Letters: New Zealand needs to stand up to China

At long last, we have a Government who will stand up to China, a reader says.

In reference to Audrey Young's editorial (Opinion, February 14), as a sovereign nation, New Zealand is entitled to its own international statements on situations.

At long last, we have a government who will stand up to China.

The previous Chinese loving National Government bent over backwards to accommodate Beijing's wishes.

The Crafar Farms deal is just one of many that have allowed thousands of prime of precious New Zealand land to sold to foreign buyers.

Pacific Island nations greedily accept Chinese foreign aid without thinking how will they pay it back. They can't. Don't worry, China says, we'll just have use of your deep water harbour instead, thanks, for our navy.

Even common old rubbish gets caught up. Waste Management, a huge Chinese owned company, was recently given the okay to purchase a huge chunk of land up north for a landfill.

I think we do have every right to say it as it is otherwise the takeover of New Zealand by stealth will be complete.

Richard Lyon
Rotorua

Council spending

Your correspondent GJ Philip (Letters, February 25) is incorrect saying that low paid workers do not pay rates despite using many council services.

They do in fact pay rates in the rent they pay to their landlords who then pass the rates amount on to the council.

I would have to agree with him, however, that we are a low-pay economy and many organisations and companies are guilty of contributing to this.

However, while I am a believer in the Living Wage, paying workers more to fix council's debt problem as your heading stated is way off the mark.

The council's debt problem will only be solved by the council spending less and certainly not coming up with expensive grandiose schemes, some of which have been classed as total failures and others which ratepayers do not need or want.

The only difference between the council and a real business is that the council is spending other people's money and does not care about burdening ratepayers with millions of dollars of interest and increasing debt. (Abridged)

Paul Carpenter
Rotorua

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