Spending like drunken sailors
Despite being generally aware of Auckland Council and Auckland Transport's excesses, I was shocked at the extent of the "troublesome trends" exposed by Councillor Sayers (NZ Herald, January 14).
This council has no
ability to restrain its mandarins and bureaucrats, and has neither business acumen nor ratepayers' interests at heart.
To continue spending ratepayers' money like drunken sailors during a global pandemic; to obtusely refuse to cull a workforce, larger than all sworn nationwide NZ Police, of 12,328 staff (including 25 per cent who earn above $100k) is the equivalent of lifting a middle finger to ratepayers.
Rates pay their excessive salaries – they are not contributing to the economy, they are a drain on it. Auckland ratepayers must vote at the next election.
Sayers' figures prove our money is being wasted on cycleways, beautifying Quay St and deliberately slowing traffic, when ratepayers are genuinely suffering. We are watching our hard-earned incomes evaporate in an orgy of wasteful spending by a council that is not up to the job. And worse, led by a professional politician with no understanding of how a real business is managed. Time for a "razor gang" to be handed machetes.
Roger Hawkins, Herne Bay.
Vaccine resistant
A crew of parents is suing Health Minister Andrew Little. Not content with placing their own children at risk, they are trying to prevent responsible parents from vaccinating their children.
Vaccinations have proven effective since the development of the smallpox vaccine in 1796, a disease since wiped from the face of the earth. Polio is also no longer the scourge it was when I was a child and other debilitating and sometimes fatal diseases are no longer a threat to anyone, including these parents and their children.
In spite of the Herald's successful campaign to reach and exceed a 90 per cent vaccination rate this is nowhere near the so-called herd immunity, as when the entire population is considered we are somewhere around the mid-70s.
From their occupations, these parents do not appear to be experts on immunology and their actions endanger the vast majority of people in this country. I note also they have name suppression so are not prepared to stand up for their beliefs.
I am not normally a supporter of Little but if he in turn sues this group of Luddites for endangering New Zealand's children, then more power to him.
Rod Lyons, Kumeu.
Wasted opportunity
In December, the Government announced the opening of our borders would be delayed in view of Omicron's expected arrival. Sadly, though, that is the last action we saw from ministers before they departed off on holiday.
Surely the delay should have been used to urgently improve New Zealand's position? We should have been lifting booster rates and getting children vaccinated asap. In addition, you would expect that everything would be done to reduce health system staffing level shortages. Why are overseas health workers still not able to enter the country bypassing the MIQ lottery and without visa issues?
Individual citizens have stepped up and got the jab. Businesses have made huge sacrifices. However, Ministers seem to be missing in action and still reacting rather than being proactive.
Is it too much to expect competent proactive governance?
Lucas Bonne, Unsworth Heights.
Loan arrangers
Do people not remember how incredibly difficult it used to be to get any kind of bank loan? ("Loan declined because of $187 Kmart trip", NZ Herald, January 15)
My parents had to get a second mortgage to secure our house, as did many of the parents of friends at school. Second mortgages were that common. And as for personal loans, they were as rare as unicorns. We have probably had it too easy for too long.
The difficulty in obtaining a mortgage was yet another factor in helping to contain house inflation. Be careful what you wish for.
Paul Tudor, Sandringham.
Exercise books
A correspondent (NZ Herald, January 17) may have attended a school or had some other association with a school where a sport was compulsory. They should not assume that compulsion was universal.
Throughout my time as a school student (1950s-1960s), as a teacher and as a parent (1970s-2021) I have never been involved with a school where a sport was compulsory. Physical education as a class subject, yes, always. Sport as extracurricular, yes, always (with an increasing choice). In addition, students now often have dance as an optional physical activity.
We can't blame obesity on schools. Far too many of society's problems are blamed on them. We need to value what is offered by schools, not castigate them for every supposed fault.
Judy Lawry, Golflands.
Profligate spending
It was refreshing to read Auckland councillor Greg Sayers (NZ Herald, January 14) regarding the issues in the Auckland Council.
It is also pleasing to know that at least one councillor is aware of and doesn't support the current so-called targeted rates that have been imposed by Mayor Goff with the support of most councillors.
All these special rates are designed to hide the broken promise of an average 3.5 per cent rate increase.
Sayers also points out the current wasteful spending and a lack of focus on core responsibilities such as regular maintenance of footpaths, stormwater drains etc. You never hear a squeak from the other overpaid councillors who have supported these policies.
We need more councillors like Greg Sayers. I hope ratepayers take more interest in the upcoming council elections as we need a cleanout of the current lot.
Ken Graham, Greenlane.
Life of Brian
So Brian Tamaki has been arrested again. For someone who claims not to enjoy being in the limelight, he is certainly going out of his way to be in it.
