Winston Peters and Jacinda Ardern? No, rub your eyes, it's Hugh Laurie and Lenora Crichlow in Avenue 5, now streaming on Neon. Photo / supplied
Karl Puschmann's review of Avenue 5 (NZ Herald, February 21) contained the descriptions of the characters thus: "... the epitome of who you want in charge; confident, assured, knowledgeable, approachable, good natured and able to soothe seething crowds with a few impassioned words of calm
and reason", but "... nothing more than an actor who's been hired to captain because they're a perfect fit for the part. The real captain [is] a salty dog [who] meets a grisly end ..."
Surely a metaphor for the New Zealand Government.
Stephen Hodge, New Plymouth.
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The big omission in climate change issue promotion, assuming "the science" is correct, is the costs of mitigation of 100 per cent of impacts.
All the mitigation proposals from the establishment are being sold as a "value for money" means of forestalling massively costly "horror scenario" impacts; as if the mitigation proposals are going to mitigate those impacts in their entirety.
The correct formula to analyse humanity's options looks something like this:
Cost of impacts; versus cost of mitigation proposals plus the cost of impacts not mitigated (which no one ever talks about).
Or: Costs of adaptation, plus the costs of impacts not averted by the adaptation;
Versus: Cost of mitigation proposals plus the cost of impacts not mitigated.
If honest calculations are done, it is no contest. We should "adapt", not "mitigate". This is really the essence of Bjorn Lomborg's argument (NZ Herald, February 19), that his detractors ignore.
One constantly sees the most appalling bad faith from the establishment on all this; such as (to take one example) the fad for "urban intensification" as a selected "mitigation" strategy. Often this intensification is right in harm's way; eg low-lying flood-prone areas; maximising the cost of the inevitable impacts "not mitigated".
Phil Hayward, Naenae.
Bjorn Lomborg (NZ Herald, February 19) is the darling of Australians who want to keep burning and exporting coal and gas for good reason: his arguments are faultlessly consistent and magnificently specious.
The problem is reality.
Carbon dioxide is the "control knob" for Earth's temperature, and the 45 per cent increase in the atmospheric level since the Industrial Revolution is due to human activity.
CO2 accumulates in the atmosphere so, if we stopped emissions today, the level
would not drop and Earth would keep warming.
Since we put the "extra" CO2 into the atmosphere in the first place, the first response to global warming is to stop putting any more there now.
It's obvious one person or one country cannot solve a problem that affects the one atmosphere we all share, and that is exactly what motivates the climate deniers: they sense all humanity must act together, the wealthy first, and they're only interested in themselves.
Dennis N Horne, Howick.
Simon Wilson (NZ Herald, February 21) has provided us with a comprehensive and very understandable summation of our public private partnership contracting processes.
With respect to the assignment of contract risks to the parties, he chillingly notes ... "In reality [the private partners] don't take on the risk at all".
This is absolutely correct for our witless "Kiwi versions" of PPPs. Any asymmetry of risk assignment has the effect of destroying the essential rationale for using this method of contracting.
A PPP that does not scrupulously assign all risks to the appropriate party is just another version of profits being privatised and losses socialised.
Larry Mitchell, Rothesay Bay.
Re: Dr Haring-Smith's comment (NZ Herald, February 18) that the United States has left us out of fast-tracked foreign investment in the US. We are the only Five Eyes country to suffer this ignominy
What could it be I wonder?
Maybe it's us being less than supportive of President Trump and Israel.
They will have another look at it in a couple of years time.
NZ investors have participated in US$5 billion deals over the past five years.
But for now we are locked out.
Where to now?
Pauline Alexander, Waiatarua.
Your correspondent Rita Riccola (NZ Herald, February 21) is absolutely correct. Compared with more enlightened countries, New Zealand gives little thought to the mobility disabled, and their already challenged lives. The United States is, however, particularly cognisant of the situation, with its 1967 Amendment to their Constitution, and the Americans with Disability Acts of 1996, and 2011. Mobility disability discrimination, with inadequate parking, inadequate seating and bathroom access, and lack of entree using mobility aids or wheelchairs to any venue or building, is illegal.
The opposite is alive and well in NZ, with little thought given by able bodied architects, town planners, and administrators, until later in life, with decreasing mobility but out of the work force, they cannot alter any situation.
Auckland is a prominent transgressor, with many buildings and venues lacking adequate safe access, with slopes, high steps, rough surfaces, inadequate handrails, and lacking adjacent parking.
