Letters: ‘Scrooge’ hospital on maternity ward toast ban; focus on road safety not speed

Wellington Regional Hospital will keep toast and spreads on the menu for mums who have just given birth, following public outrage and disbelief from the Health Minister. Photo / 123rf

Hospital bosses can eat crow

The spectre of Scrooge is hovering over Wellington Regional Hospital when they decided to stop offering toast and spreads to women who’ve just given birth (NZ Herald, Sept 3).

At least old Ebenezer had the integrity to be honest about his parsimony, rather than the hospital management’s pathetic excuse that toast and spreads were nutritionally inadequate.

They could have aimed for a little originality in their absurd rationale and credited the New Zealand public with a modicum of intelligence and perception.

You don’t need schooling in mathematics to figure out that this very small kindness to women who have just given birth costs about 28 cents for two slices of toast plus, oh let’s say, an additional 20c for a dollop of spread. And if they really wanted to be extravagant and add a smear of margarine as well, that would be an exorbitant blowout of 68c per patient.

Hardly a dynamic solution to finding $1.4 billion in savings out of the health budget this year. Perhaps hospital management could find a more cost-effective measure by eating crow the next time they’re hungry.

Mary Hearn, Glendowie.

Mean-spirited decision

So hospital services general manager Shane King has delivered the news women at Wellington Hospital will no longer be offered tea and toast after giving birth because it lacks nutritional value. It would be interesting to know how many people involved in that mean-spirited decision have actually gone through labour and giving birth.

I’m guessing King hasn’t or he’d know how comforting a cup of tea and a piece of toast really is for many women after what is a very tiring experience.

Shame on the people involved.

Lorraine Kidd, Warkworth.

Political consensus

We’ve only got ourselves to blame that the political consensus beast is only a myth (Weekend Herald, Aug 31). Recall, an MMP Parliament is a mirror of ourselves, reflecting currently what unfortunately divides, rather than unites, us.

We therefore need to change ourselves, dump our 27-year-old first-past-the-post mindset and start rewarding parties and candidates who commit to working together for New Zealand’s long-term future. With our ailing planet, grand coalitions – forged after vigorous debate – are now vital.

Last October, when a repeat election threatened, Nicola Willis approached me in public, seeking my Ōhāriu electorate vote. I suggested a grand coalition as a solution to an inconclusive election. “You mean with Labour?” she asked, looking sceptical. When I replied “and the Greens”, she clearly thought me mad.

And yet such a coalition would likely not (eg) risk lives by weakening firearms or tobacco legislation, nor drive a disturbing and ultimately futile wedge between the Treaty parties.

So, when politicians genuinely seek consensus, putting our collective interests ahead of their egos, support them, animate the beast. With such consensus, we then elect those showing most likely competence in government.

Richard Featherstone, Wellington.

Safety, not speed

The Minister of Transport seems fixated on raising speed limits, claiming this will improve productivity.

Recently a serious crash near Ramarama blocked the motorway in both directions for many hours which will certainly have had a negative effect on productivity. In addition to the three who died, three more victims spent time in hospital – no doubt occupying beds which could have been used for elective surgery patients.

A responsible minister should be able to see that a fixation on road safety would improve productivity much more than the few minutes saved by higher speed limits.

Greg Cave, Sunnyvale.

Teacher shortage

The Education Institute’s warning that the teacher shortage is at crisis point should spur urgent action. Among the contributing factors, low-esteem in society might take some time to remedy, but better working conditions and higher salaries in particular could be achieved quickly and would significantly reduce the shortage.

Talking to a 23-year-old computer developer only two years out of university whose mother had been a teacher for 30 years and had a postgraduate degree, I will never forget him saying: “In six months I’ll be earning more than Mum”.

Raewyn Maybury, Tauranga.

Fundamental value

The Kīngitanga is giving the whole country a demonstration of what it means by kotahitanga - co-operation and collective action.

For Māori it’s a fundamental value to work together for the community. Unfortunately this value is lacking in our current Government, which appears to think that divide and rule is a better way to organise society.

As a result we are stuck and going backwards. The coalition’s cancellation of infrastructure projects, dismantling of social services, undermining of local councils, and sidelining of climate goals are just a few examples.

We have so much to learn from kotahitanga and it’s time to acknowledge this. If we did, we would improve the wellbeing of the country, instead of undermining it.

Vivien Fergusson, Mount Eden.