KEY POINTS:
It is so humid in Auckland and yet business people are still wearing ties.
It's also sweltering hot in the cab drivers' waiting area at Auckland International Airport, but no one dares loosen their top button and remove their tie. >> Read that story here
What do you think of ties? Have they had their day especially in summer?
Send us your views
>> Check out views on today's other hot topics
Here is the latest selection of your views:
S.Natarajan
These people responded:
Bishop: Ties should be developed between humans but not worn in the neck
Real Estate Agent: That is the only thing I can show in return for the commission I am getting.
Lawyer: I dont want to swallow the lies - Ties are helpful in that.
CEO: When I give press statements - with the ties I feel secured - after removing the ties in the evening I myself ridicule the statements given as CEO.
Govt.Minister: We will form a committee to understand the nuances of wearing a tie.
Newspaper Editor: Will it make a news, if I remove my tie, then I'll do it right now.
Allan Mardhall
Forcing taxi drivers to wear ties is ludicrous and a reflection on some underlying insanity prevalent in our culture. Far better to design a shirt that looks good without a traditional collar, perhaps an Asian style collar on a stylish shirt, that looks nice but still allows for freedom of movement. Lets face it ties are bad for your health and an anglo-saxon colonial hangover we would all be better off without. Cabs are hot in the summer and ties are restrictive. As for dodgy taxi driver stories, why not get out of the negative mindset that pervades New Zealand media?
Why not ask to hear positive stories about taxi drivers. During my time driving cabs I helped stop crimes, rescued people from violent altercations, helped women escape from domestic violence, picked raped and battered women up off the street and returned countless dropped wallets and cellphones to their owners.
Martin Burford
What happened to equal rights? How many female business people wear ties? Surely a dress lie-less shirt or uniform looks just as smart these days. And how uncomfortable the taxi drivers look when they pick you up at the airport with their fingers pulling at their tight sweaty collars.
KiwiCritic
Why should anyone in their right minds want to wear an old British/European piece of fashion? Its just wanting to blindly copy anything and everything European/ British even if it is utterly stupid. Wake up folks, the sun has long back set on the mighty British empire and all other European empires as well. Its the day and age of the mighty USA.! No more ties.
Dan Halford
There are those that think the wearing of a tie equates to professionalism and the maintenance of good standards. However, in my experience, these same people generally prefer style over substance and appearance over ability. I wear jeans and t-shirt to work. I demonstrate my ability and professionalism by what I do and how I do it, not by my good choice in neck attire.
R Robert
I dont think ties are appropriate at all when it comes to being neat and tidy, there are alot of fashion these days that do not require the wearing of ties and it still looks neat. As long as taxi drivers clothes are neat in what they wear that should be fine, along with making sure their cars are in excellent condition inside and outside thats alot better than worrying about whether they wear a tie or not. Taxi drivers need to be more vigilant on the road, know the rules of the road, and speak good English that is the most important thing. Why should we all have to worry about forcing them to wear a tie and when its other things in the taxi industry that needs to looked at more closely?
Tony Smart
What a load of officious twats we have running the Auckland airport, or even worse than that they are a bunch very childish narrow minded people who like to force their ideas onto others and make there lives uncomfortable. Ask a tourist if they care as I have today and they all said they couldnt care less, all they care about is getting to there destination as safely and as cheaply as they can, you can travel the world and you wont find any cabby wearing a tie, when was the last time anyone saw a New York taxi driver wearing a tie. Also land Transports rules say a reasonable clean standard of dress, who are these people that think they are the law makers, they sound like a bunch of over paid commies to me.
Alauddin
All media against cab driver. Did any one think what is the problem of a cab driver? Can any one go 3 o clock in the morning what hardship faces a cab driver from violent people? I just give u one example my friend who is a cab driver lost his eye on Boxing day nite driving a cab.
Andrew Packer
Emphatically no. Consign these relics to the dustbin. A man can be clean and tidily presented without compressing his jugular veins.
Guy Kydd
These drivers have become victims of the franchise industry where the franchisers or owners of taxi companys make the laws and collect the fees from taxi owner operators.The cabbie owners make a small income as a result.Bus drivers make more money collecting a wage.So this sort of rubbish is unjustified. I can think of a hell of a lot more people who need to wear ties to give a good impression to our tourists.
Pat Deady
You would order men to wear ties? Try telling women they have to wear bras then prepare to die!!
Neill
I have travelled extensively around the world and i can categorically state that i have never judged a country on the basis of whether their taxi drivers were wearing ties.
Chris Findlay
Absolutely not. Any person with good grooming skills can look tidy and professional without wearing a tie.
