Cruel treatment
How offhandedly cruel ACC is toward people at the most defenceless and stressful time in their lives, (Herald, September 22 & 27).
New mum Alicia Freeman, in excruciating pain with a fractured tailbone after
giving birth, and special needs toddler Lucas, who sustained a severe foot injury while being treated at Starship hospital, have had their lives shattered.
In both cases, independent medical assessment contradicted ACC findings. What happened to ACC's stated purpose of "while recovering from a significant injury we want you to have access to the right level of support at the right time"?
ACC appears to be adept at delays, prevarication and layer upon layer of reviews, whilst these families and possibly many more suffer. Currently, 93 per cent of new claims are for treatment costs only.
One has to wonder whether ACC's 2009 loss of $4.8 billion permeates the operational philosophy today. At the time, the ACC chair vowed to take a "hard-nosed approach".
All organisations must operate within budgetary constraints.
As the present Government seems fond of restructuring, it may be time to re-evaluate ACC. It's hardly a sterling advertisement for Labour, whose raison d'etre is being kind.
Mary Hearn, Glendowie.
Will to work
I've volunteered at beneficiary support organisations for 20 years.
In my experience, there is a sizeable cohort of beneficiaries who are capable of working but won't. I've asked people why they won't go and look (and get) work. Their answers boil down to "it's too hard to hunt for work and the benefit gives me enough anyway".
There is also a cohort unable to work full time for medical reasons – e.g. dialysis - who would work, but employers won't offer part-time work:
I had a friend who was a dialysis patient for 25 years and he volunteered because he couldn't get paid work. He was fortunate to get a transplant and shortly thereafter, was able to (finally, in his words) get a well-paid full-time role.
Andrew Parsons, Ōrākei.
Urgent action
I disagree with Stewart Hawkins (NZ Herald, September 28) in his criticism of the police for the action they took to gain access to the CCTV network to track persons they believe had created a potential spread of the Covid virus.
The women concerned had border passes into Northland issued by an authorised government worker. When one of those women later tested positive for the virus - and allegedly went into hiding – a massive search was put into action. To prevent a spread of Covid, police took steps, including accessing the CCTV network to track the woman.
Those steps were as necessary as they were urgent. The action was taken for the benefit of the country as a whole.
How simple it is now to criticise the police. Do the critics believe they ought to have taken time out and sought court approval to access the CCTV records, in the meantime allowing the virus to spread and delaying the Northland lockdown?
Des Trigg, Rothesay Bay.
Apology offered
Simon Wilson's criticism of the Taxpayers' Union in "Auckland mayoralty: unanswered questions for business about Wayne Brown" for the union's outrageous failure to criticise Auckland Mayoral candidate Wayne Brown for what the Auditor General in 2012 described as Brown's "unwise" mixing of private and public financial matters when he was Far North Mayor, is totally deserved.
In response to calling us out, I would like to offer an apology to Wilson and the public at large for this 2012 oversight and the deliberate bias we displayed in waiting until late 2013 to form the Taxpayers' Union.
To put things right, I commit to going back in time to ensure the union goes on record to criticise Brown. Perhaps Wilson might lend me his time machine?
Jordan Williams, executive director, Taxpayers' Union.
That's progress?
I suspect Grant Kemble's and Neil Donnelly's smiles (NZ Herald, September 26) will not be emulated by homeowners whose main ingress/egress is Carrington Rd. Four thousand more dwellings compute to up to 10,000 or more person-movements daily along this long stretch of relatively narrow road, already choked at rush hours.
That aside, surely those destined to inhabit the dwellings will not be thrilled at the artist's depiction of the planned environment either.
Naturally rolling contour flattened, mature shade trees a distant memory despite these warming times and six-storey square blocks?
Amsterdam and other European cities were doing intensification so much better in the 70s with landscaped contours, small right-angled hedgerows with sheltered seating, water features, mature trees, etc to soften hard angles, please the eye and lift the spirits of apartment dwellers.
New Zealand is not an overcrowded Third World country. Our lovely city surely can do much better for those who will never have the pleasure of their own homes.
Juliet Leigh, Pt Chevalier.
Pretty vacant
I drive along the Mt Wellington Highway and see vacant lots everywhere.
The old industry has moved away and the buildings have been demolished, leaving very large and vacant areas.
These would make ideal places for high-rise dwellings of eight or more. Once built, they would be close to transport hubs and situated between the Panmure and Sylvia Park shopping centres, both an easy walking distance away.
Best of all, these are vacant areas. There must be many more old industrial areas around Auckland that could be re-zoned for housing.
Food for thought for our new mayor.
Peter Barrow, Remuera.
Loud and clear
Watching Kelvin Davis' verbal attack on Karen Chourr, the gracious and well-mannered Māori MP for Act, was sickening indeed.
