A tax on your houses
Thank you to Claire Trevett for her comments (NZ Herald, May 3). I could never understand why a Labour Party leader would be so unwise as to rule out obvious progressive taxation such as a wealth tax or a Capital Gains Tax.
It goes against everything that
Labour stands for politically.
I doubt if it would harm the chances of Labour's success at the next General Election if it was to actually campaign on a more progressive tax policy. It would be a good chance to get a real feel for the feelings of New Zealand about the widening inequalities produced by a "system" that rewards the wealthy and those that make their money in frankly parasitic ways by speculating on properties and in the financial services sector.
Stephen Main, Hokianga.
On the wrong path
Auckland's steep ridges and fickle weather over much of the year make a further $2 billion spend on cycleways anathema if only 1.2 per cent of us cycle to work daily, unaltered since the last census.
We already have 350km of cycleways, which remain stubbornly empty despite all the hype to "get on your bike".
Compulsory cycling instruction in schools seems perfectly reasonable, but removing parking for teachers reflects the blinkered approach of a day-dreaming ideology.
Mary Tallon, Takapuna.
Cycle of life
A new 260km of cycleways around Auckland sounds to me like a great plan.
There have been two things stopping more people from choosing cycling as a viable transport option in our biggest city. One is the inherent danger of riding alongside all the cars on the roads. Designated cycleways make the journey much, much safer.
The other thing holding folk back from cycling has been Auckland's hilly terrain. However, the advent of e-bikes negates this to a large extent as these bikes can go up steep inclines much more easily.
Getting school children back on bikes will be a great start too. If they learn to ride at a young age they will hopefully keep this up, right through their lives. The health benefits alone are enough to encourage this. When I attended Mt Roskill Grammar in the 1960s, every student either walked or cycled to school. The bike racks at school were full each day.
Now I am semi-retired and still ride - admittedly an e-bike.
Glen Stanton, Mairangi Bay.
Business as usual
So the unvaccinated internationals can now enter New Zealand, as well as all the other sick who come in with new Covid variants. It seems out of control to the many compromised persons who will have to take precautions and give way everywhere. Even pre-departure flight testing is now derided and we are beset with reconciliation stories about the poor people who had left this country whose borders mean nothing. Our costly young folk will go overseas, as culture demands, possibly not to even see the depleted world while they pursue more money and so we will go back to importing low-paid would-be immigrants.
Yay, global tourism and ignoring the lack of freedom for most people trapped in serving it.
Julie Daymond-King, Helensville.
Ambience ambushed
In response to the excellent opinion piece by councillor John Watson (NZ Herald, May 3), I wish to point out that our heritage suburbs in Auckland are already seriously at risk.
Villas with extensive gardens have been swallowed up by infill housing, and a good number of heritage homes have been moved to country sites, where they grace their settings and provide lovely homes on the outer reaches of the city.
But Auckland is the prominent city of New Zealand and our early history is, in large part, characterised by the homes our city fathers established in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Walk the streets of Epsom, Remuera, or Mt Eden and you can sense the quiet settled atmosphere of the old villas resting in their spacious gardens. Brash uprising of tall townhouses and apartments could so easily destroy this ambience, and in fact this has already occurred in some other suburbs.
Let's oppose the Government ruling to Auckland Council. It's our heritage and urban history that we are striving to preserve.
We must act now, before the destruction proceeds further.
Diana Burslem, Epsom.
