Arts and Humanities are the subjects that teach critical thinking and how to live well in a civilised society. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Crumbling institutions
All New Zealand graduates ought to feel concerned at the situation in their universities. Much has been written about the funding crisis causing staff job losses proportionate to subjects where enrolments are decreasing. Unfortunately, that appears mostly in Arts and Humanities, the subjects that teach critical thinking and how to live well in a civilised society. This includes how to pivot when jobs emerge and change. Students from these endangered subjects are known for their flexible thinking and adaptability. Many successful businessmen and engineers notably employ only graduates with Arts subjects such as History, English Literature and Philosophy in their conjoint BA/BCom, BA/BE degrees. Most graduates achieved their degrees in a more benign funding environment, but as their universities’ reputations tumble, as they must under the current squeeze, so their degrees’ value will tumble globally, regardless of when they qualified. There is an answer. Scrap the current model where funds follow student numbers, and fund instead on an agreed vision of where New Zealand wants to be in the world in 10, 20, and 50 years’ time. Graduates, if we can’t get the ball rolling out of this spiral, then what are we?
Christine Keller Smith, Former alumni director, the University of Auckland and the Australian National University 1990-2011.
Commodity focus
One of the very worst outcomes of the neoliberal revolution has been the commodification of education, and it’s been a special tragedy for our universities. Instead of being intellectual leaders and bastions of academic freedom, they have become cringing, money-focused organisations that have to spend their scarce resources on advertising and fundraising instead of teaching and research. Profitable outcomes, balance sheets, and the like matter more than staff and students, doing untold damage to our country. Why can’t we turn this around? Are we so brainwashed by the profit motive that we can’t see what we’re doing to ourselves by ruining our university sector? Undervaluing the work of all teachers seems to be at the heart of the problem, and it needs to stop.
V M Fergusson, Mt Eden.
Suck the kūmara
Thank you for the thoughtful and balanced backgrounder on GM reform by Jamie Morton (NZ Herald, June 14). One aspect of how scientific understanding has advanced during the last 20 years is the combination of rapid and cheap genetic sequencing, and the ability of computers to store and rapidly analyse that genetic data. One of the biggest surprises was the discovery, in 2015, that all cultivated sweet potatoes, including kūmara, are transgenic. An aggressive soil bacteria succeeded in inserting functioning bacterial genes into the plants in the wild, before domestication. Scientists can now do similar genetic insertions into plants, in the laboratory, using the same bacteria. Under current New Zealand law, such a plant would be considered a GMO and could only be grown in strict containment. In practice, it would almost certainly never be approved for release for field trials. The scientists who reported the sweet potato results called them “natural GMOs” and expressed the hope their findings would help gain public acceptance of GM food. I hope so too. It looks like we’ll find out if opinions on GE have shifted, or not, in New Zealand at the coming election.
Colin Parker, Ōnehunga.
Gene genius
The introduction of genetically engineered plants to help the planet and reduce the amount of methane admissions to the atmosphere has been well tested overseas and shown to be a success. Those against genetic engineering need to know that no insulin-dependent diabetic would be alive today without it; as all insulin for them was and is produced by genetic engineering.
Dr David de Lacey, Newmarket.
Doctors’ rooms
So, $28 million over 10 years to train more doctors to address the shortage and to build a sustainable workforce, says Health Minister Ayesha Verrall. Does anyone really think this is going to address the problem? Less than $3m per year. The University of Waikato and the district health board in 2018 wanted a new medical school as the existing one can’t cope. This needs to be investigated if we really want more locally trained doctors (many of our doctors are overseas trained and more weren’t allowed in due to Covid, so many have gone elsewhere).
Ian MacGregor, Greenhithe.
Earlier intervention
What good news (NZ Herald, June 15) with the announcement of 50 additional medical students next year in a bid to address those shortages within our health system. It is not clear though whether students doing Health Science and Biomed this year will benefit from this announcement. If so, it would provide the much-needed increase from next year as it would allow this year’s cohort to enter medical school, beginning from their second year at university. If we’re serious about wanting to invest in our future medical needs, then implementing this as early as possible makes a lot of sense. Let’s hope that is exactly what is on the mind of our Health Minister, Ayesha Verrall.
Emma Mackintosh, Birkenhead.
Police inaction
What a disgrace that the police allowed towns to be shut down because these “mongrels” do what they like. If I were to drive up the bus lane or I don’t wear a seatbelt, I get a ticket, attracting a fine - yet these people are hanging out of the cars, driving on the wrong side of the road, and breaking almost every rule. This is outrageous and it needs to be stopped by whatever means the police have. More than 100 extra police were sent to the area but all they did was “monitor the situation”. This lawlessness shows this country in a very poor light to overseas visitors.
Trish Heikoop, Pakuranga.
