The Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner says some treatment of Pacific workers borders on modern-day slavery and an urgent overhaul of the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme is needed. Photo / Supplied, File
Hard yards for seasonal workers
It is to be hoped that those involved in agriculture and horticulture who have been vociferously demanding the return of RSE workers will have read the damning report from the Equal Opportunities Commissioner. Unfortunately, there has been scant news coverage of the disturbing conclusions of the report compared to “excitement” that has been generated at the same time by the easing of immigration rules for several occupations. The commissioner’s report calls for an urgent review of the scheme before the next harvest season kicks off in 2023. The commissioner said: “It has been absolutely distressing to witness the living conditions, exploitative practices, and the apparent disrespect on the mana, collective and cultural identity of the workers that are coming from the Pacific to work in our industries here.” All immigrant workers need to be treated fairly and with respect or it won’t matter how many occupations are fast-tracked if potential immigrants can see they could be subject to the kind of treatment exposed by the commissioner.
Neil Anderson, Algies Bay.
Taken for granted
Thomas Coughlan writes (NZ Herald, December 15) that the Government books are in great shape – but the economy is about to hit the wall. By not increasing income tax threshold levels upwards, Grant Robertson is draining more of New Zealanders’ income as tax money into Government coffers. Adjusting the levels to, say, no tax on the first $15,000 of income p.a. then raising the next level of 17.5 per cent tax from $15,001 to $60,000 would help those suffering most in the tough economy that Coughlan says is coming. And the NZ Reserve Bank Governor is parroting what Robertson says: “The Government is not causing inflation with its spending”? Yeah right.
Gary Carter, Gulf Harbour.
Keeping score
How does Christopher Luxon get away with the claim that Grant Robertson’s record is five years of incompetence as Finance Minister? Surely there are many economists and commentators who would contest that “alternative fact”. National has a firm grip on the anti-Government narrative where all sorts of contestable information are falsely asserted as truth and endlessly repeated in talkback and letters. Isn’t this doing our country a great disservice? Times are difficult; the world is in huge turmoil but many, if not most, countries are worse off than us. A change in government, and throwing the baby out with the bathwater, will mean discarding the chance of a fairer society.
B Darragh, Auckland Central.
Operating table
Art Nahill (NZ Herald, December 15) writes that every doctor who performs a procedure in a private hospital is unavailable to do the same in a public hospital. This is incorrect as doctors routinely work in both the private and public sector. The private hospital system also assists in the surgical lists, therefore reducing the wait times for surgery. The 2020 Heather Simpson-led Health and Disability System Review recognised what many had been arguing for years; that there needed to be rationalisation and “strategic collaboration” between the two sectors, enabling public hospitals to focus on more acute and complex cases, with a greater emphasis on the role of private hospitals to reduce waiting times. The public sector is about half as efficient as the private sector at performing operative procedures. Many doctors support the greater use of private surgical hospitals to reduce waiting times.
Mark Young, Ōrewa.
Stitched up
One would have to agree with Art Nahill, MD, (NZ Herald, December 15) regarding the private health system. Yes, it is a lucrative system but has grown because our own public system has been inadequate for decades. Governments will not interfere with this anomaly as it takes the pressure off their own response. Waiting lists are currently extremely long due to Covid and hospitals have cut their list numbers by turning away those not requiring immediate attention. Patients who are desperate either borrow or use meagre savings, if they have that means, to seek private assistance. To kick them in the teeth even further, the Government then imposes a tax called GST on a service they should have provided. Governments see it as a win-win but many patients who will see it as lose-lose.
Reg Dempster, Albany.
Gone fishing
Because of long winters, Scandanavians have learned to combine working from home with working at their regular place of work, ensuring a continuity of production and high GDP figures. New Zealanders, on the other hand, have far too long summer breaks with an assortment of breaks from work throughout the year amounting to two months of non-productivity. Even Americans are bamboozled by our holidays, which amount to two months of the year compared to their three weeks. The Government frequently cites the small size of our economy as an excuse for its failings to provide infrastructure. For the aforementioned reasons is it any wonder? As someone much wiser once said: you can’t have your cake and simultaneously eat it.
Gary Hollis, Mellons Bay.
Garage land
I live in South Auckland. I have a garage. I don’t have a brother but I do have a partner and we have two teenage sons. One of our sons spends a lot of time in our garage, building and fixing things. During lockdowns he took our laptop out to the garage for his dance lessons, and this week he and dozens of young South Aucklanders are entertaining hundreds of Aucklanders with a truly impressive dance production. Our other son invited 11 of his mates around last weekend. All of them are South Aucklanders. Every one of them is a pleasure to have in our home. They spent the day playing board games and having a lot of harmless fun. Our South Auckland neighbours are of every age, gender and race. We are all South Aucklanders. When a neighbour died recently, our community rallied with kindness for the family. We have a very friendly, happy community. Please, Mr Luxon, get yourself in touch with all New Zealanders, not just your chosen few. There are a lot of wonderful people all over New Zealand, including in South Auckland.
Sarah Thompson, Papakura.