A message to him: "Stop being a self-promoting blowhard, follow the Covid rules and show some respect for your fellow New Zealanders."
Lorraine Kidd, Warkworth.
Freedom defined
While the rest of us have been working hard to contain a virus, Brian Tamaki has been doing his utmost to undermine the community in the name of "freedom".
As an Anglican Priest, a gay man and member of the elder community, I have a very different definition of freedom.
Freedom, for me, is being able to work together against a common foe – the coronavirus.
Freedom, for me, is being sensitive to the elder community who live in high risk from this virus.
Freedom, for me, is being able to express my sexuality as I see fit.
Tamaki might reflect on the words of Jesus when he said "Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's" and stop undermining the hard work of our Prime Minister and Government; obey the judiciary; and buckle down and work with the community in defeating a common foe.
Keith King, Onehunga.
If the cap fits
John Mead disapproves of Kiwis wearing NY and MAGA caps, asking "Why not celebrate our own beautiful country" (NZ Herald, January 17).
New Zealand is certainly beautiful, but this is not contradicted by Kiwis who express some other interest.
And I'm not sure why Mead especially notices NY and MAGA, saying nothing of caps and T-shirts honouring the Gold Coast, London, Paris, Kathmandu, Tokyo, Seoul or Hanoi, or Che Guevara or the Dalai Lama, or the countless other places, persons and ideas we see people wearing.
I've noticed that it's extremely uncool to like the US, unless it's only the Democrats you like. Perhaps a Barack Obama cap would pass muster?
Gavan O'Farrell, Lower Hutt.
Short & sweet
On loans
I am sure the prices of smashed avocados on toast have fallen much due to Credit Contract and Consumer Finance Act. S Mohanakrishnan, Mt Roskill.
On rates
I suspect that the loudest moaning about rates increases is typically coming from people whose houses have, within 12 months, gone up in value from $2 million to $2.6 million. Arch Thomson, Mt Wellington.
On TV
May I just add a few more to the list of Australian TV programmes to reader Paul Cheshire (NZH, Jan. 14). Selling Houses Australia, Bondi Vet, First Dates Australia, Married At First Sight Australia. I think Real Housewives of Melbourne wins the top award for the most appalling, superficial programme. Helen Lowe, Albany.
I enjoy Selling Houses Australia plus Love it or List it Australia, but why not make the same two TV shows here in New Zealand as well? Then I would watch those instead. Murray Hunter, Titirangi.
On Djokovic
Novak Djokovic reacted with class by saying he was disappointed in losing his appeal but accepted it. Donald Trump please note. Robert Myers, Auckland Central.
On cricket
The Aussie cricket team essentially comprises a few really quick bowlers and a chorus of appealers. Gary Andrews, Mt Maunganui.
The Premium Debate
Should NZ try to 'flatten the curve'?
Don't bother. We have to accept that at some point a variant such as Omicron is going to find its way into the community and that a major outbreak is going to occur. It would be good to keep it out for a wee longer to allow the kids to get vaccinated, but we have to get on with things now. We have tried, and to some degree succeeded, but now we are trying to battle the inevitable and unpreventable. Vaccination is the key, and more importantly, boosters. John G.
The strategy is pretty simple. Get the number of those eligible boosted, with particular urgency for older and those with compromised immune systems. 1 million are overdue boosters and there is plenty of capacity. Also, explain to parents the need to get their 5-12-year-olds vaccinated. Otherwise, we are just wasting our fantastic advantage in being Omicron-free, one of the few on the planet. Laura H.
Here in Queensland, life's going on as usual. Shops are open, masks are mandatory. Local and international borders are fully open. The hospitals are coping and the peak should hit in the next 10 days. Get vaccinated, get boosted, move on. Rob W.
What are people not understanding about the highly infectious, easily transmissible nature of Omicron? What isn't clear about needing to minimise the impact of this on our children until they too have been vaccinated? If there were significant numbers of people needing hospital treatment and care we would be in difficulty in many hospitals - that's the legacy of decades of neglect and can't be fixed overnight. We also have to factor in people needing hospital treatment for other illnesses. Covid isn't the only thing that lands people in hospital, their needs have to be met. Diana C.
Red is for when it's looking like hospitals may be overwhelmed, not "oh, they might get overwhelmed" it's not an alert level. You can't compare to New South Wales either, they abandoned every precautionary measure and threw their borders open with no isolation requirements- managed or at home. Time to come out from the rock we've been living under. Renee M.
The time for lockdowns is over. The Government has had more than enough time and money to increase hospital capacity but this has not happened. NZers and, particularly, Aucklanders are not willing to suffer yet again for this incompetence. As the Omicron variant is not as deadly we need to use hospitals for only those whose lives are threatened. We should be able to cope if this is the case. John P.