Cold and dark hearts
Kia ora to Simon Wilson for his article (NZ Herald, February 19) on our attitude to poverty. The British High Commissioner summed it up succinctly: "Kiwis aspire to a Scandinavian lifestyle/philosophy but have an American attitude to taxation."
You only have to read Hansard debate records over the
years to see the attitudes of most of our politicians when it comes to poverty. They range from patronising to contemptuous to downright hostile, the overlying theme being that the poor have only themselves to blame, what with their gambling, ciggies and alcohol. Nobel economist and philosopher Daniel Kahneman gives the lie to these sentiments. When you are at the bottom of the heap, you will choose to spend your last ten dollars on a lottery ticket instead of milk and bread, not from a lack of common sense but from desperation brought about by sheer hopelessness.
Although Kiwis will open their hearts and wallets for individual tales of tragedy or misfortune, their screams of outrage at being asked to help pay for everyone to get a fair start in life can be heard in Antarctica.
Until we remove this darkness from our hearts, nothing will change.
Jeremy Dunningham, Napier.
Proven interventions
Prior to the 2017 election, Treasury reported tens of thousands of New Zealanders had been lifted out of poverty by the evidence-based, targeted investment initiatives of the then National Government.
The incoming Labour administration wiped all these proven, successful programmes with the result that, instead of declining hugely, the number of New Zealanders living in poverty in 2020, pre-Covid, had gone up by over 4000.
With the numbers in poverty increasing since then, the child poverty statistics being due for release today and these proven interventions existing, why are few media commentators holding the Government to account for the failure to use them?
Dr Cam Calder, Devonport.
Critical conscience
Associate Professor Susan St John's research in economic governance is a "work of art" shot through with an ethics of care - a project which constantly works towards the redistribution of power and wealth which would mean inevitably a reduction of choice available to the rich.
Janfrie Wakim is so right (NZ Herald, February 18) to point to the need for more attention to be paid to the work of academics who have devoted years of their working lives to research in social justice and equity at local and international levels only to have it ignored by politicians flailing around in need of policy direction.
Why accept politically, the idea of the university as providing the "critical conscience of society", and then fail to engage in a humble scrutiny of academic "output" which governments promoted within the dominating ethos of performance-based research funding?
Dr Janet E. Mansfield, Mt Eden.
Teachers next
I am in the demographic that has priority because of age and a pre-existing condition, but I would far rather that teachers were vaccinated ahead of me so that schools can stay open during any future lockdown.
Not only is children's education currently being disrupted, there is also the economic effect on households of a parent being required to stay home from work to supervise those children.
Fiona Downes, Hobsonville.
Practical test
I live in Hawaii and, for 20 years, have maintained a home in the Wairarapa from which I am presently barred. Naturally, I look forward to the NZ government allowing non-citizens who can demonstrate a negative Covid test and have a Covid vaccination certificate to return once more to this country they enjoy.
As a practising physician, I believe that once those NZ citizens who wish to be vaccinated have been, the only way to properly assess the efficacy of this nationwide effort would be to prudently allow qualified non-citizens to return and safely resume their participation in this culture.
Lee Guertler MD, PhD, Honolulu, Hawaii.