Speaking freely
Thomas Coughlan (NZ Herald, June 15) comments that Christopher Luxon needs to learn the art of “political communication” to avoid putting his real thoughts into words at the wrong time and place. Heaven forbid. At least he is honest and what he says reveals his true intention, which is to get into power, no more no less, and his attitude towards the ordinary citizens of this country.
Anne Martin, Helensville.
Driver neglect
To the driver who knocked down and killed our family cat on Gillies Ave on Sunday (June 11) evening, I’m sure you did not intend to do so. However, rather than leave him in the middle of the road, you could have had the decency to stop and see if you could assist the poor animal. The heartfelt thanks of our family go to Skye Watson, a selfless young woman who, in contrast, went out of her way to take our cat to the emergency vet, even though it was too late. Without this kind gesture on her part, we would likely never have known what happened to our much-loved family pet.
Peter Charlesworth, Epsom.
Endowment effect
Tim Hazeldine (NZ Herald, June 14) compared hanging on to the Auckland Council’s airport shares with people hanging on to sentimental trinkets in their homes. The airport shares are not trinkets, they are an investment, and yes, perhaps if the Auckland Council needed to use $2.2 billion, as Hazeldine claims, to buy the shares right now, then that might be an unwise investment. But the rub is, it already owns them. They cost the council nothing and, as we keep hearing from the Herald’s business analysts, investments go up and down while giving a variety of returns. Unless they are tanking (which the airport shares are not) then hanging on to them, taking the capital gains for future use, with the asset contributing to maintaining the Auckland Council’s high credit rating and keeping its loan interest as low as possible - and in the meantime using the considerable dividend income - seems like a not too bad investment to hang on to.
Neil Anderson, Algies Bay.
Economic coercion
I was choking on my cereals when I read the article (NZ Herald, June 13) about New Zealand signing, together with the anti-China US coalition, a letter against alleged Chinese economic coercion, being the practice of trying to influence countries by threatening to hit them with trade or economic sanctions if they do not comply. Apart from the fact that China denies it, this is the height of hypocrisy and projection. Economic coercion is and has been official US policy for decades. No wonder that China responds by saying: “It is plain to see who is conducting coercive, hegemonic, high-handed and bullying acts, economically or otherwise”. When are we starting on our own independent foreign policy?
Dr Hans B. Grueber, Wainui.
On gangs
Gang members seem to be enjoying their share of co-governance in the Eastern Bay this week, although it seems to some of us locals that the police are the junior partners in the arrangement.
Chris Bullen, Whakatāne.
Seeing the photo of the convoy of bikers cruising along in a cloud of blue smoke, I was wondering if their exhaust emission levels need checking and tickets issued? Rob Buchanan, Kerikeri.
On nurses
In response to Peter Groom, nurse unit manager (NZ Herald, June 15): it’s not that the Government doesn’t value you, Peter, it just values its backbenchers more. Stephen Aymes, Te Kūiti.
On whining
Rex Head assumes (NZ Herald, June 14) letter writers to the editor are wet and whiny middle-class peasants. I like to think of contributors as highly intelligent, informative, and balanced individuals. John Ford, Taradale.
Christopher Luxon has described New Zealand as a “very negative, wet, whiny, inward-looking country”. Funny that, because it’s just how I would describe the National Party at present. Barbara Grace, Grey Lynn.
On tax
Since when is suggesting that some people pay a fairer share of tax “demonising” them? Exactly the kind of emotive and dishonest use of language that is shutting down intelligent discourse on important issues. Warren Drake, Ōrākei
On Trump
On leaving court, Donald Trump said, amongst other things, “we are in a country in decline”. Very true Mr. Trump, and you are leading the charge down the hill. Derek Paterson, Sunnyhills.
Thomas Coughlan: Christopher Luxon should spend more time in Wellington
As a voter, I find Luxon’s uncensored moments refreshing. They’re often the times I agree with what he says. It’s only the media that seem to find his lack of training in the dark art of spin problematic. What I find most disappointing about Luxon is that he allows the media to pressure him into back-pedalling too often. Jonathan S.
Given how Labour views the nation, too much time in Wellington appears to lead to groupthink that all is rosy. Actually getting out and speaking to people will teach Luxon a lot more than sitting in Wellington. Lorraine H.
I find Luxon refreshing. He is using normal New Zealand dialogue. Luxon is saying he wants to meet the rest of New Zealanders out in the provinces and in other cities to gauge their needs and listen to what future they would like from a government. He has not been a career politician and is learning on the job. He will only get better as time goes on. Fiona T.
He couldn’t be much worse. Max K.
Luxon’s problem is that in his travels and meetings around New Zealand he meets the sector of the population that are always complaining about the country. His voters. The same people who complain on here and on talkback. He strikes me as a person who likes positivity and forward-thinking and not looking back in the past, so is Nicola Willis. But this is at odds with many in his base, who are older or rural. Ross W.
The 19-year-old disappeared without her wallet or mobile phone.