Letters: Monarchy, Covid inquiry, MP safety, sentences, and Air NZ

Floral tributes continue to pile up in London parks the day after her funeral. Photo / Andreea Alexandru, AP

Opinion

Parting ways
No one does pomp and pageantry like the British and the Queen's funeral was obviously appreciated by the majority of Britons and many New Zealanders too, especially the elderly. But it also highlighted the widening gulf between British culture and contemporary New Zealand culture.
The formality and various ancient traditions were a spectacle but not the New Zealand way. Even those of us with British ancestry have a weak connection to Britain compared with previous generations and Britain is no longer the overwhelmingly preferred destination of young New Zealanders on their OE.
It is time to leave the British monarchy to the British. If we did not have the British monarch as our head of state, people would still be able to watch royal occasions on television or the internet if they wanted to, but we would be spared having to endure wall-to-wall media coverage.
There are five million of us now from diverse backgrounds. We need a head of state we can call our own.
Raewyn Maybury, Westmere.

Led to greatness
Down the centuries many rulers and monarchs have shuffled past us in muffled silence, marking their time in history's page. To the beat of a single drum.
To quote an oft-used maxim: "Some were born great, some had greatness thrust upon them, and some achieved greatness"
Would it not be fair to say that their greatness was measured, for the most part, by their conquests, their expanding empires, and their so-called "glorious achievements"?
Yet before us passed another; One who had all the gifts of greatness, both inherited and earned, whose quietly spoken human qualities and achievements evoke such different and, indeed more gratifying, memories.
In the years ahead. In a world that continues to stutter on the precipice, her example, leadership, and stability gives hope that nations can still work together.
Long may her trumpets sound.
Mike Leyden, JP, Devonport.

Tribute paid
I would like to say a big thank you to the editorial staff. The tribute edition for our late Queen Elizabeth II (NZ Herald, September 21) will be a much-treasured keepsake.
She is gone, but will be remembered for time immemorial.
Rosemary Howell, Ellerslie.

Balanced presence
One ironic imbalance in the Queen's funeral procession was the lack of women. I strained to see women in the continuous coverage of the roughly 12,000 military personnel involved on the day.
I didn't bother checking with the "Yeomen of the Guard" and the "Gentlemen at Arms", so perhaps I missed some token women in the extravaganza. As expected, the religious speeches and high ceremonies were in churches and castles; all carried out by men.
The event appeared captured by the military; even the coffin was carried on a gun carriage.
What a strange world. In 2022, our Aotearoan islands in the Pacific will have a king on the other side of the world as the ultimate head of state. Will we ever get big boys' pants on and have the courage to commit to a constitution?
Enough of the hagiography. Queen Elizabeth did a great job. And the Windsors were well compensated for it.
Russell Hoban, Ponsonby.

Inquiring minds
There are very good reasons to have an independent inquiry into the Covid-19 pandemic response - to see if future pandemics can possibly have better answers and outcomes. We need to know about costs and controls. We need to know about health, social and economic impacts. We need to know how we compared with other countries' controls and come back with answers. It is in this way we can find out if it is possible to improve the response to the next widespread outbreak of disease.
David de Lacey, Newmarket.

Infections or deaths?
John Billing's reliance on case number figures for Covid (NZ Herald, September 20) to downplay New Zealand's performance in comparison with the United States and Sweden is dubious.
The John Hopkins University figures for case numbers he uses also show Covid death figures of 1962 (378 per million population) for New Zealand, 14,763 (564 per million) for Australia, 20,100 (1905 per million) for Sweden and 1,050,000 (3103 per million) for the United States.
I suggest that death figures (which will also reflect demands for hospital beds) are much more reliable than case figures, especially those from countries that have chosen to soft-pedal their approach to the virus, leading to large-scale under-reporting of actual cases.
David Holm, Mt Roskill.

Gone walkabout
It is so sad for democracy that Labour politicians no longer feel safe doing "meet-and-greets" with the public because of a minority of hate-filled, anti-vaxer saddos.
But how naïve of the National Party not to take notice of this. In fact, National is even less likely to appeal to these people with their plans to give tax cuts to the rich, etc.
Having heard their vitriolic speeches and seen their atrocious behaviour at the parliamentary occupation, I think these people want complete anarchy.
Maybe this is the time for a bi-partisan approach to curb this vocal, dissident group that threatens our society.
Sue Rawson, Pāpāmoa Beach.

Load of bollards
I note Grant Robertson's comments (NZ Herald, September 21) regarding protection needed to safeguard politicians and next year's election campaign
But I would like to ask him about protection for the small shop owners and jewellery store owners. It seems like these poor shop owners are ignored when they beg for protection and even defensive bollards.
Dr Alan Papert, Queenstown.

