Northland DHB will expand its fleet of electric vehicles with $4.3 million of government funding. Photo / Hyundai, File
Caviar bingeing on a cracker budget
Common sense dictates; if you are struggling to put bread and butter on the table, you don't buy caviar. You save some money, if you can, to ensure some level of financial resilience for your family when unexpected expenses arise.
So why has the Government
granted $4.3 million to the Northland DHB to replace 150 modern (thus low emission) internal combustion vehicles for a fleet for 150 electric cars?
Yes, I am concerned about looming environmental issues. However, our national deficit increased by $15 billion between January 2020 and January 2021, and continues to rise at a rate of $300 million per day.
Electrical vehicles are not only caviar; they are a slap in the face for our nurses who have to fight for every meagre pay increase.
In the wake of Covid-19, natural disasters and the housing crisis, have we learnt nothing of the importance of resilience? Could we bounce back from a stock market crash or a natural disaster with this vast and growing debt?
Now is the time to consolidate and pay off debt, reduce restrictive legislation, promote small business and innovation, thus creating economic stability and resilience. Only then should we be thinking about caviar.
Alina Nelson, Whangārei.
Bearing crosses
Very few appreciate the cross a nurse wears. Registered nurse; recruited to serve others but during a pandemic their value is inestimably greater than a cycle bridge or politician.
My mother, sister and my mother-in-law wore it, my wife wears it. Who decided that you cannot afford them?
Who values bridges to nowhere?
Steve Russell, Hillcrest.
Critical mass
We are struggling to cope with a population of just over 5 million. Across all spectra, we have growth-caused stress. Yet there are daily calls for more workers.
Stats NZ suggests 2 million people in Auckland by the early 2030s.
What is currently being funded and planned is catch up. It is not planning to cope with that sort of population increase. This is echoed around the country - workers needed.
There is not enough land nor infrastructure to let 500,000 more people live in Auckland, neither in apartment buildings nor standalone homes. Unless you envisage and plan for some sort of Futurama, which we are not.
How many more roads, pipes, marinas, schools, water treatment plants, sewerage plants, and bridges over our harbours and rivers do we want? If we build it all – do we ever stop? What does that New Zealand look like?
What happens if we question the need for more workers? A sense of population balance. What does that New Zealand look and feel like?
I know which picture I prefer.
Paul Kayes, Whakatāne.
Families divided
As the future citizens of New Zealand look back on this Labour Government, it will be with shame that so little compassion was shown to those workers who came here with promises that this government will not honour; of being allowed to bring their families to join them.
Reciting the feel-good mantra is not the same as doing the decent and honourable thing.
This will rank with the disgraceful dawn raids as one of our more despicable political failures.
James Archibald, Birkenhead.
Bridge design
We're told the existing bridge is reaching its end of life and I presume it will eventually be demolished. In effect, we have a clean slate to draw on in terms of what the harbour will look like in 50 years. What is the point in building such a large high and expensive structure again when the requirement to accommodate large vessels does not exist?
The design of any new bridge must be undertaken as part of the existing bridge replacement project.
A new bridge that looks aesthetically pleasing alongside the existing bridge is unlikely to work with a replacement structure that will have a completely different profile and design. And if you build the proposed structure now, where will the main bridge replacement structure, which will have to be built before the old structure is decommissioned, go?
Surely in the interim, we are better to set up and fund a free and frequent ferry service designed specifically to cater for cyclists between Northcote point and an extension to
the Westhaven breakwater under the existing bridge. This could be achieved in short order for minimal cost compared to that proposed.
S Matheson, Mt Eden.
Driving imperative
The billions spent on eliminating roads for cycleways, bus lanes and installing congestion creating on-ramp signals in this mindless effort of trying to get people out of cars screams of failure. The 95 per cent of travel still done by private vehicle shows that.
Any quick look at the congestion in Auckland on any given day shows that people would rather sit in endless traffic jams and spew out carbon emissions rather than catch public transport or cycle.
