Living condition for some migrants in overcrowded house. Photo / Alex Burton
Appalling treatment of migrants
Thank you Herald for bringing to our attention the appalling living conditions some migrants must endure. Their situation breaches a list of fundamental human rights, and I believe shatters New Zealand’s status as a corruption-free country. Apparently, these people have been in this situation for over three years.
How can this be possible? Who else knew? Immigration NZ? Auckland Council? Police? Health services? Neighbours?
You report that multiple investigations are under way. I trust the purpose is to expose what I see as corruption imposed on the exploited migrants and not merely to deport them and permit the perpetrators to continue to exploit our incoherent policy and disingenuous implementation.
Warren Lindberg, Hobsonville.
Roman conquests
Matt Heath’s comments (Herald, Sept 25) on Roman greatness made interesting reading. Unfortunately, his article largely highlights the ruthless success of the army and shocking spectacle of gladiatorial blood sports without acknowledging that much of Rome’s enduring legacy can be found in the accomplishments of one man, Julius Caesar.
The way the world has been so heavily influenced by Rome in its art, law, language, architecture, literature and technology is hugely down to the way Caesar ruled and the establishment of an empire after his death. His life and death inspired Shakespeare plus numerous filmmakers. Roman law and politics is echoed in our justice and political systems. Much of Roman architecture can be seen reflected in our own buildings today along with many of the same principles of engineering that built them. The languages of Spain, Italy and Portugal are Latin-based. Julius Caesar’s conquests, life and what happened after his death had a significant effect right up to the present day.Bernard Walker, Pāpāmoa.
Passing the buck
Your editorial (Sept 25) discusses the contentiousness around the views National and Labour are voicing in their attempt to reach climate targets necessary to realise a liveable life ahead. These differences were also discussed at Generation Zero’s climate debate last Friday. Labour, National, the Greens and TOP all shared their parties’ plans around climate change, with Labour and National stressing the need to bring people together on this. The gesture sounds sensible, but these are not ordinary times and waiting for everyone to agree could be dangerous.
All we have to do to stop the heating is halt the use of fossil fuels, say scientist James Renwick. Can’t do that, says Simon Watts, National’s Climate spokesperson, “it will leave too many people out of work and displaced”. But isn’t that passing the buck, leaving chaos and disruption to future generations? Can we be so cold and calculating as that to our children?
Emma Mackintosh, Birkenhead.
Fair conditions
We have been told for years to “drive to the conditions”. Despite this we can legally drive at 100km/h towards an oncoming logging truck on a rural road with only a strip of white paint separating us from instant death in a head-on collision.
Conversely we are expected to drive at just 100km/h on a super-safe, world class high road like the new Puhoi to Warkworth motorway. If common sense prevailed the speed limit on the narrow rural road should be reduced to 80km/h and the limit on new expressways increased to 120km/h.
Glen Stanton, Mairangi Bay.
Crypto currency
Since the Queenstown cryptosporidium outbreak is still not contained, will the PM — in breaking news style — lock down the region? Those were the days ... not.
Chis Mann, Mt Albert
Winning the pools
What a terrible draw for the Rugby World Cup. The four top teams — South Africa, Ireland, New Zealand and France will meet in the quarter-finals and only two will progress. Had these four teams been in separate pools we could have had a very exciting semifinal battle.
Neil Hatfull, Warkworth.
Something in the water
Recent events show Queenstown, blessed with a more affluent populace, has joined a long list of municipalities that have failed to deliver adequate safe water supplies.
Surely the much-derided “Three Waters” is not to blame for this failure by the local council to sufficiently invest in adequate systems to filter out nasties rather than causing our prime tourist town to resort to a “boil your water” farce.
The Three Waters principles and reforms may have delivered the funding now clearly needed to resolve this mess.
Neil Anderson, Algies Bay.
Hood winked
Taking from the rich to give to the poor could be justified where the rich mainly became rich by unfairly exploiting the poor. However, it is shameful that there are proponents of a modern day Robin Hood called a Wealth Tax.
As a sharemarket investor I have no problem with a Capital Gains Tax on investments realised gains (likely to be shares and property although there could be further investments that will be included), but the thought that investors might be forced to sell assets to pay a tax that assessed on assets they were not intending to sell seems to be most unfair.
Barry Towers, Morrinsville.
Return to paradise
On Sunday, September 17, our plane from Singapore touched down at Auckland Airport at 12.35pm. Nearly two hours later, we emerged into daylight and left. We had spent most of that time with nearly a thousand other people, including families with babies and young children, in multiple queues waiting to go through an understaffed, underfunded immigration.
