People such as Volcanic Air Safaris chief pilot and director Tim Barrow remind us of the quintessential Kiwi spirit and individuals who exemplify bravery and humility. Photo / Ben Fraser, File
Can-do Kiwi
Whilst politicians snipe at each other about the parlous state Aotearoa is in and who’s responsible, the White Island pilots (Law, Barrow, Hopcroft, Hill, Storey, Jones, and Hill), along with soldier Michael Marvin emerged (NZ Herald, October 26) to remind us of the quintessential Kiwi spirit and individuals who exemplify bravery and humility. Fearless and dedicated, these heroes’ only thoughts were the safety and survival of others without thinking about the danger to themselves. There are many challenges ahead that New Zealand will need to overcome, none of them easy or instantaneous, but we forget to our detriment what an intrinsically good country New Zealand is. We can all be heroes for an hour or for a day, so go do something kind, unsolicited and unheralded for someone else. Perhaps you won’t feel like an All Black or a Black Fern, but you’ll feel a whole lot better. Mary Hearn, Glendowie.
In the post
I keep reading and hearing various commentators refer to our “post-Covid” world as if somehow the virus has been magically eliminated from our lives. This tends to give a false sense of security to those who would like it to be true. Sadly the exact opposite is the case. There are increasingly more variants across the globe with hundreds, if not thousands of victims dying every day, (around 300 per day in the US alone), and lockdowns in effect in the hardest-hit countries. We don’t speak of post-flu, chicken pox, measles, etc, so we still have to be vigilant in our attempts to keep Covid away from the front door just as we do for these others. The fact is that we don’t and probably won’t, for many years to come, live in a “post-Covid” world. It’s more a case of “the Covid’s in the post and will be with you soon”. We just need to make sure we don’t open or accept the invitation it offers. Jeremy Coleman, Hillpark.
Study costs
Your editorial (NZ Herald, October 27) rightly laments our now deadly emergency department waiting times and calls out Minister Andrew Little. The root cause goes back to the Wellington mandarins who allowed New Zealand universities to hike course fees exorbitantly and claim that government student loans made it not a problem. There are still countries where tertiary study is totally free. Yes really. Kiwi school-leavers have for years sensibly taken out loans to buy a rental property. It’s a much faster and lazier way to get rich quick than eight years trying to become a GP, with a six-figure student debt for your trouble. Our health worker shortage can only be fixed from the bottom, by abolishing course fees and actually paying a weekly medical student allowance, conditional upon satisfactory progress. Jim Carlyle, Te Atatu Peninsula.
Harbouring ambition
Thanks to Bernard Orsman for the heads up (NZ Herald, October 27) on those circling the Ports of Auckland, wounded financially by some bad business decisions. New Zealand’s biggest city must have the most cost-effective way of bringing goods (but not necessarily cars) in by sea and until a sensible alternative port site to land these goods is found, the one downtown must be protected and run in the public interest. It has always been unrealistic to expect Auckland’s port to be competitive with the likes of Tauranga or Northport, as there will never be huge volumes of exports such as agricultural products and logs to balance the imports. I hope mayor Wayne Brown will quietly put aside his now out-of-date report on our port and deal with this takeover accordingly. Coralie van Camp, Remuera.
Social investment
In Australia, Gina Rinehart’s philanthropy trickled out just as soon as she faced a public fuss. This should worry NZ’s National Party, which wants to support its planned Social Investment Fund through donations. Now, our own Rich List might be more reliable donors, though so far they seem to be impervious. So here’s a richer alternative: National could put aside its election posturing and instead promote a whole new tax code in which the wealthy pay a much more equitable share of taxes. That way, the Rich Listers could genuinely say they gave at the office. David Cooke, Pt Chevalier.
Not so well
Doug Armstrong (NZ Herald, October 25) writes, “Auckland’s Watercare has done and is doing a great job and, under Three Waters, we will end up subsidising others who have not done well”. Not so. Water shortages have been a regular feature of Auckland summers, and when the last CEO of Watercare was asked in a Herald interview why they had not been better planned for, in the light of meteorological warnings, the reply was that the organisation had met its legal obligations, which did not answer the question. Compliance is not leadership. How often have we seen very heavy rainfall in January resulting in the east coast urban beaches being closed because of faecal contamination, at the height of the school holidays and tourist season? More non-leadership from Watercare. Part of the point of Three Waters, as I understand, is to fairly spread the cost of maintaining water of safe quality, and reliable reticulation, throughout the country. Are we so poisoned by neo-liberalism that the idea of helping others is anathema to us? Surely we are talking about what we mean when we say we are all citizens of this country. Can we not all make an effort? R Porteous, Balmoral.
Time to reflect
Thank goodness the Court of Appeal dismissed Eli Epiha’s appeal to have his prison sentence reduced. His lawyer described it as, “a crushing sentence on what is still a young man”. Epiha, however, still has a life whereas Matthew Hunt, the policeman he murdered, had his ended at 28. Epiha now has at least 27 years to reflect on the senseless crime that put him in jail. He has only himself to blame. Lorraine Kidd, Warkworth.
