Should New Zealand emulate Singapore for health, education and social welfare? Photo / Maverick Asio, Getty Images
No amount of tinkering will solve the problems of welfare dependency and child poverty in this country. The current system is totally broken and hopelessly inefficient both financially and in regard to intended outcomes.
Despite all the grand claims currently being made, nothing will change until
our politicians are prepared to look beyond the three-year election cycle.
As a nation, we are in desperate need of visionaries like Michael Savage, Peter Fraser, and Sir Roger Douglas, among others.
Our welfare and poverty problems will only be solved when power is transferred from meddling politicians to the people. This has been achieved by Singapore which has one of the best health and education services, and the most efficient welfare system in the world.
There, every individual has their own health, education, and welfare accounts from which they pay for the relevant services, including unemployment insurance. The people have the power to choose. Non-performers very quickly lift their game or just disappear. The people decide, not meddling politicians promising the world but achieving no effective outcome as is the case in this country.
Vince Ashworth, Morrinsville.
Monday's editorial (NZ Herald, September 28) lauded NZ's five million population and advocated more, on the same day of its two-page report on the housing crisis. Could it be that the housing shortage and high costs are the direct result of years of high immigration outstripping housing supply? Perhaps the congested roads also? Population growth is an economic quick fix with side effects costing the majority and particularly the poor, like any addiction.
No large city ever overcomes escalating urban sprawl, housing costs, and congestion - even with comprehensive public transport. Ever driven or caught the underground during rush hours in London, Paris or Kuala Lumpur? Not my idea of fun. And no, Auckland will never be like Amsterdam or Copenhagen with gardenless apartment living and flat topography making widespread cycling practical.
To lift us economically, with far less environmental costs than population growth, Judith Collins' proposal to promote the technology, science and engineering sectors and STEM school subjects is very good given Kiwi innovation skills, as Rocket Lab, Team NZ, Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, Xero and many other technology businesses demonstrate.
Rod McIntyre, Glendowie.
It appears that we in New Zealand are rapidly becoming a fascist state. We have impounded a yacht, and are about to deport three German sailors who, through necessity and common sense, tried to do the right thing.
There are a number of other yachts also, many with families, waiting out in the Pacific to come to the traditional winter safe haven They bring income and business. We offer them safety and - previously – a warm welcome. Most have been isolated like this German crew for well in excess of the required 14 days.
This crew tried to follow all the normal procedure. They applied in advance, they advised customs and immigration, and they sailed in flying the traditional yellow quarantine flag.
As a result they have been arrested on arrival, and the boat impounded pending payment of fines. They are to be deported with a blemish on their passport which will not allow them to return, or to collect their boat at some future Covid-free date.
What are we doing? Should we not apply the same ruling to all the America's Cup yachts and teams? Or are they paying so much we turn a blind eye?
Will Menzies, Waiheke.
The solution to Auckland's rapid transit problems does not lie with multibillion-dollar projects.
A California company called the Boring Company has almost finished a 6km double 4.6m tunnel in Las Vegas in under a year. They will build a 4.6km tunnel from an airport to the city centre in California with a tender of US$70 million compared with a heavy rail link
tendered at US$1.1 billion.
They can bring the cost of tunnelling down because they have built a new type
of boring machine. The head spins 3-5 times as fast as a conventional borer depending on the substrate. With continuous concrete liner laying, they also have continuous
removal of spoil, turning it into bricks to use on the stations and any extra goes to low-cost housing. These improvements mean they can tunnel 15x faster than a conventional borer.
Within the tunnels, they plan to use autonomous electric cars and vans travelling at 200km/h. Passengers are picked up, drop down into the tunnel on a scissor lift and get off the same way.
If NZ could buy or lease a Prufrock borer from the Boring Company we could transform Auckland's transport by going underground.
Bruce Douglas, Auckland Central.
It's great news that the transtasman bubble may happen before Christmas.
What I don't understand is why we aren't making arrangements with Queensland, where Annastacia Palaszczuk has done such a good job of keeping the border closed and making Queenslanders safe. Their number of cases is far less than New South Wales and Victoria. Western Australia has also done well.
It does not make sense to me. Could it be because she isn't Scomo's favourite premier as she has gone her own way with the border closures?
Queensland here we come.
Jenny Renouf, Belmont.
