Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson. Photo / Mark Mitchell, File
I didn't vote for this Government; but I think it is due some praise.
It has managed the pandemic well enough to have us now edging close to an endpoint without enduring mass death, endless lockdowns, or the economy collapsing.
Many are having it tough and there are areas of underperformance, but mainly we are okay.
We wouldn't be if the Government had responded to business leaders' calls for us to end last year's lockdowns sooner than it did or open travel bubbles with Oz last year. It broke under business pressure this year and that's how we got this lockdown.
It does need to listen more to Māori health leaders, but not to more rich persons bleating about wanting their overseas travel rattle back.
We have bigger fish to fry, guys, like keeping the vulnerable safe, and - oh, by the way - needing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The most ridiculous thing one can do right now, given we are on the precipice of runaway global warming, is to fly long-distance recreationally.
Let's forget about it until we have sustainable aircraft fuels; big kudos to Air New Zealand for getting going with that. Now that's leadership.
Joseph Dougherty, Auckland Central.
Wartime sacrifices
Of course I feel sympathy for the pregnant woman whose husband may be unable to return to New Zealand for the birth of their child. But, also, I'm old enough to remember the Second World War. We should recognise that we are again on a war footing, this time against an enemy all the more dangerous for being invisible.
I recall an older friend who was pregnant with her first child when her husband left New Zealand to fight in our army. He was killed at El Alamein and never saw his daughter, who grew up without knowing her father. My own father arrived at Maadi Camp, Egypt in July 1944. He felt humbled to meet men who had not seen their families for four years and still had no certainty of returning to them. In those days, huge sacrifices were commonplace.
At this uncertain time, we should appreciate the efforts our admirable leadership is making to keep us all safe.
M A Hume, Mt Roskill.
Drawn and quartered
It is disingenuous of the National Party to say that travel will open up with 75 per cent of the population vaccinated, as if this is significantly better than Labour's statement that things can open up more at 90 per cent of the eligible (12 years and older) population.
We have already been informed that 90 per cent of eligible equates to about 75 per cent of total population and that we will be closing in on this before the end of the year. Easy and cynical to promise that which is already being delivered.
Roy Harris, Papakura.
Taking on water
Your correspondent Lindsay Smith (NZ Herald, September 29) attributes the drive for a national body to oversee water management to deaths at Havelock North. That was just one instance of far too many.
It's more accurate to say the Government is taking over the crippling debts that poor decision-making amongst local councils and mayors have saddled their ratepayers with.
Why shouldn't Māori have a say in how water is managed? They certainly don't now and could it be worse? I don't see how a retired bank manager (read mayor) is qualified to make decisions on water infrastructure spending involving hundreds of millions of dollars.
Nitrates are beginning to find their way into the water table and aquifers. Currently this is not monitored. If these appear in drinking water there will be severe public health consequences.
Rivers have become extremely polluted. Most of them discharge to the sea. Hands up all those who want coastal toxic algae blooms to be a regular feature of the summer holidays.
Having worked in the municipal water industry for over 25 years, I believe the only way to improve the situation is to manage this nationally, not locally.
Public health and the ratepayers will be the winner. Bring it on.
Paul Cheshire, Maraetai.
No way back
If only 3800 people did get a place in MIQ out of 27,000 who recently applied, then that's 23,200 New Zealanders who have their rights to return to their own country denied.
No matter which way you look at it, that's a resounding failure by this Labour Government.
Michael Walker, Blockhouse Bay.
Dazzled inert
The Government's failure to establish and promote a way to re-join the rest of the world reminds me of an opossum frozen in the lights of an oncoming car. A few inches to the left or right by way of "pilot schemes" will not limit the loss of lives caused by the further destruction of national resources needed for future health and social spending.
John Strevens, Remuera.
Worth a shot
Richard Prebble lambasts (NZ Herald, September 29) the Government for what he sees as its profligacy in response to the pandemic.
My reply to him is to read a report entitled "SARS-CoV-2 elimination, not mitigation, creates best outcomes for health, the economy, and civil liberties". The full report can be seen at www.thelancet.com and was published online on April 28, 2021.
Will he read it? Of course not, as the evidence directly contradicts his widely discredited neo-liberal views.
Keith L Muir, Mt Maunganui.
Joining up
On my second day in the army, we recruits lined up for our jabs. We received five in all, one after the other. The last was smallpox, which saw many recruits pass out, myself included. This gave me a – justifiable, I feel - fear of needles.
But I got over it and now have blood tests and vaccinations with no trouble.
My advice is look away.
David H Fisher, Howick.
Nation building
As a team of 5 million, we are prone to be divided quite easily, as the Springbok Tour and the flag referendum will attest to.
The current divisive issue is the naming of our country and its cities. Reading comments from John Tamihere and Don Brash (to mention just two recent contributions), prompt me to reason that it is not who is mentioning the name of our country, but the language that is being spoken. If you're speaking English then the country is New Zealand and if you're speaking Māori, it is Aotearoa.
Likewise you would refer to our largest city as Auckland if speaking or writing in English, and Tāmaki Makaurau if speaking or writing in Māori.
