Letters: Power companies switch common decency for profit; newbies’ stadium protests don’t stack up

Auckland mum-of-three Jenna, who spoke to Herald reporter Kirsty Wynn for her new series about energy hardship, often has to choose between food or heating. Photo / Sylvie Whinray

Power firms put profit before people

It was very sobering to read the article regarding electricity “hardship” (NZ Herald, July 8).

The kicker was the fact that the power companies made $7.4 million a day in profits while 40,000 households had their target="_blank">power disconnected for non-payment, then had to pay big reconnection fees.

Surely these reconnection fees could be waived with proof of hardship? Once again, common decency is thrown out in favour of dividends for shareholders – an all too common occurrence in our society.

Hamish Walsh, Devonport.

Poorest Kiwis punished

Like most of the readers of the article “The powerless: Living in the dark”, I am appalled at the energy companies’ relentless pursuit of profit.

Is this a society that we can be proud of? Is poverty a crime that should be punished, or is it a solvable blight that collectively we can eliminate?

To misquote Voltaire, we should all be judged on the good we did not do.

Sue Gedye, Te Aroha.

Stadium must stay

Myself and a lot of other ratepayers back correspondent Roger Hawkins’ take on the Western Springs Stadium debacle (NZ Herald, July 8).

People who buy near there know it’s a multi-use facility before they purchase property, and then they go and whinge. After attending different entertainment there over the last 50 to 60 years, it would be an absolute shame for this great amenity to be abolished because of newbies wanting to make changes to suit themselves.

John Rack, Waiuku.

Missing link

Bryce Edwards’ synthesis on the need for a rail-enabled ferry service (NZ Herald, July 3) should be compulsory reading. While past and present Governments have abrogated infrastructure decisions, the inability to entrench a reliable connection between the country’s two main islands suggests deeper views are at play.

While the recent decision not to fund the ferry/rail integration is argued as being due to economic reasons, I wonder if this is more an outworking of a latent belief within the political and bureaucratic spheres that New Zealand can function perfectly well as a “disconnected” country. I would counter this strange logic: it is through being better connected that New Zealand can be more economically efficient. To help achieve this, at a minimum, ferries need to be rail-enabled.

Murray Boardman, Dunedin.

Sotutu short-changed

One test in and Gregor Paul claims selecting Ardie Savea proved overseas selections are the way to go (NZ Herald, July 6). I would suggest that the Super Rugby Pacific Player of the Year not even making the squad is greater evidence that overseas selections are detrimental to the health of New Zealand rugby.

Hoskins Sotutu would have every reason to feel aggrieved. What incentive do we offer young and upcoming players to stay? We have just shown that they can play out of their skin all season, win player of the year and sign up to New Zealand Rugby for another two years, yet miss out on the All Blacks to a player based overseas. Savea had a great game, no argument. But I’m sure Sotutu would have had a brilliant game as well.

Remain in New Zealand must remain, or New Zealand’s local talent will be quickly decimated.

Kent Millar, Blockhouse Bay.

Evidence comes second

My compliments to Professor Simon Kingham of Canterbury University for his closely argued piece laying out the case for speed limit restrictions (NZ Herald, July 8).

I wish every politician would read it. Unfortunately, I fear solid scientific evidence and the worldwide trend to prioritise safety over drivers’ freedom to get where they want a minute or two earlier will not persuade policymakers. Our right to do whatever we like, whatever the consequences, will win the day.

Peter Calder, Westmere.

Biden can’t win

Joe Biden can’t recover, because his fight is not so much with Donald Trump but with Father Time.

The electorate always votes on a promise of the future. Usually one’s track record is a salient indicator in this determination, and Biden’s record is one of considerable achievement. The problem is that his record is less important in determining the likely future than his age and frailty.

He is, in effect, arguing the unsupportable proposition that he is going to be less fragile in one to four years than he is today. Hopefully he will do the right thing by stepping aside, letting history treat him favourably.

Peter Jansen, Mission Bay.

Democracy losing

In 2019, the UK Labour Party received 10,260,051 votes, which was 32.2% of the 67% of people who voted. In 2024, the UK Labour Party received 9,704,655 votes, which was 33.7% of the 60% of people who voted.

While under the British system the result was undoubtedly a landslide victory for Labour, the figures suggest that people are turning away from the democratic process. The US election threatens to accelerate this trend. Democracy itself seems to be failing.

John O’Neill, Dargaville.