tamariki (NZ Herald, March 22) is one of the most deeply disturbing and disgraceful your paper has ever covered. That cultural politics can be played at the expense of a vulnerable girl’s well-being is indefensible. It is a gross abuse of the state’s power. It is heartbreaking that the parents who have cared for her so capably have been driven to give up and send the poor child back into the state’s care. Surely an end can be put to this monstrous behaviour.
Owen Jennings, Papakura.
Lofty ambitions
In 2019, Auckland Council declared a climate emergency. Last year, it approved a transport plan for climate which involves halving domestic aviation emissions by 2030. This year, there are plans for cuts to public transport and community services. But elsewhere, there is money for an incredible $3.9 billion upgrade of a single facility – Auckland Airport, of which the largest shareholder is the council itself. Amongst other things, it will offer the “improved bathroom facilities” that travellers have “repeatedly told us they want”, according to the airport CEO. But it will also add more gates, each serving larger planes. Each plane is more fuel efficient per seat, but the combined effect is greater emissions. Meanwhile, across town at the Intercity bus depot operated by Sky City, the facilities are decrepit and disgusting. As researchers on aviation emissions, we find this imbalance alarming. Investment in fossil-fuel infrastructure locks in greater demand at exactly the time when we should be doing the opposite, as the unfortunate passengers – themselves a part of the problem – discovered when the terminal was flooded in a storm made worse by the burning of fossil fuels.
Paul Callister, Victoria University and Robert McLachlan, Massey University.
Miss the bus
So, the Government wants to reduce the number of people driving on the roads by a third (NZ Herald, March 21)? I’ll stay away from public transport thank you very much. My teenage son was recently beaten by three thugs on a public bus on his way home from school. All captured by the bus video and the social media video postings, there was plenty of evidence to submit. After talking to the Police Youth Aid Officer about this aggravated assault, he advised that they cannot trespass these thugs from the bus. I was also bewildered by AT’s response that it would take all steps to stop it from happening again, but when asked to elaborate on exactly what this would be, was then advised that nothing could be done. And the icing on the cake, is that five days later, one of AT’s bus drivers was stabbed. Sorry, but our family chooses the car to navigate around this troubled city.
Andrew Taylor, Whitford.
Enough cones
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has hit the cone on the head – it’s time to adopt a more sensible approach to traffic management. In 2022 Waka Kotahi proposed a shift to a risk-based approach to roadworks safety versus the prescriptive one-size-fits-all tick-box approach of coning off everything. Auckland Transport didn’t agree, and the result is the road cone mountain commuters now navigate across our largest and busiest city. Auckland Transport and other local bodies need to allow tailored traffic management that is job-appropriate, less costly, and far less disruptive. National Road Carriers Association, representing 1500 companies that operate 20,000 trucks around New Zealand, agrees with Mayor Brown that the current overly prescriptive traffic management regime is unjustifiable. It is placing unnecessary economic costs and disruption on Aucklanders. Road maintenance needs to be a priority, but it must be done more efficiently so the impact on the communities is minimised.
Justin Tighe-Umbers, CEO, National Road Carriers Association.
Taxation vexation
Whether it’s Labour or National talking about tax the real issue is who pays for education, health, infrastructure, etc. We are clearly living beyond our means. Unless tax is amended to accommodate these issues we will continue to go backward. Poor and unwise spending just exacerbates the situation as does a poorly graded tax system.
Ian MacGregor, Greenhithe.
Borrowing a hole
Who does Huw Dann (NZ Herald, March 22) think will be paying for all of Labour’s borrowing in the years to come? Having a tax calculator is an easy way for people to work out how much money Labour is taking from them each year. The reality is, it will be future generations who will be paying off the billions that Labour borrowed and printed. As Winston Churchill famously said: " We contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.”
Mark Young, Ōrewa.
Lobby room
Political lobbyists of all sorts make the headlines working for their cause. Our democratic society has many so-called lobbyists who appear to have been paid for their efforts. And then there are others who enter Parliament with an agenda from the past, and a support base which may just happen to translate to votes for the party of their choice. So how does democracy and impartiality fit with this?
Stuart Mackenzie, Ōhura.
Fascinating people
I am motivated to praise Elisabeth Easther for the interesting “My Story……as told to” pieces. In particular, the story with Jae Frew (NZ Herald, March 21). Fascinating to read how he developed his interest in photography from a young man’s hobby into an art form. It would be great to see the exhibition. Easther finds people with unusual or unique backgrounds to share their stories. We always learn from them.
Lesley Clark, Hillpark.
Precarious China
Herald contributor David Mairs claims (NZ Herald, March 21), “The US increasingly cannot compete against the growing Chinese economic expansion, its economy sagging.” Beijing has, in fact, compromised the growth miracle of Deng Xiaoping’s free-market model which generated prosperity post the Mao era. China’s veiled threats to annex Taiwan, their “limitless friendship” with Russia and a perceived unwillingness to influence Putin to end the carnage in Ukraine are of concern to the whole OECD world which could undermine 75 years of diplomacy and threaten the markets their exporters depend on, China walks a tightrope. It’s so often said, “never bet against the USA.
P. J. Edmondson, Tauranga.
Winning strategy
What will “Razor” bring to the All Blacks? Judging by the Crusaders v Blues game last weekend, more sophisticated cheating by means of wall-to-wall offside play and shepherding, thus enabling us to regularly beat England with their own dedication to those self same skills.
Peter Beyer, Sandringham.
Willing a loss
How extraordinary that NZRU decision-makers have set up a situation whereby at the next World Cup, they will be huddling around their television sets or sitting overseas in their corporate boxes, fingers crossed that the All Blacks do not win the Cup. This is to place protecting themselves against embarrassment ahead of joining in with our nation’s pride in winning. Extraordinary in this, (or any?) country’s experience.
Dave Norris, Mangawhai Heads.
On policies
The Nats won’t tell us what their solutions are, Labour won’t say whether the “bonfires” won’t reignite after October. Who to trust with confidence? Ian Doube, Rotorua.
On education
It won’t be long before the moaning envious identify literacy and numeracy as one of their measures of the haves vs the have-nots. Lloyd Murcott, Whangamatā.
On footpath
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown is not cycling on Great North Rd as your caption (NZH, Mar. 21) suggests but on the footpath. He should know better. Mike Wells, Kawerau.
Here’s an idea for Mayor Brown to collect some revenue: Instruct Auckland Council to enforce this law and fine footpath cyclists, starting with himself. John Riley, Ōrewa
On debt
The main reason for our country’s financial problems is that we have learned to live on what we owe. Joy Bell, Ellerslie.
On Robertson
How does announcing the new coach at this time, benefit the game and the players? The board has forgotten about the sport and the purpose of its existence. K. S. Agar, Onehunga.
Richard Prebble: Coup no one voted for
Richard is dead right, you can’t borrow your way out of an inflationary economy. At some point, you have to pay the piper. And that is going to hurt - a lot of people, unfortunately. John H.
It doesn’t matter what your policies are if you’re not in power, as everybody knows. Jod M.
Maybe not in power but definitely part of the discussion and speaking from experience, which is always worth listening to. Garry R.
The decision to stage this legal coup must be the result of months of secret debate within the Labour Party. No wonder Jacinda Ardern did not want to lead the dismantling of her policies. Not what we were told. What a Machiavellian lot. Mark R.
My extended family is a commercial tomato grower. The price paid by supermarkets is fixed to growers and is a tiny ratio of the price paid by the end customers. We (the Government) need to do something about our supermarket monopolies. that’s where at least part of the problem lies since supermarket monopolies can dictate the price in the market. Anmol M.