This is fairly common around the world. If you were speaking German you would refer to the country as Deutschland and refer to two of its cities as Koln and Munchen. Likewise if speaking English you would say Germany and Cologne and Munich. There are similar examples in Italy.
Divisiveness during a pandemic is the last thing we need.
Chris Parker, Campbell's Bay.
Ex-MP unseated
Former PM David Lange may have enjoyed watching a former "Tory" MP being thrown off his memorial park bench recently.
Working a nine-hour day at the local Ōtāhuhu medical clinic, fighting for 95+ per cent Covid immunisation, the only respite is 20 minutes for lunch in the oasis of the park herb garden.
Not a sign of a "keep out" notice at the entrance, I innocently took the first bite of my sandwich, only to be summarily photographed and marched out in semi-Gestapo fashion.
Though I went quietly, the council officer wondered that she had "many people verbally abusing her".
Mayor Phil, your old mate David must have marvelled at the "hermit kingdom" you, too, are ruling over.
Dr Paul Hutchison, Grey Lynn.
Drift away?
Much as I respect the incisiveness of Herald columnist Matthew Hooton, I must demur over his scoffing (NZ Herald, September 24) at assertions that New Zealand has an "independent foreign policy".
He insinuates that Labour Governments have detached New Zealand from the rest of the world. But the word "independent" connotes the decision process of a sovereign New Zealand, not an aversion to international engagement.
Interdependence, not splendid isolation, is explicit in the policies of Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta, which Hooton correctly paraphrases.
It is Hooton's right to disagree with the NZ Nuclear Free Act of 1987. But this is a specific exemption that was accepted by then Vice-President Joe Biden and by the US Navy that deployed the USS Sampson here in 2016.
Hooton's assertions that we have "drifted away" from powerful partners; are "progressively excluded"; and are "powerless and vulnerable to economic or military colonisation" are not supported by the evidence that Hooton recounts in, and omits from, his piece.
Stephen Hoadley, Castor Bay.
On Destiny
Brian Tamaki should march his "flock" to the Shot Cuzz bus to be vaccinated. It would be a positive move for them and for the rest of us. Sally Paine, St Heliers.
On National
If National wants to succeed - albeit in a coalition - at the next election, all it has to do is promise to undo all the contentious work that the present Labour Government is forcing through without proper consultation and discussion. Jock Mac Vicar, Hauraki.
On MIQ
The number of people scrambling to get MIQ places is surely evidence many people think this is a good place to be. Critics of the Covid response ignore that fact. Selwyn Irwin, Glen Eden.
We need our citizens back home. Many have skills for our economy and others have skills to care for those who will not be vaccinated. Entertainers/sportspeople should not be on the list. Stuart Mackenzie, Ohura.
On Prebble
The Herald needs to be congratulated on having one of the best contributing commentators with insightful conclusions to the country's problems; action man Richard Prebble. David de Lacey, Remuera.
On opening
I wonder how many people in 1941 were nagging Winston Churchill to set a firm date for the end of World War II? Morgan L. Owens, Manurewa.
On vaccine
A "No jab; no McDonalds or KFC" rule might be one of our best ways to raise the vaccination rate. Pamela Russell, Ōrākei.
Forty-five new cases today - the horse has well and truly bolted. Time for new ideas and a plan. Thank you National for getting the ball rolling. Patience is wearing thin in Auckland, there is only so much we can take on for the rest of the team. Anna K.
This at least is a plan to work with. Not perfect, but with some good policies. We are in the middle of a crisis which needs input from all parties and we don't need rejection of anything that is not the Government's idea. We need a unified crisis team to get moving. Thomas W
This is no longer about politics. We simply need to get proactive about getting our country back on its feet ASAP. It doesn't matter where ideas and strategies come from if they sound rational and workable the current Govt should waste no time in adopting them. There are too many consequences to our current plan which is now massively outdated. Arlene H
High time to stop this entire MIQ rort! Let's show our hearts and welcome back these decent Kiwi families stuck abroad. All Kiwis abroad deserve the right to travel home without any restrictions. David L.
If I wasn't too bothered about getting vaccinated, I would wait until I was offered the $100 bribe, eh? That won't speed up the vaccination numbers which is what we really need now, will it? Offer a burger as they wait right now. Judy J.
It's easy for National to promise that they'll simultaneously maintain elimination and let huge numbers of New Zealanders return without going through MIQ. In reality we can't have both. It would have been much more honest to acknowledge that their plan abandons elimination, and that thousands of people will die, but argue that that is the right tradeoff. Robert O.
A 1500 bed MIQ facility - if it started today - shovel ready - that's two years away at least. Not factoring skills, equipment, fit-out materials, a workforce to support it, a health service to support it. If you started today you'd be hard-pressed to have the public health workforce to support it. Harry Potter's wand would be hard-pressed. Thomas M.
[National's plan] fails to address the very fragile state of our health system that will not be quickly fixed. Major lack of staff in most settings. Lack of surge capacity specialist units. Even modest numbers [in the] recent outbreak had Auckland calling from help from other regions. ... Nobody in Wellington seems to want to acknowledge that anything more than average demand can't be met now. Peter H.
Much of the South Island is set to plunge below 0C tonight and tomorrow.