'Our family have had to watch her suffer terrible anguish as she has been treated on an outpatient basis, only going into care for short stays at crisis times.' File photo / Getty
I concur with J F Beveridge (NZ Herald, June 25) regarding the gap in the mental health system since the abolition of long-stay hospitals.
One of my adult children has had severe mental health problems for around 30 years. Our family have had
to watch her suffer terrible anguish as she has been treated on an outpatient basis, only going into care for short stays at crisis times. It seems as soon as she is under apparent control they can't wait to send her home to make room for others. She has been in and out of the justice system during this time. Family have despaired that there is nowhere for her to go long term, concerned that one day she will harm others or herself. And so it has eventually happened. She has recently been found guilty of violence in a jury trial and is awaiting sentence. If she goes to jail or even is given home detention, it will be a sad indictment on our mental health system.
Name withheld, Mt Eden.
I can't believe that Auckland Council allows e-scooters the run of footpaths which are for pedestrians to use. Cyclists aren't allowed on them, horse riders aren't allowed on them - so why are scooters?
Auckland Council has more restrictions over where and when dogs are allowed due to concerns around public safety than they have for scooters.
As of October 2018 (nine months), there had been 105 dog-related injuries at Auckland beaches, according to ACC. In 2017, there were 158, and in 2016, there were 130. Some of these weren't even the fault of the dog but the person could have tripped over while walking the dog.
Compare this with the 656 ACC claims related to scooter injuries over only a four-month period (October 14, 2018 to February 16, 2019) in Auckland.
Maybe we need dogs to round up the e-scooters and keep them under control? Could be a city version of A Dog Show.
Claire Teirney, Stanmore Bay.
John Roughan has it (NZ Herald, June 24) that David Hisco deserves credit for at least one notable contribution to New Zealand's wellbeing today. Apparently in 2016 as chief executive of the country's largest trading bank, Hisco declared it was pulling back on mortgage lending and in doing so helped turn the tide on house prices. I wouldn't comment on whether that wasn't an act of magnanimous altruism or he was simply doing his job.
I would like to nominate someone else who deserves credit for at least one notable contribution to New Zealand's wellbeing today. That person is someone who has got out of bed most mornings for 40 years and in earning an average of less than $50,00 a year not made as much as Mr Hisco likely made on one St Heliers house deal.
I accept that Mr Hisco's fall from grace will probably mean he will miss out on one of the usual trimmings to celebrate his great contribution to New Zealand, being on one of the Honours Lists. That will hardly be noticed by the "Kiwi battler" living in the real "real" world.
Peter Nicholson, Ruatangata.
Today's headline (NZ Herald, June 25) tells me police think seizing $650m of criminal assets over nine years proves crime doesn't pay. Who's kidding whom? That's seizing about $70m per year. If criminals see seizures as their "tax" on crime and, if total profits of crime exceed $250m per year, the criminals are paying less than their fair share of "taxes".
I'll bet the national proceeds of crime exceed $250m per year. So compared to legitimate business, crime pays.
John Pearce, Remuera.
Anyone who has doubts about retirement living need only visit The Poynton at Takapuna, which celebrated its 10th birthday on June 25, to see what a great lifestyle this is.
Two hundred and fifty-plus residents gathered to celebrate life at The Poynton, it was a wonderful and happy occasion.
The chief executive from Metlifecare and other staff members from head office were also in attendance and enjoyed an evening all were treated equal – something I am sure Metlifecare are proud of.
It was great for our manager who is leaving us for "greener pastures" as this was his final function and my personal thanks to all involved for such a wonderful and well planned evening.
Retirement living is a great lifestyle, it takes away the worry of security and gives one freedom and a stress-free life.
Thanks to village operators for giving us this choice of living, something our grandparents did not have.
Jan Ellin, Milford.
Your correspondent Gary Hollis (NZ Herald, June 25) states it is the referee's fault if a rugby player ends up in the "sin bin". Surely the referee is there to ensure that the rules of the game are followed? If a player commits, as Gary puts it, a misdemeanour - such as Liam Squire's shoulder charge at the weekend - then he and his team suffer the consequences.
