"The coalition Government’s abolition of the medically sound anti-smoking legislation is nothing short of short-sighted expediency." Illustration / Rod Emmerson
Missing the big picture
It’s ominous times for those of us who lived through the destructive governances of Robert Muldoon, David Lange and Jim Bolger, smoothed along by John Key’s.
So many decisive moves changed the fabric of our society. It was an unkind, inhumane and coldly calculated reign by both National and Labour to create a wealthy society, using the backs of the less fortunate.
We’ve never really recovered, not to the society we once had, but to one leaving the needy and many Māori and Pasifika behind in our rush to the bank.
Today, we see similar moves by this newly elected coalition Government, as it strips away common threads once agreed upon, like Smokefree NZ and housing priorities, now including the “killing off” of our Māori Health Authority, so important for building a bridge for better conditions and better health.
Emotions run high for those who have been here before. We’ve watched the decline of living standards and ached for the empty souls now on our streets and in prisons.
We could have done so much better if we weren’t so inward-looking and had the ability to see the bigger picture.
Emma Mackintosh, Birkenhead.
The real child poverty experience
Steven Joyce’s comments on child poverty both misinterpret the statistics and provide a totally false picture of child poverty in this country (Weekend Herald, Feb 24).
Contrary to his assumptions, child poverty is not about what he refers to as marginalised, non-functioning families. Undoubtedly, there are families that are both significantly disadvantaged and substantially deprived.
However, the real story of the daily experiences of child poverty is found in those children and families who don’t have enough income to provide meals regularly, who cannot afford the costs of their children’s schooling, who cannot afford doctors’ fees.
It is these (and other similar items) that are central to Stats NZ’s annual measures of child poverty.
Second, contrary to his assertion, none of the nine measures are worse than they were in 2018. Yes, the improvement has been much less and much slower than it might have been, but it is false nonsense to claim, as Joyce does, that the goal of reducing child poverty is “by some measures further away”.
Pity when the facts get in the way of a story but we should at least expect commentators to pay attention to the evidence.
Mike O’Brien, Red Beach.
Burning questions
The coalition Government’s abolition of the medically sound anti-smoking legislation is nothing short of short-sighted expediency.
This was driven by the tobacco industry, which is fiercely opposed to reducing addictive nicotine levels in their lethal product. The de-nicotinisation in the legislation would have been a game-changer in helping smokers to quit.
Big Tobacco poured a lot of money into opposing this pioneering legislation and, to our great shame, it won.
This bodes badly for what is to come. Big business is totally calling the tune now, even if it kills people.
What happened to caring New Zealand and our egalitarian dream? Why has it been ditched so quickly?
Jeff Hayward, Auckland CBD.
Crocodile tears
I find the sympathy towards TV3 by members of the coalition somewhat strange. These are the parties that believe in the free market and the results it provides.
They have spent ages attacking the media and now will have one less outlet to grizzle about. Crocodile tears, I suspect.
I know that TVNZ has a protected position but, so long as it does not suffer political interference, it will have even more pressure to maintain its independent stance.
Garry Bond, Hastings.
Charging courtesy
How many times do we electric car drivers stand waiting in line at charging points for unattended cars to be unplugged and moved on?
Many times I have waited at supermarket chargers where charging has ended at the charger ahead only to find, eventually, the owner staggering back with armfuls of shopping after probably only going in for a bottle of milk.
I have a small whiteboard with my mobile number on it and a message of where I am (could be in a nearby cafe), which I put behind the windshield.
My phone tells me when charging stops but the board is just a courtesy and gives the next in line the opportunity to decide whether to drive on or wait.
Richard Kean, Ngongotahā.
Thou shalt work
Correspondent Rex Fausett (Weekend Herald, Feb 24) endeavours to disparage Christopher Luxon’s Christian understanding of “charity and loving your fellow man”, presumably because of his position on those on the Jobseeker benefit.
It is interesting that in the Bible, 2 Thessalonians chapter 3 verse 10, it is written: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat”. Verse 11 goes on to admonish those who are idle. We note the emphasis on “will not work” rather than is not able to work.
In our opinion, this is perfectly reasonable, and indeed loving, to do everything possible to ensure that all who can work, are expected to.
To read reports that many on the Jobseeker benefit will be there for 12 years or more is scandalous, a huge waste of human resource (everybody has got something they could contribute to the collective good) and a big drain on our country’s financial resources.
John and Barbara Maltby, Warkworth.
Infrastructure dismay
I am dismayed at the Finance Minister’s intent to cut the interisland rail link by insisting the replacement vessels will not be rail-capable.
While KiwiRail has certainly mismanaged the project and stakeholder expectations, the obvious option of keeping the cheap ships and revising the onshore scopes to cut overall costs has been rejected. Presumably to satisfy the trucking lobby, but to save fewer than one of the proposed motorways.