Playing with time
I read (NZ Herald, September 20) that convicted rapist Jayden Meyer, who was sentenced to home detention, has been allowed to keep his internet access while serving his "slap on the wrist" sentence.
His lawyer said he needed the internet so he would be able to watch movies and play video games to help fill his day. Really? What message does this send to lawbreakers - if we get caught we will just get home detention and be able to play on the internet all day? Unbelievable. Our courts need to be sending a stronger message to convicted criminals than this.
Phil Dunbier, Kerikeri.

Just an inquiry
The editorial (NZ Herald, September 21) on Sam Uffindell highlights the question of trust - probably the most important ingredient of an MP's persona.
One wonders whether this was an inquiry into Sam Uffindell's behaviour or just an inquiry. As the scope and path to conclusions remain secret, the seeds of doubt will always remain.
It would seem that the National Party caucus has also been kept in the dark, which is autocratic in the extreme and will not sit well with many of its members.
Nothing to see here let's move on. Yeah, right.
Reg Dempster, Albany.

Moving on
Give Sam Uffindell a break, I see no quandary at all (NZ Herald, September 21). He has done a few bad things, but who is perfect?
I believe he will work even harder now because of what happened. The past is the past. The complainant needs to learn to forgive, which means they don't actually agree with what he did but they have moved on to get over what happened.
Uffindell is young, he is keen, he has a young family so he understands the stresses associated with being a father, son and husband. He has worked with people in business.
Who in Parliament is perfect?
Marilyn Cure, Pāpāmoa.

Well managed
Air New Zealand states (NZ Herald, September 21) that bags weren't what caused the issue on the inaugural flight to New York.
Maybe then it was the sheer number of management people who took the trip, going by the arrival photo shown in the paper.
Makes you wonder.
Paul Beck, West Harbour.

Short & sweet

On All Blacks
I don't have the advantage of viewing videos from all angles and individual tracking devices but I can clearly see the holes in our midfield defence, which have been there for a long time. Jock Mac Vicar, Hauraki.

On Parton
Daron Parton's view, (NZ Herald, September 20) was a truly moving tribute to our late Queen. Thank you. Lorraine Kidd, Warkworth.

On inquiry
David Seymour and the Act Party seem happy enough to use millions of taxpayers' dollars on an inquiry but they treat the same taxpayers with contempt by failing to reveal which experts they have been using to inform their Covid policy. Greg Cave, Sunnyvale.

On Uffindell
To the people criticising National for not releasing the KC's investigation into the Uffindell allegations, I look forward to Labour releasing the reports into the allegations of bullying made by Gaurav Sharma and the staff of Anna Lorck.
Mark Young, Ōrewa.

On queue
I've always said one reason I emigrated to New Zealand some 65 years ago was to escape a nation that seemed to thrive on queuing. Recent displays of extreme queuing in the UK have convinced me I made the right decision. Mike Jarman, One Tree Hill.

On art
Would the Colin McCahon that sold at auction recently for $2.45 million not be better titled "Today's Specials at the Church Cafe"? Ron Hoares, Wellsford.

The Premium Debate

Rotorua tourism operators want 'brand damage' fixed

The problem is that virtually all Labour parliamentarians are left-wing textbook academics who have no real-world experience in how to get things done. As Jack Tame so brilliantly put it "A" for aspiration and "E" for execution. Labour should have learnt by now that throwing money at things does not fix them - eg $1.9b at mental health for what results? They need to start listening to and adopting the solutions of those capable of actually making things happen. Getting Rotorua motels emptied of homeless into other accommodation would be a good start. If this is not available in Rotorua they need to go elsewhere. Then the motels can be refurbished and made available to tourists again - both local and international. As New Zealanders, we used to go there but not anymore and we would now be too embarrassed to recommend to international tourists. Mark W.

This city is ruined. It will take many years to fix, with a council reset and a new mayor that cares about the city. I would also like to see iwi get involved and kick this Government to the kerb once and for all. Some accusations in the documentary should be investigated. Neil L.

Iwi? Then nothing will happen for another five years. They are as left-wing as the Government and if they had their way you wouldn't be allowed to drive a fossil-fuelled car on Fenton St. Glenn P.

Hard to believe that Rotorua, with so many tourist attractions, is now known as something else. Google Rotorua news and the response doesn't make the attractive grade required for tourists to visit. Warren B.

I had a bad experience near Wellington (Newlands) with a mixed-use motel. After that, I vowed never to stay in any motel that is mixed-use. Also, as we travel regularly, the motel stock is getting aged and unkept in most cases. This will not improve in the foreseeable future when incomes are down. Not a good state for international visitors and locals. People are thinking twice before spending on accommodation, which also reflects the inflationary pressures facing households. Martin D.