Don't blame the ref but the offender if his team is reduced to 14 players.
John Pollock, Pakuranga.
Your Dialogue article on the oppression of Uighur Muslims by China (NZ Herald, June 20) was fair and balanced.
However, there is a much larger global tragedy. Two important reports released independently - by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom and by the British Home Office - show that of all victims of religious persecution in the world today, 80 per cent are Christians. These are the indigenous and vulnerable Christians of Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
Why the deafening silence? Cowardice and political correctness. Any serious account of Christians being persecuted cannot avoid at least some criticism of the Islamic world, from which most of the persecution is coming.
Western liberal elites also cannot conceive of Christians as victims, because they still think Christianity is a European religion. Yet the great majority of Christians in the world are not European. The Middle East was Christian 500 years before the Anglo Saxons, and 1000 years before the Scandinavians. The plight of Middle East Christians today meets UN criteria for genocide, with millions of refugees unable to return home, and tens of thousands of their children kidnapped and sold into slavery.
Christians are also increasingly persecuted in Asia, India and Burma. Their stories desperately need to be told.
G W Tremain, West Harbour.
John Key was telling us, pre-2008 election, that whole stadiums were leaving New Zealand, every year. Then, they returned, and immigration as an economic policy was ratcheted up. Plenty of unaffordable, to many New Zealanders, houses were built - more as a rental fait accompli than a secure investment for all New Zealanders' futures. State houses were emptied and sold off or just left empty, causing a major shelter problem for many people.
Everyone is blaming the current Minister for Housing and Transport for not creating magic for them in 18 months. I say they have very short memories and are forgetting present work done building thousands of state houses for those in low-waged jobs. Yes, there are other New Zealanders that couldn't even dream of owning their own home because of low wages engineered for higher profit and need that security over them. Anything less is inhumane. I never thought Kiwis believed that was okay. I know they don't.
I believe in the plan for building enough affordable homes for ownership, providing secure tenancy state homes, not just housing for the few.
Minister Twyford needs to work towards fulfilling his laudable target and to ignore the interests that seek to undermine that aim. I believe in that ambitious plan because nothing else will do. We don't want others owning our homes and renting them back to us. That's plain wrong and unfair.
J Spencer, Pukekohe.
I believe the upsurge in gun violence, particularly in the US, is at least partly due to citizens' nerves being constantly rattled by uncertainty surrounding the future of their own and other nations, given the ever present spectre of global warfare. It seems the entire country is constantly on edge, ready to shoot first and ask questions later. I also believe that the main cause for this unhappy situation can be summed up in one acronym which, when expanded reads, do ordinary normal American lives deserve tyrannical, ranting, undeniably megalomaniac presidents?
I suspect the answer is no.
Jeremy Coleman, Hillpark.
On e-scooters
What idiots allowed them freedom of the cities? Look after your pedestrians, old and young first.
Gillian Dance, Mt Albert.
As presently (un)regulated, e-scooters are an e-accident waiting to happen.
Mike Wagg, Freemans Bay.
It was obvious, ever since their introduction, that people on the whole cannot be trusted to use good sense. Have we no common sense left at all?
A N Christie, Rotorua.
If whole families of pedestrians wear helmets, as obviously necessary protection from e-scooters, it would also send a powerful protest to the powers that be to finally wake up.
Brian John Evans, Mt Eden.
While we wait for the details of the Fanshawe St incident, remember that it's only a matter of time until the next death.
Rex Fausett, Auckland Central.
On Adams
Amy Adams and Nikki Kaye would have been a great combination for the 2020 election. We really should be saying farewell to Simon Bridges.
Sento Mehlhopt, Albany.
On Folau
So Australian Rugby and crowd sourcing providers wont support Folau's divisive rants. Let me guess, is it naughty old Satan who is influencing these organisations?
Andrew Tichbon, Green Bay.
Free speech is fine. As long as it fits in with our beliefs.
Karl van de Water, Maungaturoto.
It's understood a NZDF aircraft and multiple helicopters are involved.