Ugly edifice
Phil O’Reilly opines (NZ Herald, October 25) on the ugliness of the building at 8 Upper Queen St. The scary part is this will have been “architecturally designed” as so many others are touted. These heinous structures that resemble barns or shipping containers have been winning awards for decades. How did it come to this? Are there any architects with good taste capable of designing elegant and even beautiful buildings left in this land? R Howell, Onehunga.
Burgered planet
I could not help rolling my eyes when I watched the contestants on Celebrity Treasure Island solemnly and gravely nodding their heads and becoming emotional when they listened to the two young people from Ngāti Kurī telling them about the demise of our oceans, forests, soil, etc. and how we are all responsible for the deterioration of our environment. Five minutes later they were biting with gusto into a burger from McDonalds. Lord help us, no wonder our world is dying in front of our eyes. Albert Einstein said: “I know of two things that are infinite – the Universe and the stupidity of the human race, although regarding the Universe, I am not so sure.” Ziggy Schmidt, Waiheke Island.
Off your bike
Eighty years ago in wartime London, if I rode my bike at night I was required to have front and rear lights and to use a traffic lane. Tonight in Auckland, I could ride lightless and use the pavement. Where has safety gone? It is not surprising that our new mayor felt that changes to AT were necessary. Safety of all road users should be the top priority. If cycleways are available, traffic lanes and footpaths should be prohibited and cyclists using pedestrian pavements in the city should dismount. John Binsley, Parnell.
Influencial travel
Am I being uncharitable in wondering what on earth made the two “influencers” (why can’t they get a real job?) decide to visit Iran, clearly a country unsafe to visit in recent times? Or, as a couple with rich relatives, were they secure in the knowledge that their family’s wealth/influence would ensure that huge efforts would be made behind the scenes to extricate them safely? Lucky for some. J Wallis, Blockhouse Bay.
On aircraft
I hear some people saying the RNZAF Boeing 757 is over 30 years old, and “antiquated”. The USAF B-52 bomber is 70 years old, and won’t be retired until it’s over 100 years old. Ken Taylor, Mangere.
On carbon
Carbon farming is more destructive to our landscape than mining. Where is the Green Party? John Strevens, Remuera.
Our disposable wooden cutlery is made elsewhere and the transport to this country is justified using carbon offsets possibly created by the planting of pine trees here that may eventually be exported. Is this how it is supposed to work? Stuart Mackenzie, Ohura.
On Urewera
During “upgrading” it would be reasonable to have a new hut ready before removing the old one and not touch the second until the first one is operational. Otherwise, you get the situation of naked mountains as we have in Auckland, where trees are removed and replacements never happen. Randel Case, Bucklands Beach.
On children
Kelvin Davis tells us (NZH, Oct. 25) all the good work Oranga Tamariki does and reveals 4000-odd staff process almost 50,000 tamariki each year. Both those numbers are frightening. Bernard Jennings, Island Bay.
On Jones
Shane Jones deserves a Sheilah Winn cup for his opinion piece (NZH, Oct. 27) Mary Tallon, Hauraki.
On rugby
Complaints about All Blacks playing at the same time as the Ferns is more woke nonsense. You have the choice to see both by recording one. Ian MacGregor, Greenhithe.
Shane Jones: Govt chasing its ideological tail
The end of times is upon us; I find myself agreeing with both Winston Peters and Shane Jones. In this piece, Mr Jones has put his finger on many of the failings of this Government to do what it says it would do and to deliver anything it said it would deliver. It has squandered millions of dollars and years of time on projects that weren’t in its manifesto and which it never campaigned on. It is also becoming obvious - perhaps even to the Government - that it has squandered the political capital it had and that the prospect of losing the next election is very real. Perhaps that’s why it is determined on the course it is following, hoping to see through Three Waters and the like to the extent they can’t be undone. The trouble is that the damage to our society may not be able to be undone either. John K.
Nailed it again, Shane. Love the contributions from the Bard. Marlene H.
Yeah Shane, all valid comments. This is a Government that’s extremely easy to find fault with, due to the literally hundreds of faults that it has. Of course, this should all be viewed through the lens of Winston Peters wanting to get back into parliament, saying whatever people want to hear. We should remember that it was those very same NZ First people who gave us Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Sorry mate, but you’re fatally tainted by that, and always will be. Allan M.
Agreed. And there is every possibility that NZ First will again enable Labour in the 2023 election if it proves expedient. Fool me once. Pim V.
I’ve got to say I love Shane Jones in full rant. Incredibly articulate when chasing a populist vote. I’ll never, ever vote for him or NZ First, but I appreciate the prose. Lynda R.
Always both entertaining and on point. Paul W.
An amusing read with Shane’s penchant for language. A fair summary but, while NZ First will get some credit for being a ”handbrake” on Labour’s ambitions in the first term, the public won’t forgive them for installing them. Peters and Jones, however, will add plenty of spice to the election debate. David G.
Police: 'No one else sought' in relation to Whangārei fire that killed John Reuben, 61.