The art of politics is doing what is possible. Any halfwit can tell you that the government's myopic ideology is not possible and that they need to think of another solution in reducing our carbon emissions. Trying to reduce private vehicle usage is akin to spitting into the proverbial wind and borders on Einstein's definition of insanity.
Kent Millar, Blockhouse Bay.
Chequered past
For your correspondent who is curious about the label of "cheque" accounts in the future (NZ Herald, June 10).
According to the ASB last month, they will still be called "cheque accounts". They had no answer for the future weirdness as cheques become history, or for those opening a "cheque" account with no cheques.
I honestly think the name thing hasn't occurred to them.
Judy Lawry, Golflands.
Nice to haves
What planet are the Auckland Council members who voted for the 5 per cent rate increase living on? Have none of them heard of zero-based budgeting or living within your means like most of us have to?
In the present climate, nice-to-have things like cycleways, harbour bridges for lycra-clad bikers, contributions to America's Cup defence, etc, should be put on hold indefinitely until circumstances return to more normal times and proper cost-benefit analyses are done. There is no doubt that Auckland's water and drainage problems need attention, as do our roads and footpaths. To achieve this, the council should cut their cloth accordingly and dramatically cut staff numbers to achieve that.
Lastly, Auckland Transport should be reined in by council proper and instructed to desist from roadworks that hamper traffic flows such as the work on Tamaki Drive at St Heliers.
Garry Larsen, St Heliers.
Toot for support
Correspondent Helen Lowe (NZ Herald, June 10) writes that there is always enough money for the America's Cup team so you never see them striking.
However the America's Cup team is currently threatening to hold the next races in another country unless New Zealand doubles the amount of sponsorship it has offered to the team.
As far as New Zealand is concerned, the America's Cup team are on strike for more pay.
David Mairs, Glendowie.
Accountability
Did anyone's head roll on Auckland Council after losing $1.6b in the last financial year on derivative trading-future interest rates?
No wonder our rates are going up and they are selling off the last reasonably-priced parking building in the city. Businesses will suffer because of this.
Denise Gunson, Castor Bay.
Obsolete landlines
Vodafone should try living in the country, where there's no cellphone coverage and need a copper line to run a WiFi system. A fixed phone connection when we have power cuts is our only lifeline.
Even the smart power meters don't work, we still need a human meter reader.
These tech nerds need to live in the real world.
Gordon Hemp, Warkworth.
Quorum met
Before the first meeting of the Steve Braunias fan club convenes in Meadowbank, baking at the ready, can I please be invited?
By the way, I actually live in Glendowie. I can only surmise that it must have been the excitement of meeting me that caused Steve to make that geographical error.
Mary Hearn, Glendowie.
On bridge
If and when the cycle/pedestrian bridge goes ahead there is nothing surer than the cost doubling from $685 million to $1.370 billion. Richard Carey, Manly.
The cynic in me suggests the walk and cycle bridge decision is a strategy to divert attention from the lack of real progress on important issues such as housing and the health system. Rod Young, Kerikeri.
On priorities
How bizarre - $800m plus for Auckland cyclists; $61m for regenerative farming; and no money for the nurses. Max Watkins, Beach Haven.
Nurses will be able to cycle to work and save on petrol. So the Government wasn't entirely stupid. Gary Hollis, Mellons Bay.
On water
I have just received an email from Watercare beginning, "Our prices are changing from July 1". Are they too scared to say, "Our prices are going up"? No one is fooled. Greg Cave, Sunnyvale.
On emissions
If the Government was really serious about reducing our country's carbon footprint, it would drop the GST on electric and hydrogen cars to 5 per cent, and to 10 per cent on hybrid cars. Warren Prouse, Papakura.
Many climate change advocates are so against building roads but forget that that is what EVs drive on. Neil Hatfull, Warkworth.
On explorers
Although not reported at the time, apparently Neil Armstrong tripped on a stone mere when descending from the lunar module in 1969. Bruce Newton, Dunedin.
The woman was shaken by the incident.