Performing seal
I wonder how long it will be until Waka Kotahi realises that the tar seal method used in New Zealand cannot cope with modern New Zealand traffic levels and the high axle loads of modern mega trucks. My local road, SH2, seems to get resealed every year. However, because the resealing is done to such a low standard, the surface is often damaged again within hours of the work being completed. It will be more expensive to strengthen road foundations and seal them with longer-lasting asphalt but, in the long run, it will be cheaper and safer.
Pete Babbage, Katikati.
Swell time
Tim Reynolds’ letter (NZ Herald, December 14) is yet another affirmation of Parkinson’s Law, first formulated in 1942 after a study of the Indian civil service. Parkinson’s main finding was that bureaucracies grew by 5-7 per cent each year “regardless of the amount of work to be done”. Apart from the Government figures quoted by Reynolds, I am sure that a study of Auckland Council and its offshoots would confirm a similar trend. Unfortunately, releasing large numbers of bureaucrats into the workforce to do other things is unlikely to achieve anything. People whose main skills are organising meetings, writing reports, and conducting internal reviews are ill-equipped to do any work in the real world, let alone the critical areas currently crying out for labour.
Duncan Simpson, Hobsonville Pt.
Hit the road
The Government subsidy on petrol will be extended to March at a cost of $1 billion of borrowed money. All this while those fortunate enough to buy a $70,000 subsidised Tesla pay no road taxes. Cheaper petrol doesn’t always encourage savings as it enables you to buy more. It is no wonder our roads are in poor repair.
Neil Hatfull, Warkworth.
Village voice
Regarding Peter Clapshaw’s opinion (NZ Herald, December 13) on the changes being proposed for his retirement village, I too live in a village where further development is proposed. Far from questioning the motives, I welcome the prospect of more care service units being built to cater to the increasing need forecast by health experts. As a previous village manager, I find it a comfort that this company is making a profit and putting a percentage of this towards improvements, unlike the large NZ stock exchange-listed retirement villages. One further point; Clapshaw is far from “incarcerated” in his village, he is free to leave at any time.
Gary Gunning, Mt Roskill.
On roads
There is not enough money set aside to repair potholes and road surfaces as all the money has been allocated to speed bumps. Karola Wheeler, West Harbour.
On packaging
I bought a bag of air the other day. To my surprise someone had kindly half-filled it with chips. It made my day. Mark Lewis-Wilson, Mangonui.
On tax
The financial stress of increased excise taxes are compounded by the freeze on income tax thresholds since the tax year of 2011/12. This is a ploy where, for example, those on the average income pay over $2000 more tax a year- and rising. Kenneth Lees, Whangārei.
On Seymour
In the authorised (King James) version of the Bible, Acts 9:5 notes Jesus said to Paul, “it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks”. Is that what was happening to our PM? Ailsa Martin-Buss, Glendowie.
On Ukraine
Surely, Ukrainian neutrality is a sane option for the West? It enables Ukraine to survive while the West/Russia work for peaceful co-existence, which is now the replacement for détente. S R Jacobs, Glenfield.
On co-governance
Jim Bolger has a simple request (NZH, Dec. 14) of the Prime Minister. “Step up and tell us what you mean on co-governance.” To help the country be clear, let’s hear it. Mary Tallon, Hauraki.
Robertson committed to $3.5b income insurance scheme
As a small business owner with 10 staff, I have had enough of this Government squeezing the life out of my business. ACC levies, increased sick days and all of the other (unseen by most) costs of employing staff, are literally killing me. My staff are my most important asset but it won’t do them any good if we have to shut the doors when we finally sink after two years of struggling to stay afloat. This income insurance scheme sounds grand but I fail to see, as with the ACC levies, why it can’t be funded out of the huge amount of taxes that we already pay. Or, why this liberal, alt-left Government just doesn’t make the rules more flexible for people with illness or who have been made redundant to be able to receive social welfare sooner. Roll on next year’s elections. Pete C.
More cost to business. 10 days’ sick leave, new public holiday, minimum wage hikes and now income insurance scheme. Small business will just close the doors. How about you spend this $3.5 billion on nurses, doctors, hospitals, firefighters, roads, bridges? How about you for once spend our taxpayer dollars on benefiting those that need it? Mikki S.
Scrap it. If you must keep it, make it user-pays. Employers are getting flogged enough. I’m an employee and I would expect to pay for my own insurance. Mark B.
In Australia, Income protection is available to all by simply ticking a box on your superannuation providers’ form. It is a really cheap option for those that don’t want the whole “bells and whistles” but still want a measure of protection. No expensive bureaucracy, no government nannying. Why are we constantly reinventing expensive wheels? Anna S.
Instead of reinventing the wheel, why not just let people self-insure via income protection insurance and make the premiums tax deductible or offer these people a 1 per cent reduction in their marginal tax rate? They are wanting to create another bulging government department that will do what? This centralise-everything is becoming an addiction for this Government. Glenn H.
Phew. With an implementation date of 2024/25 it would be safe to say that this tax on working will never see the light of day. It will be one of the first ideology-driven policies that a National/Act Government will thankfully kick for touch. Rowan K.
Powerball has now rolled over to $10 million for Wednesday night's draw.