Letters: Government spending, Auckland Council savings, KiwiRail and cannabis

Good sorts, such as Kaikohe main street fish and chip shop operators Percy and Cheree Cooper, could do with a better spread of government spending. Photo / Jenny Ling, file

Opinion

Spread the spending

An easy way for the Government to help SMEs and regions would be to share the opportunities in the still buoyant public sector. The "All of Government" supplier scheme is an onerous barrier preventing most SMEs and many large New Zealand businesses from doing business with the sector they fund through their company and employee taxes.
Similarly, regions and small towns, such as Kaikohe and Taumarunui, would gain far more benefits from a government call centre than from myriad job support schemes.
Stats reports that the public sector employs 18 per cent of the workforce (but 40 per cent in Wellington), at a considerably higher median wage than the general NZ median.
Aiming to spread this more evenly across New Zealand seems a good goal and with public servants still largely working from home, a feasible option.
Caroline Fenton, St Heliers.

Savings found

Desley Simpson's article (NZ Herald, June 8) throws some more light on just how soft the underbelly of Auckland Council really is.
It is staggering to learn that by means of a preliminary review of the operating "spend" enough can be found to run the libraries for a year. That was a useful analogy because I suspect that the libraries are one area in which can be found senior staff who love their jobs and so work hard in them. There seem to be very few areas of Council activity where such staff can be found.
Already 600 fixed-term staff and contractors have gone and there are more to go.
One is tempted to think back to the promises we received when the Super City was being shaped, that rates would be reduced.
As with Labour governments, so with a Labour-led council, the only way they can see to form a budget is in a cost-plus way. Thus the council has become fat and lazy.
Keep up the good work, Ms Simpson.
Peter Newfield, Takapuna.

Shaken awake

The apologia by Desley Simpson (NZ Herald, June 8) studies the ways in which the Auckland Council might cut its costs to cope with the expected reduction in income. She comes up with some excellent ideas.
However, the article demonstrates what is wrong with the council's approach to its finances. It has significant sources of income, including an apparently built-in automatic rates increase each year. The approach appears to be how best to spend the annual revenue. This has led to the widely reported excessive staff numbers and overly generous remuneration levels.
The notion of saving money and practising economy only arises in times of stress such as now. The question is, why have some of these conventional business disciplines not been exercised in better times.
Peter Clapshaw, Remuera.

'Nice to haves'

Councillor Desley Simpson has struck fear into our hearts (NZ Herald, June 8). She has dug out that notorious financial "hole" in the deeply politicised council emergency budget. Such "holes", so beloved in the rhetoric of campaigning politicians, apparently threaten our city with calamity.
Salvation is to be in the form of ferocious cuts to many amenities and services - those cultural indulgences like libraries, expensive heritage buildings, galleries. At least, this is what we think she means. She also used the phrase "nice to haves", we presume, to describe these luxuries. If that is what she means I differ strongly. "Nice to haves" are actually essential - as essential to human society as drains, footpaths and food. In a word, they are meaning, without which we do not really live. Councillor Simpson, I hope, will make it very clear to us, the people, just what she does mean by "nice to haves" or "buildings we can't afford to keep" We are actually the owners of these indulgences. We may wish to keep them.
Denys Trussell, Newton.

Rail investment

I fully agree with your correspondent Niall Robertson (NZ Herald, June 8) that the Government should be investing in rail in the South Waikato region. Anyone who has travelled on State Highways 1 and 5 to Taupo will be familiar with the considerable number of large trucks on the road - freight which would be much better and safer on rail.
The rail network needs to be expanded into other regions as well, such as the Far North, East Coast, Nelson and Queenstown, for forestry and rail tourism. These new rail lines should be built as part of a nationwide infrastructure building programme to develop a clean energy transport network in response to climate change, and provide economic stimulus to regions hard hit by the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
A Brown, Taupo.

