No free lunch
Whilst I acknowledge that the Government is making efforts to provide nutritious school lunches within the budget constraints they face, it’s clear that the situation is a no-win one.
There will always be critics, whether it’s regarding the content of the meals or the cost involved, without a proper understanding of the broader issue.
The reality is it should primarily be the responsibility of parents to ensure they can provide for their families, rather than relying on handouts from the Government.
There seems to be a growing trend of families, particularly larger ones, struggling to meet their basic needs. This raises important questions about family planning, as many of these households find themselves unable to feed their children adequately.
In many cases, it’s the children who suffer the most, deprived of opportunities for a better quality of life because of circumstances beyond their control.
While it is essential to provide support where necessary, we must also ask whether we are inadvertently encouraging a cycle of dependency rather than promoting responsibility, self-sufficiency and proper planning.
Alan Walker, St Heliers.
Brand damage
Our farming family shares the concerns of many other primary producers about the controversial Gene Technology Bill, cynically released by Science Minister Judith Collins just before Christmas.
We don’t need GE or gene-edited grasses or crops to meet the needs of consumers or farmers. We do need to prioritise truly sustainable primary production.
However, we already have the tools we need to address environmental concerns.
These include having mixed pasture species and including seaweed in the diets of animals, both of which have been shown to reduce methane production.
Outdoor GE experiments and field trials are too high-risk – they can result in GE contamination via pollen, seeds, vegetative material, soils, waterways, wind, machinery, animals, insects and extreme weather events including floods.
New Zealand’s GMO-free farming gives us a clear competitive edge and ensures premium prices, especially in markets like the United States. However, the extreme deregulation proposed by the bill will almost certainly jeopardise this distinction by allowing unnotified releases of GMOs.
The lack of adequate consultation with farmers is also beyond belief, considering we are the ones who face the likelihood of serious adverse impacts.
They include: market rejection of product and consumer pushback; loss of market premiums; brand reputation damage to agriculture, tourism and other industries; loss of non-GMO certification; and the potential for unintended negative consequences as a result of changes to the genome.
Linda Grammer, Westport.
Enjoying the game
G. Spencer asks if anyone watches “those dopey game shows on TV” (NZ Herald, January 11). There is a simple answer ... yes, worldwide millions do.
Far from being a “load of c***” there is a lot of research that shows watching game shows can stimulate the brain, improve memory and improve problem-solving skills.
I’d suggest Spencer loosens up a bit, settles down in front of the TV and watches an episode of The Chase. They may find themself calling out answers, laughing at some of the silly answers the under-pressure contestants give and generally enjoying the entertainment and escapism.
Lorraine Kidd, Warkworth.
Back to the future
For all of those concerned by Meta turning its platforms into a modern version of the Wild West, in line with X or Twitter as it once was, there is a simple solution: delete their apps and go back to safer and less worrying methods of communication.
Text and email will keep you connected without the stress and falsehoods of those platforms.
Then follow reliable and honest news sites rather than the data-scraping ones promoted by Meta, Google etc.
Sometimes the future means taking a step backwards.
James Archibald, Birkenhead.
Black Caps brains trust shown up
The Black Caps were out-batted and out-bowled in the third ODI at Eden Park and the Sri Lankans showed what they are capable of.
The secret weapon? The skidder at pace which the batters can’t get their bats under and is almost as effective as the yorker.
Hence there was a dearth of fours and sixes from the Black Caps and the opposite from the Sri Lankans, who were given the luxury of too many short balls, which belies the importance of having at least one short and fast bowler in the team (Sri Lanka has an abundance of them).
This is why the likes of Lockie Ferguson and Neil Wagner are so essential. Nathan Smith has potential but was easy meat for the Sri Lankan batters, having 24 scored off him in his first two overs (including two sixes), which would indicate he still has a lot to learn.
Gary Hollis, Mellons Bay.
