Injection pens for the weight-loss treatment Wegovy. Photo / Getty Images
Drugs aren’t the foundation of a healthy society
Your editorial raises a valid concern: equitable access to weight-loss drugs like Wegovy.
However, while affordability matters, we risk missing the bigger picture. Obesity and chronic disease aren’t caused by a lack of medication. They reflect a broken system, one that can’t be fixed with pharmaceuticals alone.
We’ve normalised fatigue, insulin resistance and poor metabolic health, then offer expensive drugs as the answer. Billions are spent managing disease, but little goes toward effective prevention. And while health advice is everywhere, much of it is confusing or simply wrong – quick fixes, calorie myths, and one-size-fits-all messages.
Much of our public health policy still clings to outdated low-fat advice and calorie counting. At the same time, the real drivers, such as metabolic dysfunction and the rise of ultra-processed, nutrient-poor foods, remain unaddressed.
With proper testing, we could catch dysfunction early, before it becomes disease. With evidence-based education and real support, people could make lasting changes, driven by real food, regular movement and long-term behaviour change.
Drugs may have a place. But they’re not the foundation of a healthy society.
Susan Birch, Kawerau.
Wegovy
Perhaps the main reason Wegovy, the weight-loss drug, may be so effective is because of its purchase price of $600 per month, being a big hit on the average household food budget, resulting in less food and liquor available. Surely this would assist in weight reduction.
Dick Ayres, Auckland.
Road cones
Your letter writer Nick Hamilton wrote (July 8) on his recent experience of cone-free roads in Europe, and the “grossly over-cautious” approach in Auckland.
What he might have missed while away in Europe was that we now have a road cone tip line. But, before he gets too excited, the tip line goes to WorkSafe – the very zealots who drive the road-cone usage.
Chris Parker, Campbells Bay.
Buddhist statue
The letter sent to the Waiwera Valley residents from the Jeta’s Grove Charitable trust that’s constructing the Buddhist statue showed it to be hypocritical.
The letter states: “We hold great respect for our neighbours, and in our dreams, we envision neighbours as dear companions, perfectly harmonious, generous of spirit, thoughtful, compassionate, peace-loving, with an appreciation for the arts and cultural refinement. This is the kind of wonderful neighbour we hope to be” (July 10).
Considering the local residents had no knowledge of the “artwork” approved for their neighbourhood until construction was under way, shows the trust’s underhandedness.
Trotting out this syrupy letter to residents now certainly won’t have eased their upset or concerns. It’s more likely to be viewed as patronising.
Lorraine Kidd, Warkworth.
Bringing back the moa?
There are plans to spend millions of dollars to bring an extinct bird back to life. Would it not make more sense to spend the money finding ways to keep humans alive?
If they are successful, what do they plan to do with the moa, do the poultry farmers out of a job?
People are dying every day from diseases such as cancer and surely it would be better to invest the money on research into solving the problems that families face every day just keeping their loved ones from facing death, or even maybe one day keeping themselves alive.
To become a multi-millionaire, you would think it means making a lot of smart decisions. Sometimes I wonder.
Bob Wichman, Botany.
Will we farm the moa?
Good luck with resurrecting the moa. They were hunted to extinction last time. So, they must be delicious. When the demand for fried moa leads to intensive farming, I hope the government enforces better living conditions for the magnificent birds than it currently allows for poor hens.
Rex McGregor, Auckland Central.
Shoplifting doesn’t pay
Green MP Tamatha Paul has suggested that people with no money to buy food could turn to shoplifting. Is this suggestion part of the Greens’ bold new economic policy? I guess in Tamatha Paul’s world it is only natural that people turn to crime when short of a dollar or two. However, does she not know that food banks exist?
Also, if people are short of clothes, then charities exist to help in these circumstances as well. While it is not an ideal situation to rely on charity, one would hope that Paul realises that the crime of shoplifting does not pay. Does she not remember that one of her former colleagues was found guilty of shoplifting even while earning a salary of over $170,000 a year? That’s a pretty high pay ceiling to reach while considering whether or not to engage in crime.
Bernard Walker, Mount Maunganui.