Willie Jackson (seated behind Davis) in sneering agreement with Davis' statements, completed the ugly display.
It speaks volumes of each man's attitude and "character".
Maxine Nisbet, Mt Eden.
Casualties of war
The dire straits that mobilised Russians are entering was highlighted in a video shared today showing a female Chechen war veteran handing out thin blankets to recruits.
And telling them they need to source their own tourniquets, and especially tampons from their girlfriends, wives, and mothers, so they can push them into future bullet wounds to stem the flow of their blood.
Vladimir Putin has sent up to 80,000 Russian youth and others to their early graves already and, brutally, shows no qualms about adding the latest 300,000 ill-trained and ill-disciplined conscripted soldiers to that lot.
Rob Buchanan, Kerikeri.
Patient experience
In response to Barrie Cavill's letter (NZ Herald, September 27), on the health system, I would like to offer a different perspective.
In the past two years during the height of the pandemic, I have had two cataract operations, a knee reconstruction, a weekly blood procedure during which I had to travel to Middlemore Hospital on the train every Friday, when I was the only person on the train, and numerous consultations.
I have nothing but praise for the dedication and professionalism of the doctors and nurses at Middlemore and Manukau Super Clinic; they weren't stressed or rushing about, just doing their jobs in a kindly and caring manner. It's just a matter of being patient and waiting your turn.
Tony Barnett, Pukekohe.
Adding insult
Your correspondent (NZ Herald, September 28) called King Charles III "male, pale and stale".
Apart from being a gratuitous insult to the reigning monarch, I find it deeply offensive.
It is sexist, racist, and ageist.
David Morris, Hillsborough
Fell swoop
In relation to Auckland's maunga and the impending destruction of more trees - what do olive and cherry groves, Moreton Bay figs, banksia, bottlebrush and gum trees have to do with colonisation anyway?
Surely they have a lot more to do with mitigating climate change. A simple answer would be to just leave them alone, let the native birds and walkers enjoy them and save a few million dollars to boot.
Submissions to the Tūpuna Maunga Authority regarding this felling close at 5pm on Saturday, October 8.
Liz McNair, Glen Eden.
Seasoned greetings
I am conscious that over my close to 90-year lifetime, the standard greeting on being introduced has changed from "how do you do" whiçh required no answer to the Americanised, "how are you:" which does.
The ubiquitous"how are you" is employed by strangers, baristas, to garage shop attendants. I feel it may be commercially motivated.
The grammatically incorrect reply of "good" sounds hollow. But infinitely preferable to a rundown on my ailments.
David Tolmie, Mt Eden.
Short & sweet
On football
NZ Football has a history of appointing terrible coaches and getting rid of the good ones. Looks like history is about to repeat itself with Danny Hay, who has been excellent. Steve Dransfield, Karori.
On royals
Noticeable amongst the lists of copious statistics collated and published to illustrate the scope and grandeur of the recent regal funeral was a paucity of reckonings of its financial costs or carbon footprint. J. Livingstone, Remuera.
On rubbish
Waiting at a bus stop and there is a rubbish bin beside it. Dropped on the footpath are blobs of pink chewing gum, cigarette butts, wooden ice cream spoons and metal tabs from drink cans. What about using the bin or taking it with you? Gillian Dance, Mt Albert.
On police
I've just watched on the news as a policeman pulls a criminal from a car and gives him a few cuffs around the head. Please pass on my congratulations to the officer concerned.
R Wallace, Kohimarama.
On buses
Don't waste housing intensification on the fancy suburbs, concentrate it along the bus routes. I don't mind riding in a vehicle with other human beings, most people are quite interesting, and quite nice. Arch Thomson, Mt Wellington.
On medals
How about badges and citations to every Aucklander for surviving the 100+ day lockdown? Richard Murray, Henderson.
The Premium Debate
Vodafone New Zealand's 'One' news
It sounds like some 12-year-old trying to get use from their marketing degree and badly missing the mark. One New Zealand sounds like an extreme right-wing anti-immigration political party. Brendon C.
Obviously the costs will not be paid for by the customer today but next week. Len H.
Disappearing letters, clever. V... o... d... a... f... ONE. James J.
6.5/10 would be a more honest brand. Welly G.
At least it wasn't One Aotearoa. I would have been switching. Ray S.
Patience, Ray, patience. Murray B.
I know, as outrageous as giving chocolate a Māori name, the inhumanity. Dan M.
Wasn't there also a political party called "One New Zealand"? There was an election or two back, anyway. Led by Alan McCulloch, a colourful ex-mayor of East Coast Bays in the 1970s and still running as a perennial candidate for various offices as late as 2011 or 2014, I believe. I wonder whether Vodafone knows about that? David C.