Port control
None of the prospective mayoral candidates (NZ Herald, April 20) appears to be willing to get off the fence on the issue of selling Ports of Auckland.
The reality is that under public ownership, PoA was a blue-chip, well-performing company. Since Auckland Council assumed 100 per cent ownership, its track record has been pathetic, as the recent miserable $2 million dividend attests.
Returning PoA to at least a mixed ownership model (I would prefer the council to get out completely) would bring back the public company disciplines and governance oversight which Auckland Council will never be able to provide, no matter who becomes Mayor this year.
Even better, it would provide immediate cash for vital infrastructure projects and who knows, it might also get rid of some highly paid bureaucrats currently engaged in "looking after" this key asset.
Duncan Simpson, Hobsonville Pt.
Own goal
An article in today's (20/04/2022) NZ Herald, about mayoral aspirants' thoughts on the port, states, in part, "The 77 hectares on which the port operates is not owned by Auckland Council, so the council cannot give an up-to-date valuation of the waterfront land. A council spokesperson said the land was owned by the port company of which the council was 100 per cent shareholder."
Am I missing something?
Rob Paton, Snells Beach.
Contracted management
Outgoing mayor Phil Goff is considering contracting out the management of the Port company (NZ Herald, April 19) while retaining the land as a solution to a dire financial position, caused in part by a legacy of wasteful spending.
How on earth can completely losing control over the delivery of essential goods arriving in Auckland by sea be any better than the existing management arrangement? What if the effective privatisation of the running of the business does not produce the dividend or rental return required leaving a long-term contract of management squatters on the site?
How about just not giving up on fixing the existing management problems and safety issues to get the port running more efficiently? And cutting council extravagances like turning main roads into parks for unsavoury characters in downtown Auckland while hosting public events and festivals also not producing dividends?
If the council was to measure all expenditure not of an essential service nature on whether or not it was producing a financial return to ratepayers, there should be a priority list of things to start chopping before messing with the Ports of Auckland.
Coralie van Camp, Remuera.
Reality bites
Rod Emmerson's cartoon (NZ Herald, April 20) on the plight of nurses is right on the money.
The Health Minister trumpeted the Government's recent long-overdue pay settlement with nurses as historic and worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Now our nurses find their promised back pay has been quietly stripped away.
This is sadly reminiscent of the minister's public comments last year on the extent of intensive care bed capacity where his figures were found by ICU specialists to be woefully overstated.
William Black, Remuera.
Follow the money
You are to be commended for running the "Paradise lost" column (NZ Herald, April 19).
Our Gascoignes and Schnauers should be running our country, but they won't have a Beehive bone in their bodies.
Muldoon 101 taught, that when politicians offer cash, the majority will spend it tomorrow. This makes for an entertaining election in 2023, while we slide another couple of places on the global stage.
Gerry O'Meeghan, Pāpāmoa.
Travel on
Jock Mac Vicar (NZ Herald, April 19) complains about Kiwis on holiday with their boats, caravans and campervans which he thinks should be given "restricted hours of travel. Certainly not at peak times".
Having travelled recently, our biggest issue has been poorly managed roadworks leading to long needless traffic jams, and trucks – few who keep to their 90km/h speed limit –then at the first available passing lane, pass fellow truckies - holding up long queues of traffic in the process.
We have a small campervan that can easily keep up with any traffic yet, like many others we have seen, pull over when we can, to allow faster vehicles to pass.
The fact that Kiwi families – especially Aucklanders - can finally have some well-deserved travel - resulting in both enjoyment and the boosting of local economy should be celebrated, not restricted.
John Clark, Glen Eden.
Cash in chips
My nearest supermarket has plenty of fresh local green cabbages for $7 each and miniscule freezer space for the more affordable frozen veges which are, more often than not, mainly out of stock.
However, right next door to this almost empty vege freezer is a very well-stocked freezer full of an amazing variety of frozen French fries.
Very skewed priorities.
Linda Lang, Henderson.
Short & sweet
On banks
Shame the banks, with enormous profits gained largely from the housing market, can't show a little mercy to first home-buyers and resist upping their mortgage rates. Time to help that sector of borrowers who need it most. B Darragh, Auckland Central.
On inflation
Grant Robertson has followed Joe Biden's line that inflation is all down to the war and Putin. The reality is that inflation was already rising - and fast - before Ukraine was invaded. Alan Papert, Queenstown.
On trees
If the council is going to allow thousands of houses to be destroyed for high-density apartments, then thousands of trees will also go. I seem to remember Mayor Goff saying that we were going to be climate-friendly. M. Thomson, Ponsonby.
On tax cuts
Christopher Luxon claims National would not cut spending, while at the same time promising extensive tax cuts. Something does not quite add up here. Greg Cave, Sunnyvale.
On nurses
The Government can find millions for a bicycle-way over the bridge but cannot get a few million for the well-deserved nurses. Why they stay is beyond me when they are treated so poorly. Terry Johnson, Tauranga.
On arms
Regarding the PM's recent speech on nuclear weapons, Ukraine wouldn't be being razed by Russia if it had retained a credible deterrent. Stewart Hawkins, St Heliers.
On Sideswipe
Am I the only one who feels that reading Sideswipe before wading through the serious news is like eating your dessert first? Doug Hannan, Mt Maunganui.
The Premium Debate
Supply chain pressures to worsen
For so long we have been able to rely on out of season produce, huge varieties in terms of commodities, with multiple-choice as a globalised economy worked well. Not so good when we are at the other end of the shipping chain and so many New Zealand businesses have shut down and we rely on overseas producers. Ross H H.
The hold-ups with containers in Shanghai have a huge flow-on effect as containers aren't being sent to where they should be and then shipping companies don't visit ports in Australia and NZ as they aren't as profitable and their schedules have been changed. This results in less shipping and higher costs - supply/demand and even a shortage of containers - refrigerated ones. Costs can only be absorbed for the short term. People wonder why food and other imported products have increased in price. Stacey C.
If you want to ease inflation, slow down spending yourselves, up-cycle rather than buy new, start a small business manufacturing and end dependency on China as our factory. Governah W.
A few years ago it seemed like such a good idea for all the companies that used to be based locally and employ local staff to put all their eggs in one (Chinese) basket. Anyone who was watching could have foreseen such problems occurring, it's the same with a lack of apprentices because it was cheaper and easier to import overseas staff. While there may be such a thing as a global economy, relying on endless supply chains continuing without issues is not the smartest move. Leigh H.
Yes, globalisation is not all it was cracked up to be - except for the big multinationals, of course. They have gone from strength to strength. Carol D.