Denver rolling

Denver, Colorado, has both public transport and legalised consumption of marijuana.
Having visited there recently, I would strongly advise anybody considering voting "Yes" to the legalisation of the use of marijuana in New Zealand, to visit Denver.
I'm sure, like us, they will return knowing that Denver has a very good public transport system and a very public drug problem.
Trevor Stevens, Waiau Pa.

Gang monopoly

Steve Horne writes (NZ Herald, June 8) that the only beneficiaries of legalising cannabis will be gangs and big business. I don't think this view is logical.
Currently, gangs have a monopoly on the supply of cannabis, and get rich on the proceeds. Competition, in the form of legal outlets, would surely reduce their profits, and, therefore, their desire to be involved. Buyers would benefit from knowing the potency and the purity of the product, and from not having to deal with criminals.
Legalising cannabis would enable the establishment of new businesses, which would employ people, and pay taxes. Therefore we, and the economy, would all benefit.
The current illegal status of cannabis, and other drugs, does little to reduce consumption. Rather, the illegality simply guarantees that drugs are expensive, thus ensuring a huge profit for gangs.
The war on drugs will never be won. It costs taxpayers dearly, and it costs lives, and it enriches criminals. It's a waste of time and resource.
Chris Elias, Mission Bay.

Check meters

My last Watercare invoice lists an actual reading of 297 on 28th May. On June 6th, 10 days later, I read my meter. It was 296.
Watercare's charges are already so extortionate there is no need for false billing.
I wonder how many of the 530,000 (approx) ratepayers know where and how to read their water meters.
M. Richards, Belmont.

Erebus site

When you drive along Meola Rd, you pass the Sir Keith Park Memorial Airfield.
There is a lovely grassy knoll on the airfield.
Surely this would be a good place to have the Erebus Memorial Sculpture?
Not only would the curved shape look splendid on the knoll, but the context would be most appropriate.
It would be enjoyed by all who drive past.
Philippa Lane, Dairy Flat.

Taiwan praise

I agree with Chris Parker (NZ Herald, June 8); ignoring Taiwan's outstanding success is indeed puzzling.
Yes, we have done well here in New Zealand but Taiwan's statistics speak volumes for the way it handled Covid-19. Deaths per million: Taiwan had 0.03 compared with New Zealand at 4.2.
Taiwan, with a population of well over 23 million, has remained at 443 cases of Covid-19 for the last eight weeks. The fact that it has not had a lockdown means businesses have continued to remain open for its people.
Barbara Lawgun, Glendowie.

Short & sweet

On aircraft

Perhaps Minister Ron Mark should reach out to Air NZ CEO Foran to seek a deal until the new Hercules come on stream? Merton Aylward, Pukekohe.

On water

The corporatised water authorities require that tanks are metered so that wastewater can be charged for. Profit is the focus, not efficiency. K. S. Agar, Onehunga.

On Ardern

Colin Nicholls writes that the Herald cartoonists never lampoon Jacinda Ardern (NZ Herald, June 8). He shouldn't worry: the opinion writers more than make up for that. Neil Anderson, Algies Bay.

On Christchurch

I have a lot of sympathy for what Christchurch and its residents have undergone, but spending $473 million of public money on a new stadium is just not sensible in light of our economic plight. Tony Waring, Grey Lynn.

On council

Auckland Council should again nominate councillors to CCO boards and hence exert influence upon such matters as CEO remuneration. Larry Robbins, Browns Bay.

Re: Cr Desley Simpson (NZ Herald, June 8), the $500 million "hole" is close to an assessment of payroll savings, there for the taking by reducing existing council wage and salary scales to equivalence with private sector rates. Larry Mitchell, Rothesay Bay.

On level 1

Sweden may have SAAB but I am extremely happy that we have had JAAB, with their calm and reassuring manner, fronting New Zealand's response to Covid-19. Mike Lyons, New Windsor.

It is hard to imagine a leader other than ours saying, in response to the knowledge that we have eliminated Covid-19, "I did a little dance". She brightens my every day. John L R Allum, Thames.