Is every single road cone absolutely necessary, or have we lost all sense of proportion? Photo / Dean Purcell
I believe we urgently need to appoint a Commissioner of Common Sense.
I see a number of activities and decisions that defy normal common sense - viewed by normal people who have a realistic view of everyday life, and budget.
Why do NZ public works, especially road works, seem to take forever? Do they have to seek a council permit for each new activity or km?
Why use so many road cones for very limited purposes, causing excessive traffic congestion, delays, and driver frustrations? Where has our pride in "let's get the job done now" gone?
On Waiheke Island, why have 40-seater buses on five different routes, doing approximately 1400 trips per week. They are mostly empty beyond Oneroa, around 1.5 times heavier than the diesels they replaced, are wider, and are causing a lot of road damage and danger.
The Northern Motorway "improvements" have taken about four years, at increasing costs, and still no end in sight.
Why is the Immigration Department still requiring paper-based applications? Internet-based applications would allow continuous processing from home or wherever.
We need to be able to go to a person who can stand back and say, "I agree, this is ridiculous."
Unfettered access
It is good to see the Cornwall Park Trust Board clarifying (Weekend Herald, April 16) that it does not intend "to sell off part of the showgrounds". However, it is a matter of semantics if the endowment land is leased or sold to a film company or whatever. Unfettered public use of the endowment land should be the trust board's bottom line.
At the moment the general public has the choice of paying to attend the Easter Show or a concert or not. If the land is leased to a film company or whatever, that option is no longer available to the general public, at variance with why Sir Logan Campbell gifted the land to the people of Auckland to enjoy forever.
Bruce Tubb, Devonport.
At the leased
The Cornwall Park Trust Board (Weekend Herald, April 16) tries to assure readers it will not sell off the showgrounds site but does little to assure Aucklanders who love attending events that it won't be leased to a movie studio. The former Showgrounds Association went into voluntary liquidation after being unable to pay the rent during Covid.
Increases in lease payments have also been felt by more than100 families that lease properties around Cornwall Park. Families have had to walk away from their homes with a huge loss of their equity. They have suffered stress, marriage breakdowns and mental illness.
This was not the intention of Sir John Logan Campbell who gifted Cornwall Park to New Zealanders. He wanted showgrounds and leaseholders around the park. If they couldn't afford the payments, he wanted fair compensation. It is time to change these exploitative leases, which have already been banned in Britain.
Barry Coates, Greenlane.
Defining a pandemic
I see John Roughan (Weekend Herald, April 16) would say he didn't need to wear a seatbelt after wearing one in a head-on collision and surviving.
If he wanted to know what a pandemic is he could look at a dictionary, where he'd find it defined as, "a widespread occurrence of an infectious disease over a whole country or the world at a particular time."
Doesn't seem too difficult to characterise the behaviour of Covid-19 over the last couple of years as a "pandemic".
Morgan L. Owens, Manurewa.
Not done yet
John Roughan (Weekend Herald, April 16) asks "was our pandemic reaction proportionate"? Looking in the rear-view mirror is always problematic and defining the pandemic as an "anti-climax" is relevant only in regard to the terrifying numbers predicted by the modellers.
Back in 2020, they knew little about how Covid would behave and how it might mutate. Undoubtedly, they used a worst-case scenario in their forecasts and subsequently people and businesses suffered, some catastrophically, and others with a gradual wearing down of the spirit.
Assessing the damage when it comes to loss of life, I'm not sure what measurement of mortality is tolerable or moral, while at the same time preserving the economy, preserving educational outcomes, and preserving our humanity. Not an easy juggling act, but I believe history will judge New Zealand favourably.
However, we're not done yet. Like John, I'm also thoroughly sick of the subject but, as immunity wanes, we "boomers" will become more at risk.
While it's great that Jacinda has saved at least 5000 lives, there is still a need to encourage cautious behaviour and prioritise second boosters. It's not yet time to consign to history the chapter of this particular pandemic playbook.
Mary Hearn, Glendowie.
Changing lanes
Right-hand lanes are not necessarily the fast lanes (Weekend Herald, April 16).
On the Northwestern Motorway, drivers must use the right-hand lane after Pt Chevalier to get to Auckland City Hospital or Ports of Auckland, however frustrating for those following a car dawdling along at the speed limit.
Anne Martin, Helensville.
Pick up the ball
Phil Gifford (Weekend Herald, April 16) notes "live television audiences have halved this year compared pre-Covid 2019 figures".
In my opinion, this is because of endless very boring rolling mauls.
The game needs to be opened up as happened when the late Sir "Freddie" Allen took advantage of the new rules and developed his 15-man running game. It made the All Blacks unbeatable so World Rugby changed them back again to produce that boring mauling game.
The only reason I watch TV coverage is it too dear to pay to go to a game and now NZ Rugby is putting up ticket prices to increase revenue. This will only drive more spectators away.
Eric Strickett, Henderson.
Anzac Day is the only public holiday I care about. But if access to Gallipoli is the price of our government ignoring the Armenian genocide, then the price is too high. C.C. McDowall, Rotorua.
Isn't it time that the All Blacks were given a Māori name or, better still, that Aotearoa adopted a national sport that wasn't quite such an obvious legacy of its colonial past? Kerry Craig, Mt Eden.
I note that for the second year running Jacinda Ardern has been voted as "the most trusted politician in Australia", a huge indictment on the Australian politicians. Philip Lenton, Somerville.
Would somebody please explain why, on two days during the Easter holiday, I'm prohibited from purchasing a bottle of wine to take home for my dinner but I can drive to a restaurant and consume as much as I like? Doug Hannan, Mt Maunganui.
Bruce Cotterill notes we linger for too long dissecting a disaster (Weekend Herald, April 16) but dances around the protests regarding the Erebus memorial, conveniently hidden in Parnell, rather than being a true memorial and an uncomfortable safety reminder for all Air New Zealand staff and passengers when they travel to Auckland airport. Stewart Hawkins, St Heliers.
How come it's National's policy that creates the environment for gangs but Labour who is always expected to fix it? Richard Irwin, Te Atatū South.
Should the unthinkable happen and Russia takes over Ukraine completely, what will the population be made up of? One also wonders why Russia is content with destroying towns and buildings they will have to rebuild after a takeover. Alan Walker, St Heliers.
It's now clear that the 2014 invasion and annexation of Crimea was a test run to gauge the response of the UN and Western countries. Emboldened by their wishy-washy response, Putin bided his time until he was ready to launch the attempted invasion of Ukraine. D. Stewart, St Heliers.
Global warming is not the world's greatest threat, it's Putin. Richard Carey, Manly.
John Roughan (Weekend Herald, April 16) asks "was our pandemic reaction proportionate?" I think we were overly cautious at times, but you can't argue that with 500 deaths we did save significant numbers of lives. G. Lynch, Kohimarama.
Simply put, isn't inflation the business world inflating costs on goods and services so they don't suffer financial loss and, when they overdo it, it becomes a depression? Emma Mackintosh, Birkenhead.
If Christopher Luxon really wants to get rid of an existing public holiday, why not Queen's Birthday? It's close to Matariki in the calendar, and really has little significance for New Zealanders. Sylvia Burch, Kerikeri.
Is anybody else tired of hearing about this loser, Depp? Greg Cave, Sunnyvale.
Government has also approved the use of psilosybin, known as magic mushrooms.