The March for Nature protest stretched more than 500m down Queen St as thousands turned out to protest the Fast-Track Approvals Bill on June 8. Photo / Sylvie Whinray
This is why we’re marching Mr Joyce
Steven Joyce lumps all the protesters against the Fast-Track Bill as something along the lines of lizard-loving luddites. Silly people who fail to understand the metals required to make cellphones.
An off-the-cuff comment that ‘some’ might be against the bill shows his true colours, which are clearly bright blue. Most New Zealanders want to be able to get infrastructure that enables the whole country to perform better and to go ahead with less impediments but, sadly, the Fast-Track Bill does not do this.
Rather it sees nature as a mere inconvenience and gives three ministers - none of whom are environment ministers and two of whom think climate change a joking matter - the ability to approve projects without regard of even expert opinion should they so desire, including swiping away previously hard-fought legal decisions within the time it takes to say grandiloquent.
But don’t just listen to me, anyone who wants clear information should read the appraisal of Simon Upton, a former National Cabinet minister and Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment who concludes that the environment will suffer as a result of this bill.
And that is why, Steven, thousands of people were marching, but I suspect you knew that.
Samantha Cunningham, Henderson.
Protest hypocrisy
Steven Joyce’s article really showed up the hypocrisy of the fast-track protesters (Weekend Herald, June 15).
Just about any industry you like to name, they are against it. However, at no time do they appear to make any alternative suggestions on how this country can function as a modern economy that can take its place in the world.
Surely these protesters must realise that this country needs industries in order to pay its bills and that includes the benefits these people are probably on. Joyce’s example of people in Northland protesting about a Chinese owner wanting to expand his business to provide more jobs to the area and then not seeing the irony when protesting to the Government about the need for more jobs.
Joyce then concludes that this hypocrisy is probably now indicative of the whole of New Zealand. Heaven help us.
When are these people going to realise that our collapsing infrastructure, our collapsing pride in ourselves as more people become reliant on government handouts and that we cannot afford to suffocate ambition, aspiration, hard work, innovation and independence.
Of course, we need to be vigilant about industry’s impact on the environment but at least give those people with the ideas a chance to take this country forward and not squash any innovation with badly designed placards and lots of shouting.
Bernard Walker, Mount Maunganui.
Thriving sustainably
Steven Joyce’s column heading reveals the problem we’ve got: increasing political division.
He ridicules the protesters for their anti-everything stance and decries their hypocrisy. He urges us to take advantage of opportunities for growth while we’ve got them, but fails to acknowledge that the current state of the planet is due to recent decades of “progress” that have created enormous wealth but with it (I fear) irremediable damage.
The protesters know that we have to do things differently, not pursue more of the same. A speedy return (fast-track legislation) to oil and gas mining and building major motorways needs to be resisted on principle and replaced by more sustainable projects.
Stopping everything of course is not the answer and will chase more and more of our skilled young people out of the country. We all know that, and Joyce does offer the wisdom “there is a sensible middle ground”. Find it using political co-operation, compromise, moderation, better prioritisation by considering the overall public good and not just the pursuit of growth, profit, wealth (as envisioned by the rich donors to coalition party coffers).
This will allow us to thrive sustainably and will bring our people home.
Barbara Darragh, Auckland Central.
Will-ful damage
The article on disputes arising from wills is shocking (Weekend Herald, June 15).
I am in a situation where I have two adult children from a first marriage. They are both professional and were provided with education, substantial deposits to buy houses in Australia as well as motorcars and the list goes on.
Yet I know with certainty upon my death they will challenge my will both for money and to be vexatious towards my new wife and our children.
It has been proposed for some years that children in this position over 25 years of age should not be able to challenge a valid will. I hope the minister in charge will look at this proposal seriously and change the law to make it clear that, as in my case, that I decide who inherits my assets and who does not.
Dr Alan Papert, Queenstown.
Hard graft
Your very sobering article in the Weekend Herald was entitled “(UK) Labour leader promises to stop chaos”.
This sounds dangerously similar to the political situation that existed in New Zealand, but the most telling point to me was that the UK will probably have a Labour Party leader emphasising “hard choices about public spending” and disavowing traditional leftish “high-taxing, big-spending” mantra in favour of a bit of hard graft.
Read this in conjunction with your very best journalists, Steven Joyce and Bruce Cotterill, and we see how vital it is that NZ pulls behind the current Government enabling it to get on with exactly what the majority of us voted for in the last election.