The worst offender is the continuing "out of control" Auckland Transport with its punitive
anti-car, anti-parking, and hopeless access policies. Space does not permit the multitudinous examples of its active discrimination against the mobility challenged.
In the US those in charge would face a jail sentence. Mayor Goff and Auckland Council, it's time for
an urgent change.
Hylton Le Grice, Remuera.
Cannabis is not the worst drug on the NZ scene, by far; surely P claims that title. But voting for the legalisation of recreational cannabis would deliver the great advantage (over keeping it illegal despite the discretionary behaviour of the police) of bringing it under the control of the state, a control which hopefully will eventually extend to other drugs.
We need to weaken the role of gangs in the supply chain, who bring in many undesirable elements: possible contamination of product, coercion, access to dangerous people/other drugs.
As bad as alcohol may be, in some respects, for the health and safety of society, it would be even worse if not regulated by the state, and I think the same applies to cannabis.
B Darragh, Auckland Central.
The National Party first won an election in 1949 and governed NZ almost exclusively for the next 50 years under a "first past the post" system.
In 1949, NZ had the 3rd or 4th highest economy/standard of living in the world and a truly egalitarian society. By 1999, our standard of living had fallen to about 30th in OECD countries and an elitist society.
Let's focus on the two National party decisions which have had the most severe consequences.
First is Muldoon's decision in 1975 to woo voters with universal super, ending compulsory superannuation introduced by Labour. Canada and Australia saw compulsory super was a good idea and didn't politicise it. Their venture capital funds now can buy and sell NZ many times over and hence our falling standard of living stats. KiwiSaver and the Cullen Fund may yet save us but no thanks to National for that.
Second is when Britain joined the EC in the 60s. The National party paid the farmers subsidies to continue to produce the stuff we had no market for. Understandable – they are the farmer's party but diversification (such as we have today) would have been a better option. From the collapse of the freezing works industry, which was life-blood to Māori, the "gangs" arose.
Paul Cheshire, Maraetai.
Re: the stunning photograph of a koru pattern off the coast of Kaikōura on page 4 (NZ Herald, February 21).
If the photo was cropped to delete the coastline, what a wonderful flag for New Zealand this would make to replace our current one.
The koru is special to NZ and the colours exemplify our Pacific presence and essence.
If the flag debate should be revived, this must be a contender.
Tricia Burns, Mt Wellington.
Auckland Council's CCO review has two objectives one of which is to, "ensure an effective and efficient model of service delivery for Auckland Council and Aucklanders".
Aucklanders might therefore have expected the review panel to proactively reach out to and engage with communities for their views and input. Perhaps an email or invitation to meet one on one with community groups/Aucklanders who have had significant dealings with the CCOs would have been possible?
The actual approach to engagement has just been announced on the council website. An invitation to make written submissions over the period February 21 to March 22 and the opportunity to meet the review panel in four drop-in sessions of 2 hours each.
Perhaps the media can "un-mute" this process. I for one expected more effort to engage with Aucklanders than a website notice; especially for the $800K of "unbudgeted" ratepayer funds being spent on this review.
Richard Steel, Howick.
On silence
Isn't it ironic that, in NZ, the right to silence doesn't apply to fraud cases worth millions of dollars but does apply when human life is at stake. It appears that society values the dollar more. Neil Hatfull, Warkworth.
On traffic
In Auckland, the biggest problem we have is the arrogant 20 per cent who think they are entitled to drive their cars anywhere they like without any consideration for the other 80 per cent who live here. Merv Bell, Browns Bay.
You could invest in the 1000 shares available in the company that makes orange cones and stay home. Gary Hollis, Mellons Bay.
On CRL
Your illustration for future light rail in Auckland shows Queen St as Nirvana - no cars, no bikes, no e-bikes, no e-scooters. What year is that? Nick Nicholas, Greenlane.
On rugby
Blues supporters would still attend matches at Eden Park if the direct buses from the North Shore were re-instated. Angela Bampton, Waitoki.
On fuel subsidy
The proposed subsidy for fuel-efficient vehicles has been stopped in its tracks by either the National opposition or NZ First but its just another failure that this three-headed coalition government has proven to become experts in. Mike Baker, Tauranga.
On cricket
What a find Kyle Jamieson is. He is a fantastic addition to the Black Caps, appears to have nerves of steel and has obvious talent. Janet Boyle, Orewa.
The 19-year-old disappeared without her wallet or mobile phone.