Letters: Covid mortality, productivity, Pacific security and a Utopian dream

Thanks to modern medicine and other advances, there are more productive and enjoyable years left in many people aged over 70. Photo / Rossand Helen, 123rf, File

Opinion

No age is expendible
Each death is tragic and may need not have happened except for Covid.
When these deaths are reported, the Ministry of Health doesn't report ethnicities or causes of death, however age brackets are often stressed, e.g. "both people were aged over 70". I have concerns this could lead to unintended misconceptions that "it's okay to die if you are 70".
There are numerous intangible values of each life such as time with whānau, undertaking hobbies, enjoying sport, working and fun, as distinct from a human capital value or lost earnings.
One amazing result of modern medicine is the extension of life expectancy. Much is due to improvements in cardiovascular mortality and management. In parallel, there has been an increase in healthy life expectancy. Disturbingly, although the gaps are closing, there remains a major gap in life expectancy for Māori and Pacifika.
To determine the full impact of Covid, we need to look at total mortality.
Imagine that you are 85 years old. How many years might you lose to Covid if you died tomorrow? For males, six years, and for females, seven years.
Getting Covid is to be avoided no matter the age. As Maurice Chevalier said, "old age isn't so bad when you consider the alternative".
Professor Harvey White, cardiologist, Epsom.

A productive budget
Simon Wilson (NZ Herald, March 22) lists seven "big things" for inclusion in the next budget. Six of these are largely redistributive rather than any creation of wealth.
They reflect Wilson's socialist world view although his seventh point suggesting addressing taxation bracket creep (an Act policy plank) is eminent good sense.
Wilson has omitted from his list any mention of Budget strategies designed to directly encourage productive investment.
Our most productive income-earning sectors of agriculture and tourism should not be overlooked. The May 2022 budget should include favourable taxation policy for their qualifying development (agriculture) and Covid-19 recovery (tourism) projects, which would do a great deal more good than Wilson's free e-bikes and transport subsidies.
Larry Mitchell, Rothesay Bay.

Pacific security
Sasha Borissenko's assertions (NZ Herald, March 21) that making laws will stop Putin invading the Pacific are naive and dangerous. The Kremlin had been the target practice of every economic sanction, diplomatic attack, legal action, peaceful protest, speech of condemnation and asset freeze from more than just Western countries and none of it has stopped or slowed Putin's advance in Ukraine by one inch. Surely the wisdom of Winston Churchill has taught us better, "You cannot reason with a tiger while your head is in its mouth!" The only language Vladimir Putin understands is "Might is right": military force in other words. I'm not suggesting New Zealand row out to meet him in battle. No. They would laugh, Russia is a little bit bigger than us and could defeat us in a lunchbreak. Instead, if you want to beat an army, get an army. Our best hope is the Anzus Treaty involving New Zealand, Australia and the United States. Wellington and Canberra must ensure our relationships with Washington are in good shape so the United States would honour the treaty and defend us. Then Putin may leave us alone.
Bradley Mihaljevich, Titirangi.

Fanciful dreaming
Sir Peter Gluckman's Koi Tū report (NZ Herald, March 23) may make interesting reading with admirable goals but such talk of urban farms, rooftop gardens, birdlife and forested corridors leading to denuded maunga where all the trees have been removed is unfortunately quite fanciful.
Since the John Key government removed tree protection and promoted massive immigration with associated development, trees in Auckland have been chopped down at a terrifying rate. Most new developments don't even have space for a tiny lawn, let alone a single tree. Even worse, our maunga are being stripped with some ridiculous notion of clearing out "exotics" even though the tui love to feed on cherry blossom and other such trees, not to mention the beauty they provide to humans.
Birdlife has already disappeared from many suburbs, not to mention crucial insect life too. Enough of the dreaming, we need to stop killing mature trees particularly in public reserves and build more intelligently and sustainably.
R Howell, Onehunga.

Market forces
It is wrong to suggest that New Zealanders chose to ignore the lessons of economic history (NZ Herald, March 21), There was never any popular support for the adoption of radical free-market reforms during the Rogernomics era.
The reforms were imposed on New Zealanders despite widespread public opposition by a cabal of free-market zealots within the Labour party of the time in what amounted to a coup d'etat.
There was never any popular support for the New Zealand experiment in radical free-market capitalism.
We now live with the result in a legacy of economic failure, ever-widening inequality, and social disintegration.
William O'Donnell, Sandringham.

Fall of empires
An historical perspective may help us to understand the carnage unfolding in Ukraine. If we see it as part of de-colonisation and the collapse of empires that began last century, the latest episode is the unwinding of the Russian empire. It will be recalled these were often violent upheavals.
Let's not forget the bloody consequences of British attempts to hold on to what is now the Republic of Ireland and French attempts to hold onto Indo-China (Vietnam) and Algeria. At one time, French leader Charles de Gaul described Algeria as an inseparable part of the French Republic. And does anyone remember the "domino" theory? Under Putin's perverted logic "losing" Ukraine to Nato is probably regarded in the same vein as the United States at one time viewed losing Vietnam. Those who forget history inevitably end up re-living it.
Gehan Gunasekara, Stonefields.

