Cameron Dempsey, 23, who has cerebral palsy, contacted an estimated 50 people in search of a room. Photo / Katie Harris
There are many countries that embrace disabled people and offer comprehensive assistance to their already challenged lives.
Sweden is one with amazing outcomes and overall public acceptance of those with disabilities.
New Zealand is not one of them. Instead, as Cameron Dempsey from Wellington
has
discovered in the search for a home, discrimination is rife (NZ Herald, February 20). Many people with disabilities in New Zealand are shunned, hidden, not offered a sense of self-worth through employment along with the social connections and sense of belonging.
Until people in positions of power recognise the urgent change needed as a society to change this appalling attitude and put in place programmes to raise public awareness to shift the lack of concern for challenged people, we will continue to be seen by foreigners as neglectful, callous and self-serving people.
Rita Riccola, Mindfulness in NZ.
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What a brilliant and well thought out article by Jarrod Gilbert (NZ Herald, February 19). Oranga Tamariki has been constantly castigated and should now receive apologies from all those who think that they do the wrong thing.
Thank you for the publication of that piece
Patricia McRae, Whangārei.
Paula Bennett should take her own advice and "zip it sweetie" over her advice to Jacinda Ardern regarding Winston Peters (NZ Herald, February 18).
Fran O'Sullivan wrote (NZ Herald, February 19) that Ardern has done the right thing over the SFO investigation into the New Zealand First Foundation.
Bennett should know that Peters is not the New Zealand First Foundation, but the leader of the party just as she is not responsible for the donation scandal surrounding the National Party.
Sharon Marks, Te Aroha.
What a cheek the Chinese Ambassador has in challenging the New Zealand Government's precautions designed to stop the coronavirus spreading here (NZ Herald, February 19).
All Wu Xi is concerned about is the economic effects of the virus. Typical. And menacing; especially when it is now known the Chinese were aware of the deadly virus outbreak weeks before they were finally forced to admit it to the world.
Ron Taylor, Mangawhai.
Bjorn Lomborg (NZ Herald, February 19) misses several important issues.
If we do not start now to reduce our emissions, when will we start?
His institute's work on the appropriate allocation of resources to projects is flawed on two bases – that the money should come from some immutable pot, and that a discount factor used for investments is appropriate – neither assumption is true – the money pot is not immutable and the appropriate discount factor for something like climate change (and most environmental effects) is inflation plus zero – because we cannot replace our environment.
No one has ever said that we could have changed the result for this year by starting 6 years ago – the whole world should have started no later than 1990 to both eliminate our fossil fuel use and mitigate the effects.
The argument for the unprecedented nature is not the size of the burn, but the early start (July) and the fires in the border region rainforests. Neither have occurred before.
Professor Lomborg should know better than to misapply economics to existential questions like survival.
Gordon J Chirgwin, Harrington, NSW Australia.
Bjorn Lomborg (NZ Herald, February 19) is the darling of Australians who want to keep burning and exporting coal and gas for good reason: his arguments are faultlessly consistent and magnificently specious.
The problem is reality. Carbon dioxide is the "control knob" for the Earth's temperature, and the 45 per cent increase in the atmospheric level since the Industrial Revolution is due to human activity.
CO2 accumulates in the atmosphere, so if we stopped emissions today, the level would not drop and Earth would keep warming.
Since we put the "extra" CO2 into the atmosphere in the first place, the first response to global warming is to stop putting any more there now.
It's obvious one person or one country cannot solve a problem that affects the one atmosphere we all share, and that is exactly what motivates the climate deniers: they sense all humanity must act together, the wealthy first, and they're only interested in themselves.
Dennis N Horne, Howick.
Your correspondent Hylton Le Grice comments (NZ Herald, February 19) that discussion of climate change takes on a socialistic bent. This is absolutely true.
The reason is that change in our climate does not affect us as individuals, it affects the whole planet and all the people on it.
Socialism recognises that in every area of life we are all in this together and need to find answers that apply to us all and help all of us to survive. Climate change is a glaring undeniable example of that.
Perhaps Mr Le Grice thinks he can make his own individual plan to keep himself safe when the temperature rises?
I have a feeling that when that day comes he will turn to others for help, realising at last how interdependent we all are. In other words, he will find that he has become a socialist.
Susan Grimsdell, Auckland Central.