Year after year we learn of thousands of newborn lambs perishing in freezing temperatures and year after year we are told our climate is not cold enough to warrant the building of barns or sheltering areas and that stock are too spread out on wide-ranging countryside to house in any way.
Judging by the only mildly concerned tone of farmers reporting on their losses in the media I believe it is that farmers don't want to spend money on barns and if they can manage to round up animals for delivery to meatworks they can round them up so that newborn lambs have some chance of survival - or are a few thousand lambs expendable?
Judy Morley-Hall, St Johns.
NZ Inc would be better off if the smelter stays.
The smelter brings many benefits to New Zealand. If it shuts down, lots of hydropower will be spilled until the $600 million upgrade to the transmission lines north is completed and Transpower will lose the $50 million per annum transmission payment. This, and the $600 million upgrade, will increase consumer prices.
New Zealand will lose its domestic aluminium supply and will, instead, import aluminium made overseas at coal-fired smelters. World emissions of carbon dioxide will increase because of the loss of emissions-free aluminium exported from New Zealand. An estimated 3600 South Island jobs will be lost.
If the smelter is assured of a long-term future it could be upgraded to substantially reduce power demand without putting the potlines and quality at risk. The smelter could then provide a major reduction in demand during dry years, minimising coal-fired generation at Huntly and reducing the risk of blackouts.
Years ago, Muldoon unilaterally abrogated the original power contract which was fair to both parties. If the government restored the contract using up-to-date capital valuations the smelter would stay and we and the environment would be better off.
Bryan Leyland, Pt Chevalier.
Previous Mayor Len Brown, while in office, made public a list of 100 projects he would like to achieve or at least get under way during his term.
From memory, the Central Rail Link was his number four in priority, and a new harbour crossing about number 80.
I took advantage of one of his "Mayor in the Chair" sessions to tell him that his priorities were the wrong way around and a tunnel under the harbour for both road and trams was much more important than the proposed CCRL. I got a polite hearing, but as we all now know, nothing was done.
After the recent disruption caused by high winds and consequent damage to the bridge perhaps someone will now do something to get a tunnel crossing under way.
It would be a case of better late than never.
H. E. H. Perkins, Sunnyhills.
<2>Christmas isolation
I find it appalling that the All Blacks management and players are complaining about spending Christmas Day in Covid isolation - no doubt in 5-star luxury accommodation.
Year after year, NZ's Defence Force personnel have been deployed overseas for much longer periods including the entire Christmas holiday period in less than 1-star accommodation.
These so-called professional sportspeople, some earning salaries upwards of $1m, need a reality check and to take a good look at themselves.
Should they actually be forced to spend Christmas in isolation alongside many other New Zealanders they might like to ask their Defence and Police Force chaperones if they got to spend last Christmas with their families, and if they are enjoying their Christmas Day.
David Carroll, Unsworth Heights.
On poll
So 43 per cent prefer National to run the economy? Funny that, after not being able to account for a 4 billion dollar fiscal "hole" recently. Chris Blenkinsopp, Beach Haven.
On port
Auckland sprouted and flourished around its port/harbour. It would make more sense to change the CBD than to move the port. Gary Andrews, Mt Maunganui.
On climate
The recent California fires were proof positive of disastrous man-caused climate change. The current severe snow and cold hammering the South Island... that's just weather. David Gibbs, Beach Haven.
On election
If the National Party wins the election, they promise to have a Minister of Mental Health. If they win the election, we will need one. Siegfried Jordan, Royal Oak.
So David Seymour is advocating for guns and free speech. Does that mean you are safe to say what you like as long as you are armed? Keith Smith, Mt Maunganui.
People beware. A vote for the ACT party is effectively a vote for Judith Collins. You have been warned. Graham Taggart, Napier.
Voters have a very short memory and seem to forget that Act is the party that gave NZ the Auckland Super City. Neville Cameron, Coromandel.
With the polling results narrowing it's becoming increasingly apparent that a vote for Labour is also a vote for the Greens and vice versa. Mike Baker, Tauranga.
On cannabis
The interview by Elizabeth Easther should be widely circulated. Parents should discuss it with their children. As Tuari Potiki says, a "yes" vote for the regulation of cannabis is our opportunity to reduce harm. Lyndsay Lowrie, Central Auckland.
ANZ survey shows over 50% of NZ firms plan to raise prices.