I’m sure we all want and indeed deserve better education, policing, medical care, housing and lower food prices, but we tend to forget a country (like a normal household) can’t spend it until it first earns it.
Add to this the increasing number of protests to anything vaguely hinting at fossil fuels and mining when we all drive cars, live in buildings and play with an ever-exploding plethora of electric/battery gadgets that someone else probably under-paid or under-age in another country polluted their environment to make for us.
Robert Burrow, Taupō.
Flood defence
I smiled at two letters in Saturday’s Herald, complaining about the council’s failure to clear street drains.
My property floods, as do many, not helped by the inadequacy of Auckland’s entire drainage system, and limited street-sweeping. With all the new building projects it can only get worse.
I get out regularly and clear the debris from five drains that overflow in heavy rain but I seem to be the only one in our street. It’s vital during the autumn fall, but evergreens also drop leaves which pile up year-round with discarded wrappers, and other rubbish. I suggest, if able-bodied, we each make it a personal responsibility to check our nearby drains regularly and remove any debris.
Let’s face it. The council ‘ain’t gonna do it’ and can’t help you during a flood. With torrential weather still ahead, a bucket and gloves are the first line of defence.
Jo Bowler, Torbay.
Shock logic
Brian Homan’s letter to the editor is something of a classic (Weekend Herald, June 15). To suggest that the extra weight of electric cars is causing all the potholes on New Zealand roads is laughable. I immediately contacted three petrolhead friends and accused them of writing the article under a nom de plume.
As a matter of interest Brian, the Ford Raptor is 784kg heavier than my Kia EV6 and the Toyota Hilux 900kg heavier. There are 472,000 petrol or diesel utes alone registered in New Zealand and only 110,000 EVs and hybrids combined.
John Hotham, Beach Haven.
In 2023, Dame Karen Poutasi released a report in which she recommended mandatory reporting of children at risk. While this by itself will not stop the abuse of children, professionals and others were to be better trained to recognise and report signs of abuse. As more names are added to NZ’s shameful list of children who have been killed by the adults close to them, it appears that Poutasi’s report, like others, may now be being used as a doorstop. If an adult’s rights are effectively going to permit a young person to continue to be neglected or abused, these must give way, in my view, to the rights of the child.
Glennys Adams, Waiheke Island.
The Education Minister with her “back to basics” mantra seems determined to take our schools back to the “good old days”. Structured literacy, individual desks and cursive writing, will, according to Erica Stanford, cure all the ills that currently plague our education system. I am waiting for someone to suggest we bring back the glue that probably held the “good old days” together - corporal punishment.
Greg Cave, Sunnyvale.
I do agree that the ageing Air Force VIP transport jets are now well past their use-by date to the point of being embarrassing. But equally so are the Cook Strait ferries, whose role as a maritime highway linking both islands is probably even more important. In fact vital. But again, they represent a can being kicked endlessly down the road and it’s a pity that a tunnel couldn’t be an option to replace them. However, when it comes to spending money on things for politicians there seems to be no shortage of it, with the latest being talk of upgrading security for MPs. Fair enough if that is needed but get some priorities sorted out to prevent this country looking so Third World.
Paul Beck, West Harbour.
Out of the same basket of taxpayer dollars that don’t meet the costs of such items as road repairs or healthcare, do we really need to buy a new aeroplane so the PM isn’t embarrassed? Lack of cancer drug funding doesn’t embarrass him, so why should this?
Barb Callaghan, Kohimarama.
Someone should point out to Christopher Luxon that if he hadn’t insisted on tax cuts he could have bought himself a nice new plane.
Susan Grimsdell, Auckland Central.
I await with interest the re-introduction of cursive writing in our schools. If that is to be successful our young people will need to learn how to hold a pen correctly, and that includes the teachers. I have had many years observing.
Greg Cave, Sunnyvale.
A google search on my phone - an option students no longer have at school - informed me that cursive writing was invented so people could write more words faster, before the ink on the end of their quills dried. Handy. We’re going to make the kids use quills next, right?
Sarah Frost, Onehunga.
So Matua Parkinson claims head knocks and concussion were the reason he sold guns illegally and committed insurance fraud (Weekend Herald, June 15). Wow this just shows how hard and tough the man really is as he is not prepared to stand tall and take his obvious offending on the chin. What it actually shows is that he is wet tissue weak.
Jim McCormick, Oamaru.
Auckland Council must use the savings from fortnightly rubbish collections to clear up roadside autumn leaves. Doing nothing will cause surface flooding and blocking stormwater underground pipes. Trees are council property.
Tiong Ang, Mt Roskill.
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