Due gratitude
Grant Robertson doesn't believe the economy is as it was in the 1970s and 1980s (NZ Herald, March 22).
"The economy is much better placed now to get on top of it. The settings are now much better than they were," he says. "There's a level of transparency in the New Zealand economy that was absent in the Muldoon era ... and a Reserve Bank charged with a mandate they take seriously."
We have a broader base to our economy and a much better fiscal position, he says.
"While we still struggle and grapple with productivity, I do think we're very efficient producers of what we do. We've added value to what we do to a lot of our exports.
"I think we're a more resilient economy than we were back then."
He should have added: "Thanks, Roger".
Michael Gourley, St Heliers.

More desirable
Instead of hosing down so-called "undesirables", here's an idea for Leo Molloy.
How about taking them into your restaurant, giving them a feed and listening to their stories?
You just might learn something.
Glennys Adams, Oneroa.

Left to neglect
I sold my house three years ago to move into a retirement village.
The house and garden were well maintained by myself and gardeners who came in once a month.
I have been past since and it is disgraceful, and an eyesore. No longer lovely flowers and plants but untidy weeds and totally overgrown. Even the driveway is a mess.
It was sold to a young couple who said they love flowers and plants - but now it is an eyesore in the small cul-de-sac.
It has been empty except for about two months from when they took ownership,
As there is a housing shortage, what a waste of a home that could house a family who could appreciate and care for it.
P. Salvador, Hobsonville.

Idle parking
I agree with Paul Mason (NZ Herald, March 22) in regard to parents waiting in their cars. However, the reason they do not get out and walk is most often that they are parked on dotted yellow lines and this is legal as long as the drivers are in their cars.
Unless one drives down the wrong side of the road, the access to Knightsbridge Retirement Village is completely blocked between 3pm and 3.45pm by parked cars, waiting to collect their Rangitoto College teenagers who are surely old enough to walk 100m to Rosedale Rd, which is wider.
Legally, as residents, we should have access to our homes at all times. This is a case of competing legal interests when the safety of the elderly should take precedence.
Jill Worrall, Windsor Park.

Late news
It is a concern that state TV cannot manage to mount a late-night news bulletin at present. Blaming this on the Omicron outbreak is an explanation but not an excuse. Such a failure hardly inspires confidence in the utility or viability of the bizarre proposal to merge RNZ and TVNZ.
In contrast, rival network Discovery is producing two distinct bulletins in the later evening. Maybe it would make more sense to amalgamate RNZ and Discovery. After all, Jesse Mulligan already works for them both.
Nigel Shaw, Clover Park.

Short & sweet

On Ukraine
Mariupol is 90 per cent destroyed. Tacitus (AD 56-120) was right: "They have created a wilderness and call it peace". C.C. McDowall, Rotorua.

On Ardern
Hear ye, hear ye, announcing a hear ye, hear ye of a hear ye, hear ye... hear ye. Mike Wagg, Freemans Bay.

Here is a letter, announcing that in two days, I'll send another letter. Huw Dann, Mt Eden.

On religions
The Apostle wants all religions other than "Christianity" banned in New Zealand. What happened to the Christian value of "love thy neighbour"? Ian Doube, Rotorua.

On China
Those who like to point to China to show off the power of a market-economy also like to avoid mentioning that it is controlled at all levels by a Communist government. Morgan L. Owens, Manurewa.

On fares
Auckland has a great bus service, and it presumably provides a strong source of council revenue. However, the imperative of taking action against climate change and getting Aucklanders out of their cars take precedence. Ellie Carruthers, Eden Terrace.

On inducements
I am appalled by the latest smiley advertisements aimed at retirees by resorting to the old, free voucher trick; enticing attendees to their latest sales presentations. John Norris, Whangamatā.

The Premium Debate

Time for free dental care?

Yes, free dental care is needed. It is ridiculous that this one part of our body is excluded. However, there should be a requirement for periodic checkups to be attended, to stop costs escalating. Owen M.

Yet another burden on the taxpayer. How about personal responsibility? Mark Y.

I'm reasonably well-off, compared to some, and I only go to the dentist if there is pain. It's too expensive. Andy G.

How about fully funding the ambulance service too? While both should be funded, the money comes from where? I think before we add costs, the public needs to have some full and frank conversations about our priorities. Ali J.

This would be a very expensive exercise. It would require further taxation of Kiwis to pay for it. The question is: are Kiwis up for it? Alexander M.

I would suggest that dental care be free for all children up to age 18. This would help them have a sound base of well-looked-after teeth to carry them into adulthood. They would have to have annual checks to ensure they are properly looked after. Cameron M.

What about free groceries at the supermarket, free petrol, free state-owned accommodation for everyone. Where does it end? Christopher Tama M.

Yes, because they haven't yet spent every cent of our money. Plenty more spending to come, until we're all broke. Steve S.