In the following week we picked up copies of the Herald and read about the needless, ever increasing incidents of crime, many of them violent. On Friday, intending to catch the 2pm ferry to Waiheke, we caught the train from Newmarket to Britomart and travelled through a corridor of walls so heavily graffitied it was astonishing. At the ferry terminal it was announced the ferry was cancelled due to “operational” issues and we had to wait for the 3pm. Closer to 3pm, after huge queues had formed, it was announced the 3pm ferry was delayed.
Arriving at Matiatia and catching the bus it turned out the bus had the wrong destination number and multiple people who had already boarded had to get off that bus to find the correct one. Goodness knows what all the tourists thought.
Within the course of less than a week I wondered if we’d arrived back in a country that had already slipped into Third World status.
Fiona Gray, Remuera.
Human tsunami
The major political parties have released their immigration policies, and not one of them intends to stem the human tsunami coming through our airports.
In fact, our politicians want to make it easier for people to come here. Short-sighted and plain stupid.
C.C. McDowall, Rotorua.
Make a brake
Dr Alan Papert’s letter (Herald, Sept 25) needs to be challenged. As someone that has mostly been a National voter I was very disappointed in their plans for the 2017 Election, particularly Bill English saying he could not work with NZ First.
As a result, Winston had no choice but to go with Labour. In the three years together, I believe more was done for rail and the regions than had been done in a long time. My vote this time is going with NZ First in the hope they will be a handbrake on some of National/Act’s radical policies.
Charlie Potter, Pukekohe.
Exploitation exposed
Thank you for your work to expose this shocking case of exploitation of immigrants. There have been too many cases like this, only revealed by media investigations. The Immigration Department needs to be grilled about its surveillance procedures which appear to be woefully lacking.
Russell O. Armitage, Hamilton.
Happy valleys
The darkest day in Wallabies history, being absolutely thrashed by Wales in the Rugby World Cup. Wales were coached by a Kiwi, Warren Gatland. Their star player in the match was a Kiwi, Gareth Anscombe. On that basis we can celebrate this victory here as can people in Wales, where they will be singing in the valleys.
Australia will wish they still had their former coach, Kiwi Dave Rennie.
Glen Stanton, Mairangi Bay.
On Wallabies
To quote George Gregan: “Only four more years!” Garry Wycherley, Awakino.
On Hansen
Whatever Steve Hansen said to Eddie Jones and the team at training a week or so back, worked. Peter Moroney, Napier.
On tradies
When we lived in the UK in the mid-1970s my husband saw an advert in a newspaper: “Tradesmen. New Zealand needs you”. So we arrived in NZ and there were lots of jobs. Fifty years on NZ still hasn’t learnt the lesson to train tradespeople. Janet Bailey, Henderson.
On rain
It seems likely extremely heavy rainfalls will continue into the future. Would it be possible for regular “cloud seeding” to be done over the oceans in order to reduce the amount of rain falling on the land itself? Even if this were feasible, the problem of cost-sharing among countries would remain. This might be more difficult to resolve. John Hampson, Meadowbank.
On the Wahs
New Zealanders are so fickle. Suddenly the Warriors were the team to support — when they started winning. Now, when they really need our support, it will be gone. At least my phone and ears will free of the cringeworthy and ungrammatical “Up the Wahs”. Rosemary Balme, Howick.
How to be happy — the five golden rules
Pick your work life carefully, you spend a lot of time there. A bullying boss? Move on. A focus on overworking employees? Move on. Don’t underestimate the impact of your work life on you. Kathy A.
I’m happy because I’ve chosen to be. Happy wife = happy life! Happy kids = happy parents! Anthony C.
Stay away from fakesters on social media. Their ideal lives and photoshoots of their perfect holidays are staged fabrications. They deal with the same crap as everyone else but simply pretend their problems away. Enjoy who you are and what you already have. Alan P.
Morgan Freeman has THE answer: “I found the key to happiness. Stay away from idiots.” John F.
Water your own grass. Too many problems come from finding the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. So water your own grass. Invest in your own relationships and health. Harry W.
Living a simple life in manageable chunks, decluttered and within our means, alongside the points raised in this article, works for me and my significant other. Peter L.
I’m not sure about the social connections. That really depends on your personality type. I have three people, excluding my wife, that I count as lifelong friends. I don’t live in the same country as any of them. Marcus A.
They allege the Crown ignored Treaty obligations by not engaging with them.