Chris Coombe
The taxi driver in your picture is wearing a tie, but has a short sleeve shirt on. Isnt that one of your top 5 fashion faux pas? Is he wearing thongs also? Why do they believe wearing ties make taxi drivers clean when the perspiration beads of sweat swathe his face, beard and hair, and the yellowing armpits of his shirt start to emit odours reminiscent of a visit to Rotorua. Are the taxi compliance officers failed traffic police or just retired school inspectors? Get some perspective - it is hot, muggy and humid. I dont care whether my taxi driver wears a tie, as long as he is pleasant, friendly, and turns on the air conditioning without being prompted.
Jasmine
Yes I do think wearing a tie would add to the appearance and they should not be grumbling about the heat as it is a part of their dress code. A part of good service is good presentation. I think its a good idea and they should be encouraged (and not forced) to wear ties. May be the message should be sold to them in a more advantageous way than forcing it down their throats.
Mark
I require a taxi driver to 1. know where he is going 2. drive in a safe and responsible manner 3. be courteous and 4. have a clean cab...So unless wearing a tie aids with any of the above I dont give a brass monkey.
Lee
Surely the compulsory wearing of a tie in a cab with the sort of humid weather Auckland is experiences is a load of rubbish. If taxi companies wish to give a good impression they could start with teaching drivers that honking the horn outside an address at 2am instead of getting of their bum and knocking on a door is not acceptable in a residential area.
Philip
Presumably the airport enforces wearing ties equally against both male and female taxi drivers. The Auckland Airport company might wish to review the uniform for their own staff- clearly the primary concern is to make them look distinctive, not to make them look professional! However any step to denigrate taxi drivers and show them that they are on the lowest step in our egalitarian society is welcome, and Auckland Airport should be congratulated on showing such initiative.
Jonathan Davey
Ties are an outdated fashion accessory, by about 200 years. They restrict the blood supply to the brain, reducing the ability to think, increases the temperature, and anger. Ties at the work place are an outdated symbol of superiority, and are a danger around machinery. If I see a sales person in a tie, I think they are trying to get one up on me. I am a manager, and I have not worn a tie since settling in NZ 10 years ago.
Micky Dee
There can be no logical explanation why people continue to tightly tie strips of cloth round their throats and then dangle them on their chests. Is it necessary to dwell on the indignities and folly of the necktie convention? Is this frilly rag not an indication of the wearers willingness to subjugate him/herself to a mindless uniformity? Notwithstanding the utter illogicality of this idiotic apparel!
Afi Leota
There should be some consideration for the drivers who do have to sit in the heat which can be quite intense at times. There must be some sort of compromise that can be reached where driver comfort as well as quality of service is maintained. I totally agree with a comment made in the article, It's easy to make those decisions from an air-conditioned office. You can have a driver who is immaculately presented but if they have been sitting for long periods of time in hot conditions than the service that driver will provide will be far from excellent. We are human at the end of the day. A hot, sweaty, uncomfortable driver may lead to a grumpy, rude driver. So the passengers driver may be dressed well but be far from pleasant towards the customer. You cant really blame the driver as it is the responsibility of the employers to not only provide excellent customer service but also see employee welfare and fair working environment as a priority.I am sure a better designed uniform that are both comfortable and appropriate for the environment they work in and present a good image for our country can be put together. After all tourists come here for our big smiles and beautiful country rather that the nice ties that the taxi drivers wear.
Alan
If a man is expected to give his best during the working day, why should he be made to wear a noose around his neck? Taxi drivers are not required to wear seatbelts in cabs in case of assault, surely a tie is more dangerous.even our police are no longer required to wear that silly Beau Brummel fashion statement.
Keith
Sorry its hard enough trying to convince international clients to choose Auckland over Sydney and Melbourne as it is, Ties are crucial to providing the right image to Asian, European and North American clients.
Renee
So long as someone is dressed in clean clothes and presented tidily, it should not matter whether ties are worn or not. What should be more rigorously enforced is the body odour of some drivers. There's nothing worse than being stuck in a taxi for a 30 minute ride with a driver who has odour problems!
Andy
For health and safety reasons, no taxi driver should wear a necktie. Taxi drivers get mugged all the time. A full necktie is dangerous to wear because it can be used by a mugger as a garrotte, especially if seized from behind from the back seat. A clip-on necktie can, too -- though not quite so easily: it would need to be removed and repositioned across the throat. Taxi drivers have a dangerous enough job without presenting muggers with handy weapons to use against them.
Their uniform should be designed to look neat and presentable without requiring a necktie.
Graeme Thompson
The necktie is a blatantly useless piece of clothing usable only to wipe ones nose if one does not have a handkerchief. It serves no purpose and has no effect on neatness, tidiness or appearance. It is a relic from the days of fops and dandies . The sooner it is rejected as an item of clothing the better.