This is the latest in the long line of poor infrastructure decisions by successive governments – closing the Marsden Point refinery, breaking up and privatising the electricity infrastructure, among many examples – that have measurably destroyed value at a percentage of GDP scale.
A few shareholders will benefit but the country and the rest of us will be poorer and less productive with this decision. National infrastructure investments must be based on strategic, economic, and technical factors, not on the ideology or lobbyist of the day.
David Keat, Point Chevalier.
Trump-style policy
Chris Bishop has shown what living at your mother-in-law’s can do to energise a Housing Minister.
He has dusted off Nick Smith’s failed plan from 10 years ago to reduce house prices to an average of four years’ ordinary income. This is to be done, Trump style, by “just thinking about it”.
Bishop is part of a Government that is crashing fair pay arrangements so wages won’t be rising to meet falling house prices either. Can’t see how this one can fail.
Mark Nixon, Remuera.
What’s the rush?
Is legislation disbanding the Māori Health Authority, repealing anti-smoking legislation and other things being passed under urgency, bypassing the checks and balances intended to expose and correct flaws in legislation before it is passed, for any reason other than the meaningless self-promoting symbolism of “the first 100 days”?
Morgan Owens, Manurewa.
Non-binding Treaty
No one should be bound by the Treaty of Waitangi.
The British representatives thought they were getting sovereignty for the Crown because that is what the English version says. We are frequently reminded that the Māori chiefs had a different interpretation of the Māori version of the Treaty.
No impartial court in the world would recognise an agreement where the two parties lacked a mutual understanding of what they were signing.
Andrew Tichbon, Green Bay.
PM Christopher Luxon constantly uses hyperbole and excessive statements when being interviewed. He is sounding like Donald Trump repeating the same talking points but mentioning few solutions. Did he get coached by a Trump adviser?
Noeline Wood, Green Bay.
It is discouraging, to say the least, that yet again the office of the PM has been vandalised. I understand that someone has footage of this. That should be made public so that the perpetrator can be held to account, as well as charged accordingly. Including, also, to clean up their own disgraceful mess.
Colleen Wright, Botany Downs.
Using your phone while driving deserves a huge fine and maybe prison time as we know that distraction is what causes most accidents in New Zealand. Where I live, on a corner section with a lot of traffic, I see it all and if only I was a police officer my pen would be dry with the tickets issued. Make it happen, hit these people very hard, not with a bus ticket.
Gary Stewart, Foxton Beach.
Great to see that the Countdown rat infestation has been controlled and the rats have gone. Can we now have a similar campaign to clean up the rodent population in Parliament?
Garry Wycherley, Awakino.
So Nicole “NRA” McKee wants to bring back semi-automatic machine guns. What brilliance. Why not give kids handguns for protection too? Such enlightenment would get her a job with Trump. And Act could rebrand as the Terrorist Party.
Bill Fletcher, New Lynn.
So far, tobacco lobbyists have had their way with our Government, pro-gun lobbyists are in the process of having their way with our Government and our Government is making it easier for lobbyists to gain access to politicians. Does anybody remember John Key’s Cabinet Club?
Ken Taylor, Māngere.
I don’t know if this has occurred to the fevered brains of the Government, but all gang members have to do to not display gang patches in public is to wear their jackets inside out.
Christopher Simmons, Papatoetoe.
There is a difference between NZ gangs and the mafia. Gangs wear patches, while the mafia wear Italian designer suits, infiltrating government and business organisations.
Chris Kaelin, Te Awamutu.
I can understand Te Pāti Māori supporting rangatiratanga, but gangatiratanga?
CC McDowall, Rotorua,
Captain Christopher Luxon and his two co-pilots Winston Peters and David Seymour seem to be hellbent on continuing to fly into the path of a self-inflicted period of severe turbulence which could very well end up sadly in a terminal crash landing.
Bruce Tubb, Devonport.
We must be very careful that Auckland’s urban southern sprawl does not destroy Pukekohe’s fertile land. This land is vital to our fresh food production; any move to muscle it out of town and replace it with concrete and houses will never be recovered.
John Ford, Napier.
Why so much negativity from the media about the newly elected Government’s plans for combating crime? They don’t seem to recognise that this Government is trying to address the escalating gang problems that were left by the Labour Government. We all deserve to live our daily lives without fear.
Wendy Tighe-Umbers, Parnell.
Recent revelations of the extent and depth of Labour’s incompetent, duplicitous, possibly criminal, financial mismanagement over the last six years are deeply shocking. Their supporters must be feeling ill and their many media apologists should rediscover objectivity free of bias.
Larry Mitchell, Rothesay Bay.
Taika Waititi's Boy lifts Waihau Bay, attracting visitors to Aunty Gracey's shop.