Going backwards is not a solution
Luxon’s robotic patter is carefully crafted to hide the fact that he is gaslighting the public with his pie-in-the-sky policies. For example: We have plenty of money to provide tax cuts to the middle class. Don’t worry about 30 per cent poverty, who cares about bottom feeders? If schools are compelled to test students and their teachers more often, educational standards would rise. Crime will reduce if we put more people in prison. Social housing can be provided more efficiently by charities and the private sector. Public services are not working, so they should be reduced. We don’t need to worry about climate change until 2050. Yeah right! Give me a break! Going backwards is not a solution to our problems.
V M Fergusson, Mt Eden.
Foreign buyers tax good idea
I am at a loss to know why the media cannot grasp how good the idea of a tax on homes sold to overseas buyers is. They must spend over $2 million so it will not affect first-home buyers. Buyers can choose to build, which will help keep our building industry going. When these people come to live here, they will visit cafes, hairdressers, clothing shops etc and generate spending in the community. That provides jobs and contributes to tax and GST. For some reason, the media think we will struggle to sell enough houses. With the current state of the world; soaring temperatures, crime, and general overpopulation, I suspect those who can afford to do so will rush in to purchase property in places such as Queenstown, Bay of Islands and Waiheke island. We live in paradise, perhaps the last known one on this very worn-out planet. My only quarrel with the idea, is that they are not charging enough. How about 20 per cent?
J. Hansen, Hastings.
Others to be admired
The Herald article, “Suffrage -130 Thirty NZ women we admire” was revealing in that the 30 women were representatives from politics, social issues, arts and culture, sport and business. Why were there no representatives from women in science and the STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics)? Consider the work of Dr Michelle Dickinson - nanotechnology engineer and excellent science educator; Dame Juliet Gerrard, chief science adviser to the PM; Dr Mahsa Mohaghegh, director of technology at AUT and semifinalist for New Zealander of the year; Nicola Toki, of Forest and Bird, a leader in conservation and threatened species education; Dr Siouxsie Wiles, a microbiologist and science communicator who helped to inform the public about Covid issues during the pandemic. There are many more women throughout NZ making significant contributions to New Zealand’s scientific, engineering, medical and environmental future. They should be acknowledged and given a higher profile, so our young girls can be inspired by them. It’s great to have our female sporting heroes, cultural heroes etc. but please can we acknowledge and celebrate our female science heroes also.
Louise Kane, Epsom.
Supermarkets and landlords
During the leaders’ debate, Chris Luxon clearly stated that Labour taking GST off fruit and veges would save people very little because much of the savings would not be passed on by supermarkets. Yet Luxon seems to have a refreshingly optimistic confidence in landlords (”mum and dad investors”) because it seems that they, unlike the supermarkets, will pass savings on to tenants if landlords get all the tax-free benefits he is proposing to give them. (He owns seven properties himself.) Yeah, right. Tenants, before they vote, should consider that landlords, just like the supermarkets, will put savings into their own pockets instead of passing reductions down to those whom they are exploiting. Please be consistent, Mr Luxon. Tell us exactly how you will prevent landlords from doing exactly what you suggest supermarkets will do.
John Elliott, Hamilton.
Party promises
The proof of the pudding will be if the winning party is able to keep and fulfil their raft of elaborate promises. National has promised to fund free school lunches for all NZ school children! Yeah right! At the same time will allow the sale of 16-17,000 houses to foreign buyers and build more roads to increase congestion and climate changes. Has anyone worked out how much the top echelon of the wealthy will receive in tax cuts? Give with one hand and take away with the other. Labour has more realistically promised to continue gradually upgrading infrastructure, build more houses, increase our stock of frontline service personnel, to increase wages, have better outcomes for our indigenous population and work towards closing the poverty gap. Jacinda donated her last tax cut to charity. Perhaps after October 14 the Herald will publish the long list of promises that every party has made and keep them to it?
Marie Kaire, Whangarei.