Hylton Le Grice is of course quite correct (NZ Herald, February 19). Partially.
Virtually every topic imaginable has been blamed for climate change: enviromentalism, fossil fuels, deforestation, excessive plastic, CFCs, sun spots, farting cows, you name it - except the real "bull in the china shop".
Population. Just far too many people on the planet.
Robert Burrow, Taupō.
Several years ago, Auckland airport needed to do some extensive maintenance work on their runway (NZ Herald, February 20). Because this work would mean closing the runway for some time they came up with a plan to strengthen the main taxiway so that aircraft could use it for take-off and landings for the term of the works.
The work completed, that taxiway reverted to its primary use – as a taxiway, but why could it not be used again if the main runway becomes temporarily unserviceable as it has recently? Instead of delaying or diverting flights and causing major inconvenience and expense, opening the taxiway for take-off and landing for the short period taken to repair the main runway would seem a practical solution.
Robin McGrath, Forrest Hill.
It's disheartening to hear about the safety issues with our runway at Auckland International Airport (NZ Herald, February 20).
The extension to the proposed runway to accommodate larger, heavier planes such as the A380 was approved by Auckland Council in 2002 and in 2017. Final approval was given in December 2018.
It's now February 2020 and there doesn't seem to be any news about this project starting. It seems to me that this additional runway is needed urgently. What is happening with this? It would be nice to know.
Jacqui Ross, Massey.
With near-drought conditions throughout the North Island and various water restrictions in place, I wonder whether commercial operators are also having any restrictions placed on their plundering the proverbial gazillion gallons a second from New Zealand's artesian aquifers?
Bradley Cryderman, Tauranga.
New Zealand suffers most from having the majority of its politicians grown up in small-town or rural New Zealand with a small-town mentality as evidenced by the planning of our cities. Hence the motorways leading in to them are too narrow and hodge podge, two lanes here, three lanes here and there.
The city streets are too narrow, limiting parking; bus lanes are infrequent and hodge podge; railways are typically only two way; most buildings are too small; the houses and properties are too big; cycleways non existent in the first instance and now piecemeal, making it a nightmare for cyclists; and so it goes on.
A city planner of 40 years' experience planning cities in the US described Auckland's transport systems as being designed by a madman.
I only hope Christchurch city planners have learned and grown up from the disasters that Wellington and Auckland represent and have four-lane highways with extra width for cycle ways both ways and city streets, four lanes wide with bus lanes and suburban streets allowing for parking both sides, including cycleways and all rail routes have four lines, two going each way to allow for future growth.
Some Aucklanders who have visited there have come back very impressed, others say the chances of the grown-up forward, planning I have just outlined happening are all but slim or even zero.
Gary Hollis, Mellons Bay.
On Peters
A suggested slogan for the PM (with apologies to Stealers Wheel and the Greens): "Clowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right. Here I am, stuck in the middle with you." Glennys Adams, Waiheke
What's Winston's subliminal message in flashing a recording of Queen at reporters trying to ask serious questions? Could it be his confidence that our Queen wouldn't dare dismiss the Queenmaker? Jane-Margaret Livingstone, Remuera.
Some historians blame Rasputin's unpopularity amongst the general public for the demise of the Romanov Empire. I get the feeling history is going to repeat itself here. C G Marnewick, Bucklands Beach.
On buses
I challenge Mayor Goff to stand beside the rear end of one of the city buses when it takes off. Or ride behind one on a bicycle when it crawls along Quay St. We need electric sooner not later. Phil Skipworth, St Johns.
On banks
The New Zealand banking industry should have been subject to an intensive, intrusive inquiry immediately after the Australian government's inquiry. Edgar B Smallwood, Pakuranga Heights.
On Concert FM
Concert isn't the only jewel in RNZ's crown. Only on National might you hear the music reviewer get (justifiably) excited about the tierce de Picardie in a concluding cadence of a Bach cantata. Steve Maric, Warkworth.
I'm very happy that some of your letter writers get great enjoyment from the Concert programme, I'm just not sure why this should be paid for by taxpayers. D Adams, Mt Albert.
On Emmerson
Well done again, Rod Emmerson. Great car karaoke. Carrick Bernard, Mt Albert.
Former Act president's lawyer claims sentence was too harsh, calls for home detention.