Some rural parts of Auckland are wondering what is in the rates increases for them. Photo / Sylvie Whinray, File
Mr Mayor, smiling at us from a newspaper (NZ Herald, May 27), telling us what wonderful agreement there has been regarding raising rates, leads me to believe he has no real idea of how middle and low income-earners in greater Auckland are managing.
Living on the
fringe of Auckland, in Clevedon, where, believe it or not, we are not all millionaires or even close to it, my wife and I will be faced with leaving town once we go on superannuation alone. Forced out by rates.
This after serving our community for over 40 years.
Talk to the people Mr Mayor. The real people. Those who have lost their jobs, those who struggle to feed their families, those whom the current plague has left shattered, and in grief. Those having to sell up because their jobs are gone.
Then tell me you care about this city. And how the current rates increases are going to help them.
Mark Chapman, Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand, Clevedon.
Councillor dissent
Support for Mayor Phil Goff's budget (NZ Herald, May 27) was not unanimous. Along with four other councillors, I voted against the 5 per cent rate increase in Auckland Council Long Term Funding Plan because I do not believe it is a fair or financially sustainable situation for many Aucklanders.
Furthermore, I don't believe the 5 per cent increase adopted will resolve the many challenges facing Auckland and suspect there will be further proposals for even more rate increases next year.
It is time for a fundamental reset of the Auckland Council. I have long recognised that Auckland has experienced huge population growth. Auckland has not kept ahead of the infrastructure required.
It is time for Central Government to step in with realistic funding to support this growth, recognising that Aucklanders are currently shouldering an unfair burden. It is unrealistic to expect Aucklanders to cover these costs primarily using property tax.
Christine Fletcher, Auckland Councillor.
Have nots
One has to wonder at councillor Desley Simpson (NZ Herald, May 28) commenting that Paritai Drive only has a footpath on one side of the street, and that sewage runs down the road at Hapua St in Remuera.
Apparently, this was one of the main reasons for increasing the rates in West Auckland's rural communities by 16 per cent to 28 per cent. Half of Paritai Drive has a footpath on both sides and the rest of it only has one because of the steep cliff around the shoreline side. I'm sure the sewage and Hapua St would have been repaired by now.
Ninety per cent of the roads in our areas have no footpaths but do have many unrepaired potholes. We have no swimming pools or community halls, many unsealed roads and open drainage, no trains, no cycleways, no council rubbish collection. Horrendous traffic congestion on SH16 gets worse every week with more and more houses being built.
It would not be so bad if the money raised improved our facilities but, based on experience, it will be used elsewhere, as have the contributions paid by new house owners, collected from developers, supposed to be used for fixing local issues.
Lindsay Andrews, Kumeu.
Vaccine supplies
Similar to waves of Covid infections, we seem to be in the midst of a wave of people moaning about vaccination rates being "too slow". The obvious question for such people is where do they think the Government can magic up some additional vaccines?
At current vaccination rates, our supply of the Pfizer vaccine will last through June/July. Very large deliveries are not expected until July/August, Pfizer controls that production and delivery schedule.
We have orders for AstraZeneca and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Has anyone heard about deliveries of those, because I certainly haven't.
AstraZeneca deliveries were expected in May but never arrived. There is a global scramble for vaccines. India manufacturers vaccines but regularly runs short of doses despite banning vaccine exports. The US is donating surplus AstraZeneca doses to Canada and Mexico. Australia manufactures AstraZeneca but is scrambling to accelerate its vaccination efforts.
Rob George, Hamilton.
Yes, we scan
We can all see how rapidly the latest outbreak of Covid is rampaging through Melbourne and only a fool cannot see how easily that could happen here. This is another wake-up call New Zealand, to start using the QR Codes or sign in wherever you go.
Look how well NSW managed their last scare due to the fact that the original person infected had been 100 per cent thorough in recording all his movements. That man was a lifesaver. Time for you all to up your game and start recording every single move you make.
I am astounded at the number of places I visit throughout the greater Auckland area with my job, on a daily basis and they tell me I am the only person who still uses their QR Code. That is an extremely sad indictment on all of you who don't do it.
I do it for your safety and I'd really appreciate you all doing it for mine ... another big lockdown is something none of us needs, nor wants.
Gavin Sheehan, Torbay.
Work safety
It is my understanding that all employers owe their staff and customers a duty of care. In many industries this extends to drug testing to try to prevent workers operating with impaired abilities, which could put themselves and/or others at risk.
If there were to be an incident in one of our workplaces the employer is required to prove they have provided adequate training, PPE, tools and equipment to allow the job to be carried out safely and further that they have processes and procedures in place to ensure compliance.
