Josh Junior won three America's Cups with Emirates Team New Zealand. Photo / America's Cup
America’s Cup
The signing of Peter Burling and now former Team New Zealand sailor Josh Junior to the Luna Rossa America’s Cup Naples campaign reflects the decline in importance of national pride in this event.
This really started when Team New Zealand decided not to defend the Cup at home. It’s all about money, which is fine as competitors cannot be blamed for chasing the dollar. Unfortunately, the whole deal has become a rich man’s playground feeding the egos of multi-millionaires.
However, despite all this, it doesn’t lessen the spectacle of those highly tuned, high-tech boats slicing elegantly through the water with the thought that one error could spell disaster for a team. Despite the decline of national identity to this event it still remains highly absorbing.
Bernard Walker, Mt Maunganui.
School zones
How sad is it that many of our high-achieving public schools are now closing their rolls for out-of-zone students and out-of-zone siblings of previous students.
Yet when Covid appeared there was no issue with such enrolments as foreign students returned to their homelands and space became available for New Zealand students.
We are allowing more infill housing to be built once again filled with often children of immigrants. Allow our NZ children to be educated at our best public schools first.
Linda Beck, West Harbour.
Road quality
I live in the Bay of Islands. Recently I visited family in the Waikato and ended up travelling on SH27. At the northern end of the long straight part of the highway near Patetonga there is a road sign that reduces the speed limit to 70km/h stating: “caution – undulating road”.
I had to chuckle – this stretch of road was in far better condition than 80% of the roads in the Far North and we have Transit NZ, Northland shouting out from their soap box what a wonderful job they are doing – Ha! On the basis of the SH27 road condition and the “caution” required on this road, the speed limit throughout the Far North should be 70km/h, maybe even less. This is so typical of the forgotten Far North!
Chester Rendell, Paihia.
Money troubles
Reports concerning inappropriate spending of public money seem to crop up almost daily.
Govt agencies, charities, even the odd school; the issue appears, at least, to be fairly widespread.
I recently came across these words, written by Thomas Paine some 400 years ago: “Public money ought to be touched with the most scrupulous conscientiousness of honour. It is not the produce of riches only, but of the hard earnings of labour and poverty”.
The words still ring true.
Barry Watkin, Devonport.
Fossil fuels
It’s a tragedy that the Government has quietly pulled New Zealand out of the world alliance to phase out fossil fuels.
The Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance was set up to steer the world towards phasing out fossil fuels. NZ joined in 2021 when the Labour Government banned new oil and gas exploration.
But now with the coalition Government pouring money back into oil and gas drilling exploration, they’ve simply opted out. Obviously by doing it without any announcement they’re hoping most voters don’t notice.
With man-made climate change from burning fossil fuels now reaching crisis point for the planet, this is head-in-the-sand madness.
Jeff Hayward, Auckland Central.
Superannuation
I wonder how many of the 9000 people who earn over $200,000 per year and claim Superannuation when they reach 65 years, are/were business owners who paid 9% tax evasion cuts on their income instead of the PAYE and GST mandatary for wage and salary owners?
I worked hard from 17-65 years in a salaried public service job, earning no more than $65,000 p.a. It is argued that everyone pays tax and is entitled to Superannuation, but is it a level playing field? Super should be means-tested to make it one. Let’s have a system that looks after all NZers!
Marie Kaire, Whangārei.
Auckland Council rates
Auckland Council is very good at collecting rates, but not so much in providing services for them.
Two shopping trolleys worth of polystyrene and cardboard packaging were illegally dumped last weekend on some open ground at the end of our street. The cardboard packaging still had the name, address, phone number and email of the person who had received it. We reported this to the council on Sunday, hoping something would be done.
By Tuesday nothing had happened, but we received an email saying the issue had been dealt with and the case was closed. I rang again on Tuesday afternoon to tell them the rubbish was still there. I rang again yesterday, and also today (Thursday). The rubbish is still there, but broken up and being blown around.
It makes one wonder if council contractors simply log a job as complete, put an invoice in, but do nothing, as they know there is nobody who will inspect the work. Perhaps this also explains the large amounts of broken glass that lie for weeks on the pavement in our area around a playschool and children’s playground.
Michael Stevens, Freemans Bay.
Taxation D-Day
The time is rapidly approaching when whichever government sits on the treasury benches, they will be faced with the need for a total restructuring of our taxation base and policies.
A steady demographic influence of recent years, has resulted in a marked reduction in the ratio of the population engaged in employment compared to those on superannuation. And increased life expectancy only further adds to this dilemma
Tax revenues as a result, inevitability are declining and funding the costs of social welfare plus retirement benefits is becoming increasingly problematic.
Among the other unpalatable reactions to this funding crisis, government options include a gradual increase in the age at which the pension is paid. Added to this, are possible reductions of the size of pension payments and other fiscal and monetary responses which will likely include government reintroducing, imposing and collecting both inheritance taxes and estate duty.
Taxes are as “certain” as is death ... though the future more demanding taxation policies soon “to come down the pike” ... remain and are currently the height of ... “uncertainty”.
Larry Mitchell, Rothesay Bay.
Great article by Stuart Anderson. Clear and measured. Thank you, Biosecurity NZ.
Jennifer Thompson, Parnell.
In Thursday’s editorial regarding Lotto, you highlighted the fact that Kiwis are willing to dabble in something that can cost more than it dishes out, which speaks volumes about the mood of the nation. Perhaps you could have added that it also reflects how atrocious people are at mathematics.
Richard Telford, Lucas Heights.
I don’t have a great problem with the Green Party’s proposed tax reforms. However, I think that if the Greens were the government the huge tax take would be probably wasted.
Neville Cameron, Coromandel.
How can the US claim to be a democracy when the current president is asserting dictatorial powers?
Their version of democracy has always been flawed. With no legal limit on the amount that can be spent on electioneering, money has for generations been the decisive factor at all levels of voting.
Should we define the US today as a plutocracy or a dictatorship?
Jeanette Grant, Mt Eden.
Nice if you are an All Black, an eye surgeon or a politician. Chances are that when charged, even for a serious misdemeanour, in all likelihood you will be let off but for the honest everyday citizen, exactly the opposite will usually apply.
Paul Beck, West Harbour.
Lotteries NZ is seeking government permission to tweak the rules of Lotto Powerball.