Emma Mackintosh, Birkenhead.
Lack of consequences
It seems like consequences are going out the window in New Zealand. There are three recent examples. Two men shooting crossbows at animals injuring them seriously were let off and given permanent name suppression. Some teenagers who protested on top of an Oranga Tamariki building were rewarded with KFC. A person who ran onto a rugby field, interrupting proceedings and was tripped up, was apologised to and given rugby memorabilia. The message these people are giving seems to be: “do what you like and get away with it”.
Janet Boyle, Ōrewa.
Picking holes
While Simeon Brown and his cronies are trying to turn Parliament into a soap opera, demanding exposure of all private communication between Government ministers, perhaps they might like to share what was discussed between Christopher Luxon and Simon Uffindel before that file was buried for eternity without a hint, because it was of no apparent interest to the voting public. Perhaps we should be told how Judith Collins has contrived to be a “valued” member, despite having been dumped unceremoniously from her throne. Do National seriously have nothing better to do with their time other than pick holes in their adversaries, while our PM is promoting, very effectively, our country’s reputation around the world? It would appear not. They have offered the country as a whole absolutely nothing to warrant a single vote.
Jeremy Coleman, Hillpark.
Business of government
Unlike your correspondent Allen Jones (NZ Herald, July 11), I fully agree with Brian Dent’s letter (July 10). Jones confuses responsibility with facility. It’s not about what support politicians have versus businessmen and women (as Jones argues) - it’s about what their degrees of responsibility are. The management of financial and administrative affairs in private business is vastly different from a Government’s responsibilities in managing the functioning and finances of a nation. All writers on this subject made this mistake – including Bruce Cotterill - when criticising this current Government’s overall management. Experience in business is no ultimate criteria in this regard - criteria that Cotterill constantly claims for it. Business is where self-interest, survival, and profit are the main aims. “A business’s only responsibility is to its shareholders” is a mantra constantly repeated by businesspeople, whereas a Government must be responsible to EVERY ONE of its citizens. No business is required to be responsible for EVERY citizens’ health, or education, or tax, or foreign affairs, or water supply and quality, or the effects of national emergencies like climate change, or fluctuations in the global economy. None of these come within the compass of private business – not in practice, experience, or responsibility. The culture of selfishness that motivates private business has no place in the affairs of Government.
Clyde Scott, Birkenhead.
Cohesiveness in health
Once again I read a Rob Campbell opinion article on his view regarding the health system’s treatment of Māori with a feeling of despair at its divisive, disruptive tone. As a nation with a population of five million, we are little more than the size of Melbourne. We need to foster cohesiveness, not separatism in respect to health provision and awareness and improvement. That means acting collectively together to ensure that every segment of society knows about what is available and how best to access it. It also means communicating effectively. In my eight years on the Auckland District Health Board, I never became aware of any bias or racism whatsoever. I was however constantly frustrated by the endless time spent discussing “alleged” institutional racism. In my view, that diverted precious time away from dealing with the region’s really basic health issues. These included such things as immediately increasing the vaccination uptake of all young kids, ensuring they had access to toothpaste and toothbrushes and knew how to clean their teeth to avoid total extraction under anesthetic, ensuring everyone had a primary care pathway, etc. The basic stuff, but often drowned out by the other agendas. Different groups of people have different cultures, languages , life styles and networks and all communication conduits need to be sensibly utilised for improvement.
Doug Armstrong, Glendowie.
Justice for all
While I have some sympathy for this man receiving a 30 per cent reduction in prison time due to his former philanthropy, it also concerns me deeply because the ‘justice across society’ principle was not adhered to. What chance has Jim Jones or Sarah Smith, who live on low income and have committed similar crimes, of receiving this consideration? They do not know the provision exists, they have not had the chance to give large amounts of money to charity, they do not have highly influential friends who could write persuasive letters or play concerts in their homes - and certainly not 100 of them. Nor would they, probably, ask such a favour of them, let alone twice. These are all points which are part of the letters of which the judge stated, “the letters of support were an important consideration in the sentence imposed”. Let us have justice for all.
Keith Overend, Tauranga.
Tradition and science
We owe a huge debt to the research scientists - poorly-paid, incidentally - who over the last two decades have researched DNA/RNA and cell biology, thus enabling the production of Covid vaccines. Without their efforts, literally hundreds of thousands of people over the world would have lost their lives. Thus, it is inexplicable that traditional belief is being used as the central theme for the new science curriculum. Maturanga Māori knowledge is useful, no doubt, in certain circumstances, but traditional knowledge is not science. What will save us and our planet is not traditional belief, but science; engineering and mathematics. Our secondary school curriculum needs the clear sciences of chemistry, biology and physics.
B Jenner, Belmont.
Age and politics
As an aging local body politician, I am open to the idea recommended by the Review into the Future for Local Government of enfranchising 16-year-olds for local government elections at least. I’d love to hear from young people their thoughts on the meaning of democracy and how they view participating in society; my efforts to engage with the local high school have yet to bear fruit. I would also be interested to know what they think of the idea now promoted by the Act Party, of reducing the age for youth to enter the adult criminal justice system to 17. There should be some sort of alignment between that and the minimum voting age shouldn’t there?
Mark Vincent, Maungaturoto.
Cluster bombs
In the 60s and 70s, during the Vietnam War, the US shamefully dropped millions of cluster bombs on neutral Laos. The many unexploded ones left the country with a quarter of its land unusable, deaths and injuries happening to this day, with minimal input from the perpetrators to clear them. That the murderous Russian regime is dropping them on Ukraine is no excuse for the US to follow suit. Good on the UK for deciding not to.
Dave Spiers, Henderson.
Short & Sweet
On ministers
Allan, Tinetti, Henare, Mahuta, Wood, Nash. The most open, honest and transparent Government New Zealand has ever seen? I think not. Pat Taylor, Tauranga.
On the PM
Looking at the latest polls, Chris Hipkins is wise to get his travel in before it will cost him. Wendy Tighe-Umbers, Parnell.
On Trump
I wonder how many hands tall the moral high horse of the Republican Party would be if Donald Trump was a Democrat. Ian Grant, Matamata.
On suppression
A well-known female radio personality is convicted, fined, and prohibited from driving because of serious drink-driving charges, and then given permanent anonymity because of potential employment issues. Now, of course, every female radio presenter will be under suspicion. Is that how it is supposed to work? Ted Partridge, Mangere.
On health
It would be revealing to learn, from some official health professionals, of evidence-based findings of the proportion of hospital emergency department patients who should have been treated by GPs or other health services. Larry Mitchell, Rothesay Bay.
On Cane
Has Sam Cane sadly had too many head knocks? This is not the first time he has had brain fades whilst playing. Bruce Tubb, Devonport.
The Premium Debate
Migration numbers show rate of net gain easing as more Kiwis leave
The real question to ask is who are leaving? Are they the well-educated higher income or wealthy people, which I suspect is the majority, and do the replacement immigrants have similar or lower ability, and do they possess similar values of this nation? From my contacts and experience the higher ability people are moving. Mark I.
Run, don’t walk, if you are able to work and live out of NZ. Colleen F.
Change of government should see them return. The current government hasn’t exactly made things easy in this country. Tim O.
Could we have a breakdown of the people coming in, what countries/vocations etc and what New Zealanders are leaving? Is it all the graduates who are leaving? The UK’s Telegraph ran sone very interesting charts on where their net migration was coming from and under what visas these migrants were coming in on. New Zealand needs to do the same. Lesley Y.
If my memory is correct, people were still leaving when John Key was PM. Kevin J.