It appears to me that the current Government is holding itself aloof to these responsibilities at our borders and frontline institutions, hospitals and MIQ facilities with regard to Covid-19. We have a Government full of rhetoric but incapable of doing even the most simple of tasks such as keeping a record of if or when critical staff have been tested for Covid-19 and/or been immunised.
I believe even one of our district courts would find them guilty of gross negligence.
Ray Milner, Cambridge.
Taiwan quandary
Taiwan is now in some serious trouble with increasing Covid cases and a more than doubling of their Covid deaths in one day alone.
And they have a political dilemma, as in Taiwan vaccines are in extremely short supply with less than 1 per cent of the population vaccinated.
Do they or don't they accept vaccines from arch-enemy China?
Neil Anderson, Algies Bay.
Productive lives
I am not at all surprised that productivity is continuing its downward trend (NZ Herald, May 28). Modern technology, when used properly, can be very efficient but this is more often than not the case.
"Service" has become almost non-existent with everything done online. During the lockdown last year, workers were ploughing through a normal days' work in two or three hours. Now that these people have resumed "normal" working hours, fed-up customers have more trouble than ever contacting and obtaining information. Yet employees are "working" longer hours and spending their evenings on their cell phones. To what end? What are they producing?
In the "bad" old days when those now living are considered dinosaurs, there was eight hours hard work; eight hours for homemaking; and leisure and eight hours for sleeping.
Now with 16 hours' work on devices, it leaves vey little time for sleeping and leisure, let alone homemaking duties.
It was not until I reached retirement age that I realised that all I did for the past 10 years was go to work, go home, sleep, like being on an ever-running treadmill.
Marie Kaire, Whangārei.
Mere mail
We received our weekly supermarket mailer this morning only to be informed that this was the last mailer and from here on it will be available online only.
I feel we are becoming the "forgotten generation" (those 70-plus); not only the banks with their huge profits ($4.2b) in a country of only 5 million, now your local supermarket insisting you go "online," as does any government department, to download the forms for whatever.
I'm lucky at being "computer/smart phone-savvy" but I know a lot in my community who aren't.
So how will a 90-year-old neighbour get on without any smart technology?
Mike Fleet, Kerikeri.
Bridge gaps
Regarding the suggestion (NZ Herald, May 28) that because Vancouver has successfully converted a traffic lane of the Burrard Bridge to cycle use that Auckland could do the same with the Harbour Bridge.
Within a short distance of the Burrard Bridge is an eight-lane road bridge, a six-lane road bridge, and a rail tunnel. It is not a valid comparison with Auckland, where the harbour bridge is not only a major commuter link but part of the main north-south artery of the country with no close alternative route.
D. Daniel, Mt Eden.
Not pining
While I support your correspondent Charlie Haddrell's (NZ Herald, May 28) call for the immediate return of tree protection regulations, his outrage at the "destruction of 300 mature trees" at Western Springs is misguided.
The trees in question are end-of-life radiata pine and are, indeed, due for removal as they have become dangerous. Auckland City Council is involved in restoring this forest area with natives and should be applauded, not denigrated, for this project.
I certainly do not support the removal of all exotic trees but radiata pine is a different case and comes with many problems, including acidification of the soil.
To protest the removal of such trees gives the tree-save movement a bad name and distracts from the more important job of protecting native trees and other long-lived, established exotic species that provide habitat and sequester carbon.
Paul Judge, Hamilton.
On rates
The proposed rate increases set by the Auckland Council are totally unreasonable for older citizens on fixed limited incomes. Gillian Dance, Auckland Grey Power.
On bridge
If the wind can blow over trucks on the bridge, how safe will this be for cyclists? Graham Johnson, Ōrewa
Unless a near level crossing can be provided for the comparatively long distance on a bicycle, better forget it. Roger Douglas, Cambridge.
The Auckland Harbour Bridge was held hostage by a lycra-clad bunch with a massive sense of entitlement. Throw the book at the organisers. Pat Taylor, Bethlehem.
On parsnips
My father, who grew all our veges in our Christchurch back garden 50-70 years ago, said the thing about growing parsnips was that you had to have the freshest seed from just the season before or they wouldn't "take". June King, Hillsborough.
Parsnip seeds are fickle at the best of times, especially if they are not fresh or from high-germinating varieties. Mervyn may have bought some tom thumb "fizzers". Glenn Forsyth, Taupō.
On music
Thank you Auckland rugby for turning down the music volume. Next time try a game without any music, I am sure it won't be missed. Jock Mac Vicar, Hauraki.
The Wellington to Picton ferry had a technical issue and was being towed back to port.