Letters: Health insurance requirement for migrant parent visas seems a bit light

Chiefs fans have been told to leave their cowbells at home for this Saturday's Super Rugby Pacific final. Photo / Getty Images

Letters to the Editor

Health insurance concerns

The Government has set certain financial requirements for the new migrant parent visa which could ensure the scheme does not require taxpayer top-ups for unforeseen hardship (June 18).

But the requirement for only one year of health insurance seems a bit light. In 2018, the three Auckland DHBs reported running up over $50 million in debt write-offs over the previous five years for overseas patients without insurance.

Given the likely older age profile of the parent group, it would be a sensible precaution to require uninterrupted health insurance for the term of the visa.

Peter Davis, Kingsland.

Health and hardworking

A better solution for sick pay is applying the H5 rule - hiring healthy, honest, hardworking humans.

The last sick leave I took was two days off for oyster food poisoning just over 20 years ago.

Glenn Forsyth, Taupō.

Lift up the many

For the Prime Minister to label the Green Party’s budget plans as “absolute madness” is very telling.

Simon Wilson’s excellent opinion piece (June 18) suggests the current economic policy treats us as consumers rather than as a society.

The Green Party’s Fiscal Strategy plans to boost incomes of the lower half of society and ensure the very wealthy pay their fair share of taxes. It is actually not complicated and would reverse the unfair concentration of wealth in fewer and fewer hands.

This dog-eat-dog notion of competing selfish individuals that underpins neoliberal thinking inevitably means the dismantling of community. That’s what is happening now and why we are becoming more divided and unequal. It is not good for our wellbeing or our society. Having a few “rich and sorted” and many struggling is not sustainable.

Fair taxes mean we can properly invest in resilient infrastructure, public healthcare and good education. Lift up the many and we all benefit.

Far from being “ludicrous la la land” as Nicola Willis rails, it is actually quite rational and feasible.

Then we can once again aim for a fairer, more equitable society with a proper sense of community.

Jeff Hayward, Auckland.

Power of storytelling

Does storytelling have a place in our country’s new Suicide Prevention Action Plan?

There is international research indicating that authentic, empowering media stories can shift a social/cultural focus from narratives of despair to inspiring narratives of coping with adversity. This is known as the Papageno Effect, named after the character in Mozart’s opera The Magic Flute, who contemplates suicide but is persuaded to live by others offering support and hope. It is distinguished from the Werther Effect, whereby media coverage of suicides can increase suicidal behaviour in vulnerable individuals.

Here in Aotearoa New Zealand, it seems we generally recognise the Werther Effect, and that has rightly led to media caution over detailed reporting of suicides.

Given the powerful role that storytelling plays in our culture and society, it strikes me that we are missing a huge opportunity by not sufficiently recognising the Papageno Effect.

David Jacobs, Grey Lynn.

IDF actions the issue

It is perhaps ironic that Dana A Patterson’s excellent letter (June 18) is on the same page as the opinion piece by Juliet Moses, president of the New Zealand Jewish Council.

Moses raises a valid point when saying the Jewish people have been wrongly vilified throughout their history. Any right-thinking person would agree that anti-semitism per se is wrong. But the current issue, as Patterson points out, is the actions of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) in Gaza and, more recently, in Iran.

The grossly disproportionate response to the October 7 atrocities committed by Hamas can be explained by the fact that, in order to regain power, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu enlisted the support of ultra-right-wing politicians who see any harm done to innocent Gazans by the IDF as collateral damage.

In fact, the Israeli cabinet is a who’s who of extremists.

Netanyahu, who has been indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court, has now made the decision to launch a so-called pre-emptive strike against Iran, a decision contrary to International law.

New Zealand should expel the Israeli ambassador.

Bruce Anderson, Christchurch.

Cowbell controversy

No cowbells at the Super Rugby Pacific final in Christchurch on Saturday. I say poor sportsmanship, Crusaders.

What are you afraid of? The better team will win on the night and I hope to be there, so bring it on.

Gary Stewart, Foxton Beach.

Super spoilsports

How absolutely ridiculous that cowbells have been banned for the Super Rugby Pacific final for safety reasons. Spoilsports, killjoys and partypoopers are polite words that come to mind to describe the decision-makers.

Lorraine Kidd, Warkworth.