I have always felt proud of the school, and years later as CEO of the Education Review Office I am pleased that, even allowing for its comparatively privileged cohorts, the school was one of the highest-performing in New Zealand.
I never expected to be hugely disappointed — ashamed, even — that one of the wealthiest, most richly endowed schools in one of the wealthiest suburbs should have rushed to seek State support at the start of Covid-19.
St Cuthbert's has taken $1.9 million for wage subsidies. Surely this action can only be an embarrassment to any of its pupils, now or from the 1950s.
Dr Judith Aitken CNZM, QSO, Wellington.
Northern Pathway defended
Two points in Clyde Scott's letter (May 8) are inaccurate and should be clarified. The houses required for construction of the Northern Pathway on/off-ramp at Princes St have no listed heritage status. Four are more than 100 years old; one was built in the 1920s and two were built in the 1990s. Six are owner-occupied and one is owned by the Crown. Waka Kotahi acknowledges the houses are in an area of special character but none have a historical heritage overlay in the Auckland Unitary Plan nor are they listed on the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga register.
Clyde Scott says there doesn't have to be an on/off-ramp at Princes St. This was one of six ramp options considered in a paper published on the Northern Pathway project website. The no-ramp option would likely require the removal of at least four houses to allow construction of the pathway overhead.
Last month's public consultation on the ramps and route design was supported by 78 per cent of the 1194 submissions received.
Andrew Thackwray, Waka Kotahi NZTA.
Second-hand opinions
Covid-19 has given retired politicians a great opportunity to have their opinions heard, and we all know one driving force behind many politicians is that they are able to voice their "invaluable" opinions and to be heard. Those politicians who had faded into the political distance are out there again regaling us with their perceived wisdom. First it was retired National Party politicians, now it is Roger Douglas and Peter Dunne. Who next?
Sadly, what all retired people know is that once out of the workplace, informed and updated information is all now coming to you second-hand. So is it wisdom from these retired politicians, or a case of uninformed opinion?
Neil Anderson, Algies Bay.
Five ways to get back on track
National's finance spokesman has unveiled his five-point plan to get the economy back on track and, incidentally, get himself the position as Minister of Finance. According to Paul Goldsmith, our lockdown has been excessively hard; the Prime Minister's perfectionism in quashing the coronavirus has compounded the damage and the Government should have limited spending on the crisis to $40 billion.
National would lower taxes while using Government's balance sheet to invest in infrastructure and improve public services such as the health system, which they ran down when last in office. He would use "common sense" to allow bars and cafes to bypass social distancing. No comment on the dangers of creating multiple clusters for Covid-19 to nest in. If this be the future, we are stuffed.
John O'Neill, Dargaville.
Questions about water
How is it that the CEO of Watercare, paid nearly $800,000 a year, has to ask council to impose water restrictions? And why, with the long-range weather predictions to continue much the same, does he wait until dam levels are below 50 per cent before asking, and why does council take two weeks to put restrictions in place? An application to increase the Waikato river water uptake has taken seven years and still not reached whoever makes that decision? As it seems likely Auckland will need to use recycled water in the future, isn't it appropriate to set that up now?
If council was serious about water conservation why doesn't every new house have rainwater containment tanks feeding showers, toilets, washing machines and outside taps? Mayor Goff, put a regulation to this effect in now.
Ray Hoy, Riverhead.
Chance for the environment
Since the coronavirus stopped us in our tracks, I've read many reflections on the possibilities this crisis opens up, and all of them point to our opportunity to prioritise climate change by reducing our dependence on fossil fuels.
This makes sense. Compared to the dangers of climate change, a Covid-19 epidemic is a walk in the park. So any new projects intended to create jobs and open up business opportunities must continue to be environmentally responsible. Ditching the Resource Management Act, even if temporarily, is not a good idea. The scientifically established urgency of our situation and the international agreements we have entered into require our commitment.
Quiet mornings, fresh sweet air, discovering how many of our neighbours own bicycles, a Herald photograph of Tamaki Drive crowded with walkers; these things have all given us hope. Let's not lose what we just gained.
Rose Lovell-Smith, Mt Roskill.
Gold in New Zealand
Air New Zealand should combine with New Zealand Destinations to offer reduced family packages, like the Gold Coast has been doing for 40 years. Loyal New Zealanders would flock to them.
Bruce Tubb, Belmont.
Local travel lottery
New Zealand desperately needs local tourists and New Zealanders love lotteries. Could Tourism Industry Aotearoa introduce a travel card? Every dollar spent on flights, accommodation, local meals and experiences would earn one point. Every 10 points would give automatic entry into a weekly draw. There would have to be a substantial cash prize or an all-inclusive luxury package holiday. This would encourage people to spend their discretionary dollars on local travel.
Wendy Innes, Remuera.
Easy, low-tech water solution
Auckland's water problem (and other NZ towns') can be solved quite easily in a low-tech way.
Every time it rains every house (or at least half of them) just has to collect the water. They are called "water tanks" or "rain harvesting" and require only a 4x4m footprint.
In our town there is a company that in two days with two men builds a 25,000-litre concrete tank on site.
All they need is a garden path to get a wheelbarrow down. No orange road cones required. A pressure pump then brings the water to the house; non-return valves can be easily fitted to prevent collected water mixing with town supply. A UV filter can also be installed to remove all potential contamination. An all-up cost of less than $10,000.
Justin Topzand, Kerikeri.
Follow the rules
The Government tells us that alert level 2 will be successful as long as we follow the rules. The Government also acknowledges that there are idiots, and under level 3 there were hundreds of breaches. Until now, popular policing policies have not been effective. Why should the selfish actions of a few ruin the chance for our country to rid Covid-19? Success alone, may rest on the Government's own policing strategy.
Neil Hatfull, Warkworth.