Sound-bite myth
Nicola causes a furore now the “technical” recession is just sound-bite myth, saying we should be insulted by the “real” truth. The real insult is asking us to take on trust her unverifiable modelling for their fully funded tax cuts. The public will ensure she commits political hara-kiri as promised if she fails to deliver credibility. Don’t insult us with a coalition of “real” cuts in health either as increasing inflation must be considered. Promising unconditional political hara-kiri requires a sharp sword not just a sharp tongue. A “big renege” on tax cuts based on pressure from a coalition partner during negotiations is anathema. We will demand a new election. Unverifiable promises are the ultimate insult.
Steve Russell, Hillcrest.
Nation short-served
Boring. Lacking passion. We have a winner - Jessica Mutch McKay. Were they right? It was boring because one sonorous voice got into its stride, boring on with the same rehearsed slogans that have been allowed to dominate the news for three years. It lacked passion because a pattern developed early: each time Hipkins challenged something, defended the Government’s record, or attempted to point out that a question had not been answered, two voices drowned him out. As anyone with any debating experience knows there is nothing so effective in cancelling passion as being repeatedly silenced. Was that the intention of the presenter? Maybe she asked some good questions, but the other part of her role, to ensure that both parties had equal opportunity to speak, was missing. In an unmediated debate the bully voice reciting pat phrases will always drown out a lighter voice, no matter how eloquent and articulate. There were no winners. And then we were told what to think about it by a panel of unlikely experts. The nation was short-served.
Rob Finlay, Papakura.
A quick word
I believe I’ve worked out why Christopher and Nicola have been so evasive about answering quite simple questions about their financial wizardry. After trying to convince us all that we’re in a recession, we learn that NZ’s economy has risen this quarter by 0.9 per cent. That the “Reset twins” think we’re in a recession proves they don’t know which way is up or down. Jeremy Coleman, Hillpark.
The government is not entitled to crow about avoiding a recession, when it has come with pump priming and at the price of inflationary and wasteful excessive government expenditures. Larry Mitchell, Rothesay Bay.
It was surprising that neither Hipkins nor Luxon could see the advantage of rental interest deductibility. It could reduce the upward pressure on rents when compared with numerous changes of the last six years all adding to rents. S. Palmer, Mt Albert.
Where’s the howl of protest and nanny state calls from school principals and others over Chris Hipkins’ policy to ban sugary drinks in schools vis-a-vis National’s phone ban policy. Bernard Jennings, Wellington.
An 8/10? Self-praise is no praise. I give myself a 10/10 for lasting 10 minutes, watching some of that scripted debate. Glenn Forsyth, Taupo.
A Christopher Luxon-led National or National/Act government will implement policies which will see the rich becoming relatively richer and the poor relatively poorer. The writings of Thomas Piketty and Max Rashbrooke should be required reading for all MPs. Clive Britton, Hobsonville.
Chris Hipkins was asked what he thought his best policy was and he said free dental care for the under 30s. Chris Luxon said a world-class education system. So Luxon is forward-thinking and wants to provide people with the opportunity to get ahead. Hipkins wants to fix your teeth and that won’t get any families out of poverty. Dave Miller, Tauranga.
National and Labour have so much in common, including first names, that they could govern together. They could take turns at being leader, changing every six months. Keith Duggan, Browns Bay.
Would coach Ian Foster start Cam Roigard at halfback against Italy and change the All Blacks game plan to running and scoring tries instead of kicking? Gary Carter, Gulf Harbour.
Much discussion in the Premium Debate (NZ Herald, September 20) about who to drop for the ABs next game. I suggest Ian Foster. Clyde Scott, Birkenhead.
I read with astonishment about a serious assault on a man in Auckland. The lawyer for the defendants claimed that as the attack was of short duration the sentence must reflect that. This is in spite of the man being punched, kicked and stabbed. If we take this to its next logical step then murder with a single shot to the head should only carry a prison sentence of say a few days or perhaps just home detention. Dr Alan Papert, Queenstown.
Support hospitality along with accommodation hosts, they need us is the cry. So why then it appears everywhere we go now they want a 2.5 to 5 per cent surcharge on our credit card, no option. Allen Grainger, Pokeno.