Jacqui
If the company you work for has a uniform or dress code, then you have to abide by it - no argument. Companies have a right to be able to project a professional image if they so desire. If only the wearing of the tie improved their driving.
Fiona
As an ex Aucklander now living in Melbourne for the past 3 years, I was appalled at the scruffy state of the cab drivers and their cabs at Auckland Airport on a recent visit. The driver I got had on a dirty shirt and reeked of BO, he was also unshaven and his cab was filthy and old, I am also sure unroadworthy and I felt every single bump due to no rear suspension I suspect. Over here in Melbourne, cabs are newish, kept spotless and all drivers wear a uniformed shirt. So yes, clean up your act Auckland cabbies. I saw passengers by-passing certain cabs.I had no choice and I was running late and jumped the first cab I saw.
David Grogan
Frankly, I would be more impressed if they were able to speak English!
Tony Carr
I believe that ties are an outrageous leftover from the dark ages. Get rid of the stupid things forever.
Bill
I am from Canada and can't ever remember any taxi driver Ive ever been in contact with wearing a tie! However most limousine Drivers do wear them! Most regular taxi drivers here wear leather jackets or vests!
Kevin
I applaud the idea of making sure that professional people such as taxi drivers have a good standard of appearance. I just hope that they apply the same dress standards to female drivers working form the airport; not so much insistence of wearing a tie, but a tidy dress standard and appearance. Auckland has some very sloppy dressed women taxi drivers and messy hair as though they just got up - I know; I have travelled with two of them; great drivers but let themselves down with sloppy appearance.
Tom
I think that every company has a certain image that it wants to present to its customers. I think it should be up to the taxi company to decide what uniform/dress code (if any) it would like its drivers to wear, any driver who is not happy with the dress code is free to look for work elsewhere.
Lene Mauala
Yes taxi drivers should wear ties . If this is uncomfortable during summer then why not then have a summer uniform that is comfortable? The point is maintain good standards and professionalism. The casual attires and attitudes that are slowly creeping into the work environment can have an effect on the way we do things. Our work ethics and the attitudes towards work will change from good to bad.
Salil Elias
I am a doctor and stopped wearing ties a long time ago, after I realised that they were mobile microbiology labs!! How many times does one launder their ties? How many times has someone sneezed onto their ties?! We seem to practice pristine cleaning of our hands when working on patients, but fail to notice that coat them with bugs with out ties!!! So its to the guillotine for the ties and hello, comfy t-shirts!
John Robb
It is ridiculous that taxi drivers in NZ should have to wear ties. It is just a hangover from the old days of servitude and promoted by the anal attitudes of those who run the airport etc. who imagine that tourists even give a toss. You certainly do not see ties on many taxi drivers overseas. On the subject of bad taxi drivers, taxi driving everywhere is the domain of new immigrants and really we need to cut these guys some slack, most of them are pretty good and as with all occupations a few can spoil it for the rest. I have had language and orienteering problems with cab drivers on a few occasions, but these have been sorted out with the drivers being pleasant and courteous. My worst experience with a taxi driver was about 20 years ago when my driver (a middle-aged European) drove straight through a red light and nearly killed both of us, when I alluded to this he said there was plenty of room. and was indignant that I had criticised his driving; obviously a Kiwi. The real problem with the taxi industry is that it (along with road transport) was deregulated in the mid-eighties by Richard Prebble resulting in anyone with little or no experience being able to enter the industry cutting prices and causing large drops in revenue and service and giving us the large percentage of cowboy taxi (and road transport) companies we have today.
H Moore
Ties are out-dated, dangerous in some jobs and ridiculous. What use are they? Notice how many people in news and weather occupations no longer wear them? Throw the things out for good - along with corsets and other ridiculous clothing fads.
Colin Baker
This is one of the most insane things I have read in a long time. Fair enough if you are working in air conditioning but in the sweltering summer conditions of a car? Crazy!!! Yes I agree there should be a dress code but ties should be exempt from it especially during the hot summer period. Ok being well presented but being uncomfortable does nothing to improve the driving standards or safety of your clients. Never mind the odour issues!
CJWecke
With the wearing of ties you set a certain standard. I would always prefer to deal with gentleman with a tie and not with a sloppy, ungroomed person.
Alistair Rowe
It is truly pathetic to suggest that a man without a tie cannot look smart and tidy. It beggars belief that a classy dress code cannot be designed without a choker as an enforced essential around the neck.
Paul Cherry
There are times when wearing a tie is appropriate and proper. You would never see a good many professional drivers wearing some sort of uniform. Wearing ties for men at many offices is considered essential dress code especially when interfacing with customers. In fact we used to have Friday as a dress down day at work when wearing a tie was optional unless meeting with a customer.
Sanjay
No as long as they are smartly dressed and professional do not think they should have to wear ties.
