One correspondent points out Raveen Jaduram was accountable for carrying out the Watercare board's policy, not setting it. Photo / Dean Purcell
Your headline "Salary for Watercare boss topped $800,000" (NZ Herald, November 3) has a somewhat unfortunate connotation.
As chief executive of Watercare, Raveen Jaduram was accountable for carrying out the board's policy, not setting it, and to this end his salary is irrelevant to the board's
failure to adequately plan for Auckland's future.
The responsibility for this and his salary clearly lies with the board. The recent CCO review suggested Auckland Council be involved in setting chief executive salaries. It appears that, with such a major failure by the board, a much deeper involvement is required.
Auckland Council, as the owners' representative, needs to be able to ask the hard questions around board members' performance and willingness to commit, and where necessary hold them accountable.
Mr Jaduram for his part seems to have acted professionally at all times and his voluntary resignation in helping diffuse the situation says much for his character.
Neal McCarthy, Auckland Central.
Most voters supported the End of Life Choice Bill and it is to become law.
This is the third time this matter has been considered by Parliament since 1995. Previously, MPs voted against the proposal.
When the matter was referred to the people; they voted by a large majority for it.
MPs are in Parliament to represent the people in their electorate. Is this an indication of how far they can be out of touch? Many people have suffered needlessly as a result.
David Seymour is to be congratulated for his work.
John Canty, Wadestown.
Funnelling more cars into central Auckland with more car capacity across the harbour is clearly going to make traffic worse.
If Auckland is to be a proper, grown-up, international city, then a substantial increase in the capacity and efficiency of the public transport network is needed. The proposed rail tunnel across the harbour would be a good start.
Also needed is an upgrade to the attitude of many commuters who seem to think that catching a bus or train is somehow beneath them.
Alex Davidson, Forrest Hill.
Health worker; employed at quarantine venue; large numbers of infected Russian fisherman; visits supermarket while showing Covid 19 symptoms.
Am I the only one screaming, "stupid, stupid, stupid"? Or should I be screaming, "criminal, criminal, criminal"?
G Cave, Sunnyvale.
With New Year approaching, is it timely to look at the value we have received from the Super City? Supposedly, the reason for the Super City was to make it easier to get things done, better, cheaper.
Per the financial records, in 2012, the pre-existing councils over 150 years more or less, had racked up a respectable debt of around $7.4b, which at the time was equal to 21 per cent of the supposed value of councils' building and plant.
Fast forward to June 2020 and we find in just eight to nine years the new Super City has managed to more than double that debt to over $16b, an increase of 117 per cent, or in relative terms now 29 per cent of supposed asset value or $10,000 for every woman, man, and child in the region.
If spending money is any indication, they certainly seem to have managed to "get things done", but cheaper and more efficient? It seems the evidence says otherwise.
Pete Tashkoff, Henderson.
In November 2013 New Zealand Post under the chairmanship of Sir Michael Cullen announced plans to reduce the post's workforce by 2000 over five years and cut daily deliveries to three days a week. The then Prime Minister John Key stated, "The brutal reality is people are sending a lot fewer letters".
Over the following years standard postal charges for a letter or greeting card have steadily risen to their current level of $1.40 per item. It appears however this sum is insufficient to ensure certain delivery of private mail to the addressee. Yet, mysteriously, bills, parking fines and unsolicited mail manages to find their way into our letter boxes. We are officially less well served than we were in about 1995 when a Fastpost stamp would see next-day delivery throughout the main centres of the country.
Today it's Hobson's Choice, and you can either pay for just the stamp or pay an extra charge of $1 for a "tracked upgrade" to ensure mail reaches its destination; maybe it will, maybe it won't.
Paul Hickford, East Massey.
I refer to the letter from Colin Bourke (NZ Herald, November 3) in response to the letter from Hylton Le Grice (NZ Herald, October 29) and my response to Mr Le Grice's letter (NZ Herald, October 30).
I am of the opinion that the size of a country's population has nothing to do with carbon emissions, it's who is producing the most that is causing the biggest problem.
China is at the head of the queue, closely followed by the US and India. If you want to run the size of population argument, then if NZ taxpayers are paying out $1.4 billion a year to the UN Climate Accord Fund, I certainly look forward to China paying 288 x $1.4 billion to the same fund as its fair share, whenever they decide to start paying. It will never happen.
Chester Rendell, Paihia.
It is often said that we wonder how a nation like Germany found itself with a leader like Adolf Hitler who led them down such a dreadful pathway. At least initially he was attempting to make Germany great again after the settlement of the First World War.
We now find ourselves seeing an almost parallel in the USA, but without the need to make it great again because it was already stable and doing well.
One man with a giant ego has managed to create enormous divisions, almost hatred between radical followers of the two parties by using social media as a platform for untruths and misinformation. The USA has been a virtual oligarchy state during this presidency and, blinded by rhetoric and propaganda, half the nation seems to be heading for an abyss with eyes wide open.
Watching TV it's clear now to see how Hitler did it, but this time there is at least a chance to step back from the edge.
Richard Kean, Ngongotaha.
Your correspondent John Walker (NZ Herald, November 4) making bold predictions as to the immediate demise of Joe Biden's health, post-election, brings to mind the reliability of information coming out of a fortune teller's tent at a fair.
I was unaware that one could access someone's future medical records.
Joe Biden may not be the most charismatic person in America but, right now, the country needs mediocrity over catastrophe.
Richard Telford, Lucas Heights.
Well put, Trevor Smith (NZ Herald, November 3). The common placement of the word "only" makes me grind my teeth.
When I pay my electricity bill, I wonder why I am paying an outfit that "only generates electricity". It supposedly does not sell the electricity.
However, Trevor, it seems we have lost the battle.
Carrick Bernard, Mt Albert.
On Trump
Francis Bacon begins one of his essays: "'What is truth?' said jesting Pilate; and would not stay for an answer." Arch Thomson, Mt Wellington.
On workers
The fish will stay in the sea, but the fruit won't stay on the trees. Employ locals. Karola Wheeler, West Harbour.
On memorials
Consider the centuries-old parks of Europe. If every localised tragedy was marked by a monument how would those parks be looking now, so many centuries after they were established? Hamish Spencer, Parnell.
On Fawkes
Another year of senseless damage, injuries and suddenly waking when some fool down the road sets off a few crackers at 2am. Despite pleas from doctors, the SPCA, police and fire department, our elected representatives allow this crazy "celebration" to continue. Thomas Farhi, Manurewa.
Guy Fawkes will always have considerably more relevance and importance than Matariki even for Māori. It commemorates the foiling of an act of terrorism and saving the lives of many members of a Government. R S Stratton, Te Atatū.
Sainsbury's, a national large supermarket chain in the UK has banned the selling of fireworks due to cruelty caused to animals. Guy Fawkes was British. Why do we in NZ remember Guy Fawkes when he has nothing to do with us? Wendy Galloway, Ōmokoroa.
On sustainable
The word "sustainable" does nothing to inform us on the topic it is attached to, it is now just a glossy marketing term. Linda Evans, Waimauku.
On housing
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand would be more aptly named the Reserve Bank of Property Investors. Steve Russell, Hillcrest.
It follows a slew of complaints about Oranga Tamariki.