Bruce Owen, from Drury, writes that Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and the coalition government are on the right track in actively promoting overseas investment in NZ. Photo / Sylvie Whinray
We need a long-term vision for infrastructure
I believe the Government is on the right track by actively promoting our country for investment by overseas investors (Mar 14).
Because we have a relatively low population we do not have the tax base, even if a capital gains tax was introduced, to provide the investment our country needs.
I also believe that the Government is wise by involving Labour in the process. There has to be a bi-partisan approach when it comes to our infrastructure and other investments.
It is therefore totally irresponsible for Green MP Julie Anne Genter to be reported as stating that her party would revoke any fast-track approved project. Our country cannot afford the continual on-again, off-again consequence of differences in political ideologies.
For our country to prosper we need innovation and investment but also long-term commitment.
Bruce Owen, Drury.
Traffic solutions
Mark Young’s letter calling to terminate T3 lanes on Onewa Rd makes good sense (Mar 13).
But there is so much more a restructured Auckland Transport under Auckland Council has to do. AT has given no thought to access for emergency services – ambulance, fire, police, plus rubbish trucks, couriers and deliveries.
The multiple obstructions AT has littered our roads with must be removed – speed bumps, flower boxes and the almost unused bike lanes.
Then there is the ridiculous planning building density mistakes which imagined people wouldn’t need motor vehicles – I bet all the planners have cars? The only sensible fix now for the too-narrow roads in new subdivisions is to ban private vehicle parking on streets and to allow parking off-street and on driveways in private property or council berms – not on footpaths. Same for major carriageways.
Why do we have to spend so much time and money cleaning up after the incompetents? That’s why Auckland rates are too high.
Gary Carter, Gulf Harbour.
Free Scott Watson
Another Scott Watson appearance before the Parole Board and once again we witness the board attempting to facilitate prisoner “reintegration” while shackled to the absurd paradigm of justice system infallibility (Mar 14).
Arthur Allan Thomas, Teina Pora et al are grim testimony to the contrary - sometimes egregiously so. Yet despite this the board and its allied Corrections personnel must proceed as though this possibility does not exist.
This whole case has been riven with anomalies from day one. But when Watson continues to maintain his innocence – despite all manner of incentives to do otherwise – the board, trapped in its impossible Catch-22 scenario, is forced to interpret this as “lack of remorse” and proof of further recalcitrance.
One psychologist reportedly remarked: “He thinks he is a victim of the system, unfairly mistreated, innocent of things other people know to have occurred … Those are personality traits that are of concern”.
If you are indeed innocent, these are not “traits” but justifiable human reactions to being caged for half your life for a crime you did not commit, as would be the other relatively trivial examples given of his purported intractability.
This hearing was initially delayed because board chairman Sir Ron Young was concerned differing reports around Watson’s risk of reoffending were a “confusing array”. The new reports are no different.
Given Watson has already served eight years more than his allotted minimum sentence, it’s time Sir Ron’s board delivered long overdue clarity to this highly flawed case and recommends Watson’s immediate release, with or without conditions.
Frank Greenall, Whanganui.
Hire on merit
There’s absolutely no rational conflict between diversity and merit-based appointments, but employer virtue-signalling about the former does add unnecessary stress to any appointee in any job, including politics.
Because of complaints about its mishandling of sexual assault allegations in 2022, NZ Defence Force makes a big issue of its “diverse and inclusive workplace”, which no doubt galvanised those “armchair admirals” (Mar 11).
Neither we taxpayers nor our private sector can afford jobs filled by other than on merit. Objective “merit” – devoid of irrelevant or unconscious bias - must be the only criterion and related messaging must be - and sound - convincing. “Minority” appointees can then flourish - without cruel “labels” - in happier and supportive workplaces.
That still leaves scope to provide training and work opportunities for minorities, provided their acceptance recognises their interests rather than their gender, race, disability etc. And the government must retain a role in such areas as financing parental leave and tertiary education.
“Diversity, equity and inclusion” policies invigorate right-wing political parties – those less mainstream than NZ First – and those armchair admirals could well provide their electoral springboard into Parliament.
Richard Featherstone, Wellington.
Crucial delegation
With Foreign Minister Winston Peters about to embark on delicate negotiations with the United States regarding tariffs and other key issues, I find myself reflecting on the various Foreign Ministers we have had in recent years. The question arises - who would we prefer to lead this crucial delegation?
While I did not personally vote for his party, I must acknowledge that Peters’ extensive diplomatic experience and ability to navigate complex international discussions make him the right person for the job. His pragmatic approach and well-established relationships on the global stage could serve New Zealand well in these critical talks.
