US President Donald Trump told the United Nations that "climate change is a hoax". Photo / Getty Images
Trump missing climate change message
Despite a teleprompter malfunction US President Donald Trump’s highly provocative message to the United Nations was delivered with his usual pomposity “that climate change is a hoax and the greatest con job ever perpetuated on the world”.
Oh, really? What planet is the so-called leader of the free world living on? In the real world, beyond the confines of his Florida residence Mar-a-Lago and the White House, heatwaves and tropical storms are intensifying, droughts, wildfires and flooding are growing more severe and destructive.
It’s a shame the President doesn’t subscribe to scientific journals such as Scientific American, which unequivocally views global warming as a dire, man-made climate crisis.
King Charles missed a golden opportunity at his lavish Windsor Castle state banquet to send a message by seating Sir David Attenborough beside the President.
Bruce Eliott, St Heliers
Medical staff canaries in health coal mine
New Zealand’s health workforce is already stretched to breaking point. Yet the Government’s austerity approach seems to assume that wealthier citizens will be able to rely on private healthcare when the public system falters – as if we might emulate the United States’ model.
That assumption is misguided. Our private hospitals cannot manage trauma, medical admissions, intensive care, or many cancer treatments. We simply do not have the population to sustain a comprehensive private hospital system.
A second, often overlooked risk is the impact on health professionals themselves. Doctors and nurses are not just providers of care – they are also patients, parents and partners. When they fear their own families will not be able to access safe and timely care here, the attraction of moving to Australia becomes overwhelming. Unlike the canary in the coal mine, our workforce is uncaged and already showing signs of flight.
This compounds the exodus already driven by pay and conditions. Austerity will not save money. It risks pushing our health system past its tipping point – and by then, it will be too late.
Grant Hounsell, Auckland
Mood of Boardroom no surprise
The opinions expressed in the Mood of the Boardroom come as no surprise. National’s lack of decisive leadership, combined with Labour’s reluctance to reveal any clear policies, does not inspire confidence in meaningful future progress.
Next year’s edition will be especially revealing, offering a timely commentary on the political and economic landscape in the lead-up to the election.
It will no doubt influence not only businesses but also the way the wider public votes. Should the opinions remain unchanged, the minor parties may well gain outsized influence, as both major parties will be forced to rely on them to form a Government.
The time has come for the two major parties to reach bipartisan agreement on the major issues affecting the country for the nation to prosper.
Ian Doube, Rotorua
Classrooms a place to unite, not divide
I was shocked to read about the decision to remove te reo Māori words from children’s early reader books. This policy sends the wrong message to young New Zealanders about the value of our official language.
Children are often underestimated for their remarkable capabilities. They can easily learn a few Māori words alongside English, and doing so helps them develop a respect for our bicultural identity.
I know this from experience, I am a Year 13 student whose first language is English, and the Māori books I read growing up were some of my favourite books from that time.
They never confused me or held me back in any way. In fact, they made me more enthusiastic about reading in general, no matter what language it was in. They taught me that new words can be exciting and fun, not something to be afraid of.
Instead of cutting te reo out, we should be celebrating it and making sure all tamariki have equal access to it. Our classrooms are the best place to unite us, not divide us.
Pania Awakoko Attwood, Ngāti Ranginui, Te Whānau-a-Apanui
On eligibility and the World Cup
There are two approaches a country can take to developing a Rugby World Cup-winning team.
You can have a domestic league and disqualify any players who ply their trade offshore. Or you can do the opposite, encourage your players to seek out the strongest competition they can find and not even bother with a domestic competition.
The Canadian women’s comprehensive win over the Black Ferns last weekend answered that question. The question now is what will NZ Rugby’s response be, especially in the area of eligibility rules?
Doug Hannan, Mount Maunganui