Is Fonterra making a mistake in selling off its retail business?
Tough on new cops
It must be disappointing for recently graduated police recruits to have what could be described as dirty washing splashed around the media.
The job is hard enough without a leader claiming they have been inadequately trained. The criticisms will give the wrong impression to the public and, of course, those involved in criminal activity.
No doubt training can always be improved and this can be attained with cooperation from all involved.
One wonders if the commissioner obtained sufficient evidence before passing judgment and sentencing.
We need to have confidence in our police and this rumble will not help.
Reg Dempster, Albany.
The burden of debt
The hypocrisy of the IRD to dare to crack down on student debt, especially former students who are overseas, shows no bounds.
After all, the IRD is a branch of the Government and the Government does not seem to care too much about its own debt.
One wonders who is currently knocking on the Government’s door to repay its debt and what measures our creditors might take to get that debt repaid.
Our national debt comes from overseas borrowing. So, will we one day see our politicians held up at the border of a country we owe money to, demanding repayment or a night in the cells?
Dave Ananth, a lawyer, says he has clients who feel desperate because of out-of-control debt.
One wonders if our politicians who got us into the mess of our ballooning national debt are going through the same experience. Probably not. Maybe the threat of docking their pay might help to clarify their decisions relating to fiscal matters.
Bernard Walker, Mt Maunganui.
Paying for space
The full-page advertisement (Aug 26) by the PSNA (Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa) requesting New Zealand sanction Israel brought mixed emotions from me.
Firstly, shock at how many children under 1 year old have been killed by Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip. Secondly, surprise that the PSNA has managed to get the funding, as I was under the impression it is a very small group. Thirdly, depression, as it seems the only way to get an issue discussed is to buy space in the newspaper.
What hope is there for the projects that we are pursuing if that is the case? Anthropogenic climate change (ACC) receives little attention. There was very good coverage by Jamie Morton, a double-page feature on Saturday, November 18, 2023, which was so incredibly helpful and had so many experts explaining what needs repeating and solving.
The need to reform the United Nations Security Council is obvious and ACC can only be brought under control when some form of just global governance is achieved.
We, the people, must solve the problems, but the media also needs to make sure they are covered so the public is informed.
Dennis Worley, Birkenhead.
Financial sugar rush
Tim Hazledine rightly admonishes Fonterra for the sell-off of its retail business.
For decades, the politicians have been urging businesses to improve their returns with a value-added strategy.
Sadly, this short-term sugar rush will only push Fonterra back to lower-value basic raw materials.
Alan Johnson, Papatoetoe.
The price of milk
Thank goodness for Tim Hazeldine’s authoritative view of the Fonterra sell-off.
Every dairy farmer who is about to vote on the sale needs to consider how much the short-term flush from the sale might have consequences for their future incomes when they are tied to what will effectively be a single-desk foreign buyer.
The “buyer” for their milk at present is the company in which they have a stake and a say. In future, the effective monopoly buyer’s incentive will be to maximise profits by driving down supplier costs (the milk payout) and getting the best price they can from consumers. Kiwis buying butter and cheese won’t thank them.
The farmers may also consider that those butter buyers are also taxpayers who have supported them historically in bad times and helped them to build what is now a valuable asset. Maybe the taxpayers should also have a vote on the sale.
James Irvine, Mt Wellington.
Short-term gain
The short-sighted sale by Fonterra of its consumer brands business, including Anchor and Mainland, to Lactalis, a French company, exemplifies major failures of company management.
Presumably, Lactalis can now sell butter from any other country under the Anchor brand name.
Lactalis became the world’s biggest dairy company by buying, not selling. Fonterra management should have followed its example.
This follows the sale of numerous other New Zealand businesses, plus land, to offshore investors over many years. Many of these were start-up companies that had received government funding to help get them on their feet. As a result of these sales, all profits head offshore, causing our balance of payments to always be in deficit.
Short-term gain for long-term pain seems to be New Zealand’s motto.
David F Little, Whangārei.