Letters to the editor: Dear politicians and 'experts', stop telling Labour how to do their job better

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and director-general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield. Photo / Mark Mitchell

I am growing increasingly annoyed at the so-called experts from other political parties telling the Labour Party and the Prime Minister where they have gone wrong and are going wrong.

Whichever party, or parties, had been in power at this time would have had to learn the hard way, taking advice from the same health people, and inevitably making some good calls and some bad calls as the virus progressed.

Nobody in the world has got the response to this threat correct by any means, but then nobody in the world has ever had to do this before, so all of the responses are new, with lots of learning to be done.

At one stage, some of these "experts" wanted our borders open to admit all, I wonder what they think about that opinion now? It only took one case from New South Wales to snap our complacent bubble.

And as well as this erroneous and unhelpful criticism, it is easy to say anything when you know that you are not making the decisions so your comments have no actual consequences.

Lots of these statements also prolong our lockdowns by waking up the idiots in the population who will believe anything, especially if a national figure such as a politician is making them.

Alister Blair
Tauranga

Government cares more about itself than us

First, it was for three days, now we have our third lockdown extension to September 1. Why? Because the Government is so wedded to its elimination strategy that it dares not think of anything else, particularly its responsibility for the slow vaccination of New Zealanders.

Similarly, its advisers dare not recommend any relaxing of the stringent rules, so they avoid being blamed if events later prove they were a wrong move.

Yet Tauranga, and Bay of Plenty, have not had any positive tests.

There is no reason why our lockdown could not have been relaxed last Friday, August 27. Four days wasted unnecessarily.

Why are we being treated the same as Coromandel, exposure but no cases, and Wellington, in spite of a few positives?

The answer is the Government cares more about itself than the massive setbacks we locked-up citizens and businesses face.

Bill Capamagian
Tauranga

The problem caused by relaxed entry rules

There are two reasons why Auckland is under lockdown for longer and they are that the Government was stupid relaxing entry rules, and those in Auckland who don't behave and travel to their holiday homes - and the rest of New Zealand has paid the price.

Graham Holloway
Gate Pa

Afghani rescues a moral responsibility

It is the moral responsibility of this country to retrieve and bring to this country the Afghani interpreters and all others who fought on our side in that country in the recently suspended campaign.

Failing our ability to bring them directly to this country, it is our Government's responsibility, on behalf of us all to get them from Afghanistan to the safety of another country, albeit on a temporary basis.

The fact that our country was slow to accept its moral responsibility to retrieve them is not the fault of our friends in that country.

A.D. Kirby
Papamoa

The Bay of Plenty Times welcomes letters from readers. Please note the following:

• Letters should not exceed 200 words.

• They should be opinion based on facts or current events.

• If possible, please email.

• No noms de plume.

• Letters will be published with names and suburb/city.

• Please include full name, address and contact details for our records only.

• Local letter writers given preference.

• Rejected letters are not normally acknowledged.

• Letters may be edited, abridged, or rejected at the Editor's discretion.

• The Editor's decision on publication is final. No correspondence will be entered into.

Email editor@bayofplentytimes.co.nz