In last Friday's paper, Spookers' owner, Julia Watson says they are "making it up as we go along" and that Spookers "sort of" helped some of the staff through some mental illnesses, and demonstrates her lack of empathy. Although they don't directly refer to Kingseat's supposed past, all the articles refer to it as the old Kingseat psychiatric hospital and the rest is invented history.
The Herald should consider that none of their articles explore this aspect but glorify Spookers' financial success which rides on the back of mental illness as entertainment.
M. D. Passmore, Thames.
Trade with UK
Correspondent Peter Feran seems to think that Britain wants to return to the position where New Zealand only traded with the UK, back when the UK was the mother country. That is not the case. What the UK is offering is the opportunity to secure a free trade agreement which is very much in New Zealand's interest because the UK is still an important trading partner which buys a lot of meat and wine from New Zealand and in turn sells us lots of manufactured goods. Though Mr Feran claims that we no longer buy rubbish English cars, cars are in fact the biggest percentage of our imports from the UK, though many of the cars these days are Japanese-brand vehicles made in the UK.
David Mairs, Glendowie.
Planning needed
Your editorial says, "Put the needs of the economy first". Is this always the bottom line? How has New Zealand got into such a mess that apparently the only way we can sustain our economic growth is by bringing in tens of thousands more immigrant workers? Apart from their spending power producing GST revenue, is it because they often work for less pay, helping to maintain a competitive edge?
We seem to be unwilling or unable to train our own unemployed, a festering sore. And the rapid population increase has left us with badly overstretched social services and infrastructure and worst of all a severe shortage of housing. To fix that will require even more immigrant labour. The cycle goes on.
Rock-star-free-market economy? Or systemic government failure in planning: for primary industry expansion, tourism and hospitality needs, quality education services, urban infrastructure?
B. Darragh, Auckland Central.
Protecting the father
Wasn't the DPB originally set up to help women who had been abandoned by the father of their children? Metiria Turei claims she did not name her child's father as she did not want Winz (or whatever it was called back then) harassing the father, and wanted to promote a positive relationship between daughter and father. Were they abandoned by him?
The IRD is the agency responsible for collecting child support from a parent, so why or how would Winz have harassed the unnamed father? Did he, and maybe his family, support her and her daughter in any way, including financially? Lots of questions are not being answered by a woman who still truly believes she is suitable to be a government minister.
Fiona Allen, Papatoetoe.
Comparing faults
John Galvin asked "what he has missed" when comparing the Barclay affair with the Turei one. They are quite different. Turei owned up voluntarily to an indiscretion occurring before she was a politician whereas Barclay grudgingly had to fall on his sword or garrotte his leader agonisingly slowly, inducing memory loss and confusion that was politically intolerable.
Turei had no reason to own up other than to promote the plight of solo parents and has had no criticism from her co-leader. Barclay had state funds from Key, his leader, to hush the affair, Turei will pay hers back from her own funds.
Only a die-hard National supporter would be so astigmatic in their perspective. The justice system is not the same as political justice. Those exonerated from drink-drive offences because of their high-flying careers know that even the justice system treats them differently. The voters will decide Turei's fate, not a judge.
Steve Russell, Hillcrest.
Heart not enough
I feel sorry for Metiria. She has known it hard. But it also frightens me - she is one of our senior politicians. The Greens are emphasising redistribution of wealth, always a running sore in society. I have no simple solution and, presented effectively, she likely had a point. Are any of our most needy not being served?
But she failed to understand the ideological hierarchy involved in the issues. Are we to assume she is encouraging the idea that if you are struggling it is okay to break the law to get what you want? I do not think that is what she meant. Is she so naive as to think that if the requirement to obey the law is undermined over here, it will not flow across and be undermined over there?
Finally, the really scary bit, does she not grasp that the very foundation of a free society requires people to obey the law, providing a stable platform of social behaviour? We need people with heart but they also need to be astute enough to not screw up major issues.
Graham Little, Birkenhead.
Sugary drink tax advocate
Sir John Walsh during his time as dean of the University of Otago dental school was a revolutionary with his changes to dental education. He founded research leading to the high-speed drill and his teaching emphasising prevention saw him vigorously advocating fluoridation of water supplies and promoting tax on sugary drinks.
Recent publication of a biography of this remarkable man tells of him promoting a sugary drink tax to help reduce the destruction of healthy children's teeth. This was in the 1960s. Such a tax has never happened.
Children in homes where sugary drinks are the norm, and especially in non-fluoridated areas, are still having their teeth destroyed by decay. This does not need to happen. To curb this destruction, I support a tax on sugary drinks.
Craig Fraser, St Heliers.
Christian view
According to our news headlines we have the highest suicide rate in the Western world. Why is that? And why is it no one will consider a Christian answer to this major issue? The Bible is full of statements that if we live life God's way we will have a life full of meaning and purpose.
Absence of faith produces people who have no resources to fall back on and no sense that the experiences of life have purpose or meaning.
Every human being is desperate to know that they are loved and have significance. A Christian faith provides both these essentials for life. As a Christian I know who I am, why I am here and what the purpose of life is. I want everyone to share in this reason to live.
Darrell R. Curtis (Rev), Orewa.
Use of seclusion
As a psychiatric nurse I take exception to your story on the use of seclusion in New Zealand's psychiatric units. Seclusion is used for the safety of the patients, their fellow patients and, a point your reporter seems to forget, the safety of staff. Any other reasons for seclusion are not valid. I challenge you to present any cases, with evidence and argument, where the valid reasons have not been applied.
Overall your reportage has been biased against anyone working in the psychiatric system. We are presented as insensitive, cruel and inhuman. For example, your picture of a typical seclusion room shows a bare bed and mattress and little else. The picture is accurate but there are very good reasons for this accuracy. If your reporter had bothered to ask she might have been enlightened. Perhaps if she spent a day or so in the psychiatric area alongside staff there she might question her beliefs.
John Connor, Western Springs.
