Yes, I mind the gap
Your welcome story (NZ Herald, March 25) on unfairly low pay for women refers to a gender pay gap.
But gender only relates to what's seen as "masculine" or "feminine" at a given point in time. These are subjective attributes of appearance, which are infinitely and legitimately,
changeable.
Although most women can now wear "masculine" attire as much as we like at work, we aren't paid less because of our appearance.
Women's reduced pay-packets actually arise from patriarchy's historical (and false) assertion that women's reproductive capacities justify our unpaid domesticity: perpetually requiring us to work for love, not money.
This view objectifies women as innately ineligible for paid employment on the same terms as men. And it is what makes females' ongoing economic inequality a sexual pay gap.
Janet Charman, Avondale.
Caring for arrivals
Thomas Coughlan writes about the problems immigration brings (NZ Herald, March 24). He talks about the difficulties both National and Labour have had and will have while keeping the electorate happy.
With more and more refugees on the move from either war-torn countries or through climate change effects, we are going to be placed in a position to face our responsibility and take them in.
Coughlan is right to talk about the need to maintain multi-party consensus as the stresses and changes will need to be solidly based and confirmed by all parties.
What is worrying health professionals is the move taking place now at the Māngere Refugee Resettlement Centre, an internationally respected centre and part of the Auckland Regional Public Health Service. It's a one-stop-shop, with all services needed for the resettling of refugees on-site, with interpreters and well-qualified staff on call covering medical, dental, psychological, educational, and social needs, many of which are new to incoming immigrants. All of this has been handed out to general practitioners, ill-prepared to do. These changes seem unwise, are inward-looking, and quite frightening for new and established New Zealanders. Our health is our priority as we showed during the pandemic, so someone somewhere needs to ask some very appropriate questions, starting with: Why?
Emma Mackintosh, Birkenhead.
Most welcome
Not that long ago, I was at a barber's and talked to the gentleman cutting my hair about his background. He was a Kurd and had escaped the Turkish oppression, along with a close friend of his, spending a number of years in a refugee camp in Pakistan.
When the opportunity finally arose for both of them to resettle, their choices were, if I recall correctly, Switzerland or New Zealand. The barber chose New Zealand. Why? Because when he had been a schoolboy, his teacher had a postcard of Wellington on the classroom wall. I'm very proud of the fact that our country welcomes refugees. They, and we, are better for it.
Matt Elliott, Birkdale.
Venturing out
Now that Omicron appears to be on the wane, and the worst of the Covid pandemic appears to be behind us, we are unfortunately left with the collateral damage inflicted by this outbreak, principally the enormous fear factor that still permeates the country.
For two years the Government has pushed the message of stay home, save lives don't mix in large numbers, stay safe.
As a consequence of this, a lot is left with an underlying perception that it is still not safe to venture out. The additional consequence of this is that retail and hospitality businesses are being sent to the wall.
The same government communications blitz that drove this fear must now be put into overdrive to tell the people it is safe to go out, albeit taking sensible precautions, and to support the retailers, cafes, restaurants, hotels and airlines.
Peter J Fahey, Rakino.
Mane competitors
There's an old joke about a safari guide and his client walking on the savannah and the client asks, What do we do if a lion comes along? The guide says we run. The client replies, what are you serious? You can't outrun a lion. To this the guide replies, I don't have to outrun the lion, I just have to outrun you.
So, Pak'nSave clearly and aggressively pitches itself as the no-frills cheapest supermarket.
Countdown counters with these really great touchy-feely ads with that wonderful woman who says, It's time to get real New Zealand. he's so great, so warm, so engaging.
Pak n Save knows it doesn't have to be genuinely cheap, the Commerce Commission isn't a lion, not even an angry kitten. Pak'nSave just has to be cheaper than Countdown.
And that, my friends, is free-market completion.
John Christiansen, Mt Albert.
