At the end of the day we are losing some of our best and in return get a plane load of 501s. Unless the Government settles the pay dispute very quickly with Hato Hone St John ambulance those requiring that service will have to hire an Uber to transport them to treatment. One stands by previous statements that this is a spreadsheet Government with little regard for humanity.
Reg Dempster, Albany.
Bring back traffic cops
Could Transport Minister Simeon Brown please explain exactly how his plan to test more drivers for alcohol or drugs is going to succeed?
On paper, it’s quite a good idea. However, to achieve the targets he sets, he is going to remove more frontline officers from their regular duties to take breath tests. The only way this ambition will be realised is to train dedicated traffic officers to conduct all matters regarding driving offences, leaving regular officers to carry out their attempts to stop or reduce the increasing number of violent crimes, robberies, smuggling etc, more successfully, undistracted by roadside duty.
It has worked in the past, there is no reason to believe it won’t now. Any financial issues should be weighed against potential human ones in both cases. That is the only way this Government is going to lower the crime rate we are told is high on their agenda.
Jeremy Coleman, Hillpark.
Wrong target
Correspondent Vince West, who is concerned about gun crime, appears to be inadequately informed about the New Zealand firearms scene (NZ Herald, August 19).
The constant shooting escapades he deplores are part of a “turf war” between motorcycle gangs and involve illegally-obtained firearms. Every firearm legally imported into this country will be monitored eventually by the firearms register, including their sale and transfer, but unlawfully imported guns won’t be.
A firearm used to commit a crime after being stolen will lead police to the innocent owner, but not the criminal. Unlawful importation is already subject to severe penalties but oddly criminals are not owning up to this practice.
Since 2019, when 65,000 firearms were confiscated from law-abiding firearms owners, the prevalence of shooting escapades has skyrocketed. Perhaps the wrong group was targeted by police.
John Walsh, Green Bay.
Eliminating alcohol
Over many decades we have become numbed by the direct and indirect health consequences of alcohol consumption (NZ Herald, August 20). While alcohol manufacturers and retail outlets have glamourised and condoned excessive alcohol consumption, because let’s face it, it can be fun at the time, the average consumer just had to hope it wouldn’t affect him or her.
Now that we are finally realising how alcohol – along with excessive sugar intake and other acidic foods - is a major contributor to cancers, why don’t we start re-educating the public about total abstinence of alcohol consumption and the long-term benefits of alcohol elimination in our diet?
With all the existing studies at hand, how does it come that the most obvious tool in the toolbox is a rise in alcohol excise tax, while the only true fix would be to start eliminating this toxin from our diets.
Quite frankly, it defeats all common sense, when an organisation like Alcohol Healthwatch more or less accepts the current sale of alcohol, buying into the slogan that “80% of Kiwi adults drink responsibly”. How can one drink responsibly when numerous reports have shown how even “moderate” alcohol use is responsible for cancers and organ malfunctions? Will we ever learn?
René Blezer, Taupō.
Tourist charges
In response to Bob Campton’s letter (NZ Herald, August 19), I suggest that Tourism Minister Matt Doocey’s introduction of a $35 tourist admission fee for Te Papa is not lacking in business acumen but rather it is sensible, normal practice and long overdue.
Long gone are the days when tourists expect free admission to galleries, museums and historic places. Examples of entry fees paid on a recent overseas trip are Paris Opera House €14 ($25), Rijksmuseum Amsterdam €22 ($40), Edinburgh Castle £22, Blenheim Palace £50 ($106).
As a tourist I felt privileged to have access to these magnificent places at a modest fee. Oscar Wilde once said of a cynic is “someone who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing”.
Bruce Eliott, St Heliers.
