And most of all, it means kids learn sensible, appropriate, applicable, practical reading, writing and arithmetic - they are doing it as they work and play.
Maureen Dunn, Levin.
A coup to celebrate
News of a military coup would normally be a cause for condemnation and to hope for return to normal life, although in this case the Zimbabwean coup is met with cheers. The dictator Mugabe is one of the few truly evil people in the world with the ability to act on his impulses.
A decrepit 93-year-old man would hardly seem dangerous for long, but the creation of a political and military structure with potential successors, admittedly his younger wife, is what we need to fear. Successive generations of unsupported leadership seems unlikely but North Korea provides the model.
The world will be a better place without Mugabe in it. A sad epitaph.
Dennis Fitzgerald, Melbourne.
Hanging by a thread
Once the Auckland City Council adds 10c a litre on petrol plus an increase in rates, they will own us lock, stock and barrel. Houses will be crammed with renters to pay rent and rates. There will be so much infrastructure centred on roads which nobody will be able to afford to drive on, and so many empty houses because of cramming in existing ones; only a few will be able to afford to live in Auckland and it will become a giant slum.
The only question left is how to implement a vote of no confidence in these elitists who haven't the faintest idea of how the average Aucklander is hanging on by the slightest thread.
Gary Hollis, Mellons Bay.
Little backtracks on Pike River
It appears Andrew Little is now hedging his bets and back-tracking on re-entry into the Pike River Mine.
Where is Winston Peters, who said he would be prepared to lead the way into the drift?
After attacking National for some time, the Government now seems to be adopting the same precautionary approach.
Obviously Labour/New Zealand First have been playing politics on this issue.
Ken Graham, Greenlane.
Levelling the field
Our Prime Minister says she won't rest until "Maori and non-Maori are true partners in Aotearoa". Considering partnerships are about equal contributions and advancing mutual interests, it appears that at last we have a PM who will address the race-based legal loopholes that some tribal elite enjoy to everyone else's disadvantage. Those who have been profiting at the expense of taxpayers and non-elite Maori will be disturbed by her statement.
Fiona Mackenzie, Whangaparaoa.
Time to hit back at Australia
One has to admire the straight talking and convictions of Jacinda Ardern.
Our Prime Minister will grow stronger with experience and time but it is good to let Australia know that while we will be reasonable we will not kowtow to our bigger brother.
Australia has not done Kiwis any favours in the last few years. The much-lauded relationship is a myth with everything in favour of Australia. It is often said we have to be careful we don't upset our relationship. Well, diplomacy is obviously a toothless tiger as they ride roughshod over us. It is time we hit back and make Australians as welcome as Kiwis are in Australia.
Reg Dempster, Albany.
Communication lacking
An interesting article in the Herald on Sunday regarding an 88-year-old man being conned and scammed of $50,000 by people passing themselves off as Spark employees, warning of scams by others claiming to be Spark employees also.
It seems alarm bells were ringing with the man, so he tried to contact Spark for clarification and got no response. He gave up and left his computer alive as directed. No surprise that somehow his computer was hacked for personal details and the theft had occurred in short time. The fact that he tried to get clarification from Spark and could not get through is no surprise.
The two major suppliers in this country will get back to you by email sometime in the future and waiting on the phone to so-called communication experts will only get you right up with the latest musical cacophony.
Ted Partridge, Mangere.
Family division to blame
A recent Herald article highlights the tragedy of vulnerable children and youth mental health and suicide.
Dr David Clark, Health Minister, offers possible causes for the problem citing "hardship", no - witness India, hardship abounds yet ever a smiling face; "colonisation", is he serious?; and "trauma", correct.
The disintegration of family, a modern phenomenon, can prove traumatic for offspring as their upbringing is disrupted and becomes devoid of either paternal or maternal protection, guidance and balance when couples sever relationships and a stranger may appear across the doorstep.
Little wonder these poor souls suffer mixed emotions, compounded if a father is unknown.
Is the state complicit in this destruction? Has expanded welfare with the financial support it offers encouraged division? Is a stable and contented family the key to these issues?
P.J. Edmondson, Tauranga.
Port decision baffling
It is difficult to understand why Ports of Auckland has decided not to support the America's Cup. Hobson Wharf is only a small portion of the total area utilised by the port for carparking and is often empty for days at a time. With Ports of Tauranga ready and able to handle any peak demand for vehicle imports it is not possible to take seriously the port's claim that it does not have time to relocate any of its operations.
One would expect the port to grasp an opportunity that will earn its ratepayer shareholders a better return.
It seems there is an urgent need for legislative change to encourage the port management to focus on the best interests of its ratepayer owners.
Neal McCarthy, Auckland Central.
Wrong on refugees
I must disagree that the PM is correct in pushing to take 150 so-called refugees from Manus detention centre.
Reason number one is that she is trying to influence another country by trying to impose her will, while also adding to New Zealand's problems. We already have a housing problem and regardless of where they come from or who they are, they will need accommodation.
Reason two is why do all the so-called refugees look about the same age and are all males. No wives, no sisters, no parents?
Finally, why could they not come through the conventional refugee legal system, rather than pay people smugglers to land them in a foreign country? I understand international law dictates the first country they land in must action them as refugees and I believe they moved to Australia from Indonesia.
All in all I tend to agree with Australia that we are a soft touch and after a qualifying period in New Zealand the so-called refugees could then enter Australia legally.
Peter Burrell, Katikati.
Praise for Ardern premature
Bryan Gould's adulation of Jacinda Ardern's intervention in the negotiation of a revamped TPP agreement is somewhat premature as the text has not yet been disclosed. We do not know what success Ardern achieved.
His criticism of provisions that might allow foreign corporations to resort to legal action to protect their competitive rights is in any event somewhat surprising. It would be more surprising if there are none at all.
To accord free trade rights to corporations of another signatory without allowing those corporations to protect those rights hits against the very rights that were granted in the first place.
Gould critically refers to foreign corporations' "drive for higher profits" in the signatory countries. Why on earth would they be seeking access to foreign markets if not for profitable business?
Although signatory countries might grant trading rights to foreign corporations, it would be easy for them to later invoke domestic laws to hobble the ability of those corporations to compete in a free market contemplated by the agreement in order to protect their /our own industries and producers. One can readily understand the concern of foreign corporations at such a possibility if they had invested heavily in that signatory country.
Gould is obviously paranoid about a free market, but that is the name of the game New Zealand has decided to play in. If we want a free trade agreement with our Pacific partners we have to accept that we cannot dictate new rules or refuse rules acceptable to the other players.
Anthony Mercer, Howick.
