Parliament Buildings, from left, Bowen House, the Beehive, and Parliament House, Wellington. Photo / File
When reviewing the economy, commentators, business leaders and economists often target the country's low productivity as the fundamental factor restraining the growth of GDP. It is not.
The root cause of low growth in this country is that we are cursed with day-to-day inefficiency and lack of responsibility. Our local councils barely function at all in delivering their basic tasks. Road building, construction, public works, and other undertakings are rarely completed on time or within budget.
The lead poisoning of a local water supply, and that authority's reaction to the problem, is a classic case. Any responsibility for weeks of inaction will be classed as "systemic failure" for which read, "not me mate". And so the public are left wondering if anyone ever admits to fault or failure. Certainly, it is rare to hear of a firing or a resignation, especially in the Public Service.
Until we accept there have to be consequences for events which either put the public in danger or result in large monetary losses, we will limp along as a low wage producer of primary products.
Rob Elliott, Kohimarama.
Dr Ganesh Nana, the new chair of the Productivity Council, rightly states (NZ Herald, January 29) "the inclusion of all people in the economy is vital for increased productivity". Is non-participation due to scholastic inadequacy? NZ school pupils are graded bottom in literacy and numeracy in the English speaking world.
Too many pupils are truant daily with absenteeism on the rise, an issue no longer challenged by some schools. Are motivation, family support, teacher proficiency, curriculums matters of contention? Years of educational decline culminating in 40 per cent of students with NCEA level 2 deemed functionally illiterate, a factor which now threatens greater productivity and prosperity.
P.J.Edmondson, Tauranga.
Having ridden bicycles on unpaved or sealed country roads of compacted gravel, metal and dirt I find the complaints from the outraged Lycra and reflective jacket minority who ride bicycles whining about their newly-created public playground laughably pathetic.
The precious snowflakes on bikes say it is too rough and don't like the expensive cycleway on Tamaki Drive that has been stolen from the motorists.
Observing from a car while passing the length of the cycleway from Mechanics Bay to Ngapipi Rd, other than a couple of small irregularities at joins where sections of the new asphalt was progressively laid, it didn't look any different to any other ordinary road surface finish, probably better than most.
Now "the cycling lobby" is threatening to sue Ateed and the city council if their minority demands are not promptly met, no doubt funded by ratepayers? Just another example of misuse of collected rates and other taxes gouged from us all.
Max Wagstaff, Auckland.
Something many people seem not to realise, cartoonist Rod Emmerson for example, is that an impeachment "trial" in the US political system is not an attempt to find the truth. An impeachment is a purely political process.
The Democrats have made it clear for four years now that they want to punish Donald Trump for winning the election in 2016. Some Republicans also want to punish Trump for winning the Republican Presidential nomination earlier in 2016.
Neither is a valid reason to impeach a President but that hasn't stopped them from going through two absurd impeachments, not to mention the ongoing "investigations" by Democrat-run Congressional committees attempting to find something, anything, to impeach Trump over.
Of course, this impeachment never even bothered with an investigation. The claim is made that it is "indisputable" that Trump "incited" an "insurrection", when in fact it is quite disputable. But don't expect this "trial" to actually clear any of that up, the narrative is all that matters. That and punishing Trump, along with anyone who worked for or supported him.
K A Benfel, Whanganui.
Matthew Hooton's column on the Climate Change Commission's first report (NZ Herald, February 5) is spot on. The Commission is stacked with deep green group think ideologues who have produced recommendations which are so extreme as to border on being mad.
The Government's strategy is probably to dial it back half a turn so a relieved public accepts policies which are only half mad. However, given that the National Party has closed its ideas shop and gone out of business and the Parliamentary Opposition now consists only of Act's 10 MPs, the Government might well be tempted to ram the whole mad package through.
Brian O'Neill, Chatswood.
One aim of the draft New Zealand history curriculum jolted my attention — that to equip senior students with the skills needed to reach ethical judgments on the actions of people in the past. The history I was taught and try to practise aims to understand the past, not to put it in the dock. Australian anthropologist Greg Denning put it brilliantly: "A generous history returns to the past its own present." We in our present do not have a monopoly on good behaviour or the ability to know what it constitutes.
Paul Monin, Waiheke Island.
What hypocrisy at the Beehive. NZ quickly made its disapproval known at the military takeover in Burma/Myanmar. Yet silence was the loud kowtow response to the CCP crackdown on freedom and liberty in Hong Kong. Nepal and the Uyghurs in Xinjiang are other appalling examples.
The CCP dictates the course of public opinion by censorship in China. Suppressed speech. Forced relocation, whanau threats, deleted and purged dissent of voice and person. Censorship comes in many forms.
Darryl Higgins, Auckland.
Saturday's Herald reported that 20 per cent of the public sector CEOs who earn between $400,000 and $715,000 did not heed the Prime Minister's suggestion to take a 20 per cent reduction in their salary for 6 months, effectively a 10 per cent cut.
In contrast, another article reported on two Kiwis who are volunteering on the Mercy Medical ships that provide free medical assistance to the underprivileged in African countries. Sinclair and Kathy Carter are volunteering their months of time, and pay their own way to join the ship to be part of this charitable organisation. Well done to them.
Melanie and Ian Corbett, Westmere.
From the 1950s Auckland's decision-makers opted to follow the Los Angeles American model and fashion a car-dominated city. Now the American model has light rail in various formats reappearing in dozens of cities. One version tailormade to rekindle vitality is the central city tramway. Turning Queen St mainly into a pedestrian-transit mall would entice people and shoppers back. A bonus would be to link the main street tramway with the existing loop in the Wynyard Quarter, creating an emission-free inner-city public transport network.
Graham Bush, Parnell.
I hope, when petrol-driven vehicles are forced off the roads in 2032, that consideration is given to motorcyclists. I have been a bike rider all my life, contributing much less CO2 into the atmosphere than most. We don't hold up traffic, take little parking space and are generally very fuel efficient.
Chris Blenkinsopp, Beach Haven.
Air New Zealand have, quite rightly, mandated mask wearing on all domestic flights. Then they serve drinks, and half the passengers take off their masks, which defeats the whole object of mask wearing.
On a flight from Wellington to Rotorua last weekend, the passenger ahead of me dropped his mask to drink, and it stayed off for the rest of the one hour flight.
Is it too much to ask that we forgo drinks on a domestic flight, and that the CAA give cabin attendants the same authority about masks as they do with regard to seat belts.No mask wearing should incur a stiff fine and a no fly ban for a year. Dr David Laidlow, Rotorua.
Dr David Laidlow, Rotorua.
Hawke's Bay hosts Christmas lunches for those seeking company and support.