In times like these, political affiliations should take a back seat to competence. Regardless of one’s political leanings, ensuring we have the most capable negotiator representing New Zealand’s interests is what truly matters.
Alan Walker, St Heliers.
Move on
An open letter to David Seymour: You have made the wrong decision on this programme. You need to admit it, correct it, and move on.
This programme can never be managed by centralising it. It is, and always will be, a local decentralised issue. You should delegate the responsibility and authority for running the scheme to each individual school. They in turn will be accountable to you for its success.
Each school applies for funding based on student numbers and then it is over to each school how they spend that money.
Don’t get involved in the details. That is not your role.
Warwick Bringans, Taupō.
Snowball effect
The principal of Kimihia School, Pamela Dunn, has informed parents that “the school’s healthy lunch provision will be suspended until further notice”.
Dunn also asked parents to make sure their children brought a lunch to school and gave some suggestions as to what could be included.
If this innovative idea is a success, and there’s no reason why it shouldn’t be, there could be a positive snowball effect with other dissatisfied school principals following suit.
If it really gathered momentum and all parents supplied their own children with a lunch, it could be said that in a roundabout way the so-called disastrous school lunches provided by the Government had a very successful, though unintended, outcome.
Lorraine Kidd, Warkworth.
Footing the bill
While I get that today’s large investment companies have access to cheap capital, I do not believe for a second that they will pass this on to us as taxpayers.
Our government, with a good credit rating and relatively low debt, can also access cheap capital. For infrastructure projects the difference is that the profit the investment companies need to make on capital is considerably greater than the interest our government pays.
Either way we taxpayers have to foot the bill, and public-private partnerships will always cost us more.
Ra Cleave, Rotorua.
Latest results show a Labour coalition would have enough seats to govern. Would this mean co-governance, more taxes, increased crime, more money for gang rehab, massive government overspending, more consultants, more civil servants, light rail back on, bike lanes over the Harbour Bridge, 100,000 houses in the next 10 years, etc, etc. Are these some of the things we could look forward to?
Ian MacGregor, Greenhithe.
Winston Peters’ latest railing against the appointment of tikanga leadership at MFAT — in defiance of that organisation’s stated diversity commitment and his own party’s constitution — displays his prejudice to the point of childishness. He and his comrades in NZ First and ACT seem hell-bent on destroying Aotearoa’s rich and unique cultural relationships and replacing them with some sort of bland Eurocentric neocolonialism or even Trump-like dictatorship.
Peter Beyer, Sandringham.
So school lunches are now being flown in from Australia. Surely this is more expensive than sourcing the meals locally. Why does our country feel that we must source all resources from overseas, without exploring local options? School lunches are not the only example where imported goods are the preferred solution. We are well-resourced in this country but this is regularly overlooked - do we have small-country syndrome?
K.S. Agar, Onehunga.
Did I read correctly that we are now importing school lunches from Australia? What an absolute shambles.
Geoff Leckie, Flat Bush.
Both political parties have turned the school lunch programme into a nightmare at their own behest. Labour started it, claiming they were ending poverty, which they claim is their mandate to solve. National sort of agreed, but they wanted to do it on a shoestring. Both parties have actually failed. The solution seems simple: give the schools the money to fund their own lunches; they know their needs better than the Beehive does.
John Ford, Taradale.
It would seem that if you are a fugitive and want to hide from the police then the small settlement of Marokopa is precisely the place to head for. Surely there is much more to this than the authorities are letting on but it’s coming at a substantial cost now to the taxpayer. Get it sorted once and for all. It is simply unbelievable that they cannot, or have not been located.
Paul Beck, West Harbour.
In just seven weeks Donald Trump has crashed the economy, taken America to the brink of a recession, wrecked the government, lost the respect of America’s friends and neighbours and surrendered to the murderous, serial lying and convicted felon Vladimir Putin. Nowhere in American history has a president managed to achieve all of that in such a short time when in office.
Gary Hollis, Mellons Bay.
Simeon Brown wants us to be able to see a doctor within a week. I grew up at a time when we could get an appointment in less than a day. Talk about a lack of ambition.
Greg Cave, Sunnyvale.
Phil Goff makes a very true statement, which most people would agree with, and gets sacked?
Laurence Mallon, Te Atatū.
The Drua presumably provided the Chiefs with police escorts and quality accommodation etc in Fiji - and then flogged them on the field. One wonders if the Chiefs should have travelled back home from Auckland Airport in the back of a luggage truck to atone for this defeat
Garry Wycherley, Awakino.
The doctor denies that any sexual activity took place while at his work.