Letters: Ukraine, John Roughan, Steven Joyce, Three Waters, and opinions

A boy lies on a makeshift bed in a basement shelter of an apartment building during the shelling of a nearby power and heating plant in Shchastya, eastern Ukraine. Photo / AP

Letter of the week: Brett Hewson, Parnell
What a pity that in 2022, we still have authoritarian tyrants like Vladimir Putin willing to ignore a nation's sovereignty and jeopardise world peace in the pursuit of self-serving goals.
The fact that Ukraine has sought the comfort of a Nato alliance has proved to be a very real need, albeit somewhat late.
Let's hope that, based on all that we have learned from conflict and its causes in the 19th and 20th centuries, a peaceful solution can be found.
As Churchill said: "History with its flickering lamp, stumbles along."

Flock mentality
It is quite demeaning to see the word "compliant" used so often to describe New Zealanders' behaviour throughout the Covid crisis. John Roughan (Weekend Herald, February 19) is a perfect example of belittling our ability to think for ourselves when we reacted to a deathly situation with calmness, practicality, and common sense. It is not "a meek surrender" as he states.
We are a well-educated country. We have very high literacy skills compared to other countries and we encourage argument and guidance. We read, interpret, listen and comprehend. This is the skill used by the masses over the past two years that gave them the confidence to follow what needed to be done. We were not sheep.
Let's leave the ambiguity and emotive overuse of the word compliant and try instead more honest terms like educated, erudite, informed and civilised. Because that is what has saved us so far and that is what we need to continue using when faced with future challenges. That is, of course, if we want to survive.
Emma Mackintosh, Birkenhead.

Getting on with it
John Roughan (Weekend Herald, February 19) is right yet again. The Government's response to the democratic dissent is dismal.
The Prime Minister should call in the leaders for a dialogue on mandates and the way forward. There is a good argument for treating this virus like the flu; get vaccinated and get on with life, work, freedom of movement for everyone - and save the emotions, economy, and enterprise.
David De Lacey, Newmarket.

Admission averse
Sir Russell Coutts' and Steven Joyce's (Weekend Herald, February 19) opinions on protest and discontent and the depth of reasoning behind the large numbers of New Zealanders from a multitude of sectors including businesses, health services, schools, and sports has resulted in a large chunk of the population being highly disillusioned with the Labour Government performance.
It all has a simple origin – Ardern, Robertson, and Mallard hate to be wrong and refuse to listen to others, or accept help.
Gary Carter, Gulf Harbour.

Untapped funds
A merit of this Three Waters scheme, according to its proponents, is that the body in charge will have the borrowing power of the Government and thus borrow for the infrastructure needed more cheaply by virtue of their high credit rating.
Here's an idea - the Government borrows the money and on-lends it to the local authorities at the same interest rate. With appropriate safeguards to see the money is properly spent. The Treasury is good at that. Probably better than the Scottish Water Authority.
I offer this idea without the usual consultancy fee, normally obligatory for all advice to the Government.
John Billing, New Plymouth.

Give us a clue
Steven Joyce, (NZ Herald February 19) aims some telling criticism at the Government's naive and clueless economic policymaking in these terms: "What planet would you have to be on, to think that whacking small businesses with a 6 per cent minimum wage increase and a new social insurance tax, plus the spectre of centralised wage negotiations, were good ideas now?"
And Finance Minister Grant Robertson had the effrontery to deny the inflationary effect of the circa $50b pumped into the New Zealand economy in the guise of Covid-19 recovery expenditure.
The New Zealand public is not that naive or clueless.
Larry Mitchell, Rothesay Bay.

Everyone's right
How are people so convinced their way is best, that they know the right answer to our pandemic-related problems? How does anyone know with absolute conviction that vaccines are the right answer? Or the wrong answer? How do they know that mandates are right? Or wrong? Maybe we do really need them. Maybe we did. Maybe we don't anymore. Maybe keeping the borders closed to protect people within New Zealand was the right thing to do. Maybe the implications were too much. Maybe lockdowns were right. Maybe they weren't. Maybe we should have some degree of restrictions. Maybe we shouldn't. The fact is that all of these are right to a degree. And also wrong to a degree. And that is exactly the reason that societies the world over are so polarised right now. We are bombarded with strong opinions constantly but they are just opinions and they may be right. Or wrong. How we, individually and collectively, approach this can make a massive difference to how we emerge from the pandemic.
Zoe Hawkins, Titirangi.

A quick word

Metaphorically, the police's response in restoring order is to curl up in a foetal position and whimper. They are irredeemably hopeless. M Lowe, Remuera.

Police decide which laws and by-laws they deem worth enforcing; surely that wasn't the intention when they were enacted by Parliament? We need a reality check and a change in police leadership. P. D. Martin, Manurewa.

New Zealand did the best in minimising Covid infections and death. What on earth is all the fuss about? Paul Cheshire, Maraetai.

As someone with a few ideas and opinions about a few things, I continue to marvel at how much John Roughan knows about everything. Barbara Matthews, Onehunga.

Police Commissioner Andrew Coster previously said, "if police have to go in many people will be hurt". We realise now he was referring to the protesters' feelings. Garth Pointon, Tauranga.

Late with every requirement does not qualify as a pass mark. This Government, through its incompetence, has left a pall hanging over this previously wonderful little country and left me ashamed of them. Anthony Browne, Birkdale.

The successes and failures of Auckland Mayor Phil Goff - has he left the region better off? No. Andrew Montgomery, Remuera.

Accessing similar modelling formulae as those used by Professors Plank and Baker, it is calculated that up to 10,000 protesters a day could be arriving in Wellington by end-March. Garry Wycherley, Awakino.

I have never witnessed any Prime Minister working so hard to lose the next election.
Ian Doube, Rotorua.

Thank you, Steve Braunias (Weekend Herald, February 19). You translated the interview beautifully. Coster speaks like a true politician - lots of empty air dialogue and waffle speak. Marie Kaire, Whangarei.

However loathsome some of the protesters' actions, we should be grateful our police force is led by someone who does not, as a first reaction, respond with batons, military-style riot gear, and tear gas so readily employed by some of our more "enlightened" democratic allies. If only 1981 had played out like that. Luit H Bieringa, Wellington.

Te Huia continues to bleed an "extravagant" amount of taxpayer funding, another tangible example of taxpayer money that could have gone on building new ICU beds over the last two years. John Robson, Herne Bay.

I had heard of Russell Coutts but Gilda Kirkpatrick and Jason Kerrison? If they are "famous" New Zealanders, then fame must come easy these days. John Pollock, Golflands.