Letters: On local candidates, nursing, aviation, crime and rugby

Candidates are running for election to run Auckland and other cities and towns. Photo / Michael Craig

Opinion

Councillor qualifications
The local body elections are nearly upon us throughout New Zealand. Anyone can stand and be elected without qualifications, experience or scrutiny of their background.
They are suddenly responsible, with other councillors, for many billions and billions of dollars. Many have pet projects they want to push through, irrespective of the benefits to or wishes of the stakeholders, the ratepayers.
Yet our NZX companies listed on the stock exchange have tight regulations in place for the directors to follow correct procedures. They follow a plan. This is where we are, this is where we are going and this is how we are going to get there.
Directors' responsibility is to the shareholders who want performance, well-executed plans and dividends. Our councils have no plan, ad hoc decisions are made, and many billions of dollars are wasted.
Why don't we have councillors elected who have been processed, like our directors of public companies? In other words - here are my credentials and qualifications that are appropriate for the role of being a councillor, and stamped with approval by an appropriate authority?
Tom Reynolds, St Heliers.

Nursing crisis
According to Christopher Luxon, outcomes are everything. According to Andrew Little, Minister of Health, solving the nursing dilemma is a priority. A year ago it was quoted that a mere $12 million would solve it. Pay parity gap is $20,000 per nurse. Standing back waiting for foreign nurses to apply makes it a priority? Does this entitle friends and family to free healthcare?
Like climate change, inaction does little to change the pay gap and will lead to a catastrophic increase in resignations, retirements and overseas experience, none of which helps with improving the outcome in the short-term.
The nursing crisis is just like the housing crisis, cost-of-living crisis and climate change crisis. Big plans, but little hope in the way of outcomes.
Steve Russell, Hillcrest.

Air New Zealand's struggles
It is rather unreasonable to be critical of Air New Zealand dealing with a loss and cost pressures.
On March 25, 2020, this country shut its doors, with two days' notice, to tourism and business. No company can survive when a third party strips away its means of income or possibly making a profit.
If the CEO had a crystal ball and knew what his new employer was going to throw at him, he may well have stayed where he was. The fact is, no matter the size of the business or the goods sold during the preceding two years, it is hard for anyone to survive financially no matter the size of a subsidy; not forgetting, we are nowhere near back to the pre-Covid era, and the light at the end of the tunnel is still hard to see.
John Ford, Napier.

Going to the moon
If you cut through the smoke and mirrors of Jack Burns' explanation of the goals of the Artemis programme, you'll realise we are rapidly heading towards private corporations going to the moon to mine its natural resources for profit.
We will soon be doing to the moon what we have done to Earth: strip it for profit until it is in peril. The implications of this are immense and terrifying. We should all be aware of this, as it will affect us all.
John Deyell, Ellerslie.

Prison problems
After reading the Act Party's clarion call to increase the prison population as a way to reduce crime (Brooke van Velden, NZ Herald, Aug 24), I spent a few minutes at my computer. What did I learn? New Zealand has one of the highest rates of imprisonment in the world. It is much higher than for Australia and the UK; it is more than double the rate of many European countries.
The current prison population is close to 7700. It costs $150,000 to keep one inmate in prison for one year. That makes the annual cost to the taxpayer a massive $1.35 billion. New Zealand also has a high reoffending rate. It is no wonder there is increasing recognition that imprisonment is an "expensive failure".
Act seems to be suggesting that many of the 6000 currently on home detention should also be in jail. I would suggest if we spent more on reducing poverty, and improving housing, education and health support, rather than putting more people in prison, the outcomes would be far better - not just for individuals and their families, but for New Zealand.
David Hood, Hamilton.

Rugby competition
The current problems with the All Blacks have nothing to do with the coaching staff. For a long time it has been relatively easy for us to be the best in the world, as only half-a-dozen countries in the world played rugby seriously.
We have now come to a point where maybe two dozen countries in the world play rugby seriously, and all of a sudden we run into problems. It's not that we are no longer good at it, it's just that everybody else is now getting better at it too. We're simply getting beaten by teams who are currently better than we are.
For the game of rugby this is a godsend; no more predictable results, no more yawn-fest matches where the outcome was already determined before the game even started. No country or team can stay on top of a competition forever, and for the game of rugby as a spectacle, this is the best possible outcome.
Frank John, New Plymouth.

All Black failings
As a loyal New Zealand rugby fan I am totally frustrated and dismayed at the failure of the NZRFU to address the woeful shortcomings of the current All Black team. Action is needed now.
Over the last couple of years, we fans have grown sick and tired of watching well-paid "professional athletes" who cannot "execute" the basics of rugby, cannot play within the rules, and seem to have no discernible strategy to negate the opposition. On top of that, there is a dearth of leadership, and a vacuum of innovation.
The negative body language of the All Blacks in the final parts of last Saturday's game, coupled with their ineptitude and panic, showed how low we have sunk. A well-coached, well-led team would have beaten Argentina with the talent pool of players available in NZ. This is the real crime. It's not that we can't be better, it's that we are being held back by a failure of leadership, innovation, and strategy.
Kevin Dean, Whangarei.

Three Waters
Peter Davis' interpretation of Bruce Cotterill's article on Three Waters' downstream consequences (Letters, Aug 29) misses his crucial points. Cotterill's critique focused on unintended consequences and better ways to safeguard water care without extra costs – or removing councils' ability to raise money against those assets.
The key factor in the underspending on water infrastructure by many councils for the past two decades is the one revealed by correspondent Thomas Coughlan in January, 2021: central governments do not fund infrastructure spending as they do in many EU countries. Coughlan put that EU amount at four or five times New Zealand's – rationalised by understandings that local infrastructure is a national concern and local councils are unable to raise rates more than 5 or 6 per cent from citizens unable to afford more.
Like the circular thinking about youth crime (why not get "tough on rehabilitation" to stop revolving doors, as well as have rigorously accountable consequences), it is counterproductive when the problem's real source is not a broken model of care – or co-management based on inherited cultural values that can also be lost or inadequate – but lack of central government responsibility for an inadequately funded model.
Steve Liddle, Napier.

Bonus Bonds
Back in March 1971, as an impecunious student at Victoria University of Wellington, I ventured into the Post Office under the stairs below the beautiful old Law Library. I spent $10 on the brand new Bonus Bonds, this amount being not-insignificant for a student in 1971.
Today I visited my local ANZ bank branch to receive my Bonus Bonds repayment. As expected, I received $10. I knew the risk back in 1971 when I was just trying to be a responsible boomer. With $10 then now equivalent to $165.63, I almost feel that was an earlier version of more modern scams.
Judy Lawry, Golflands.

Crime litmus test
Similar views to redressing crime have been expressed in letters recently. As to prison or borstal for 15-year-olds, it is just going to end badly and affect them for many years.
The potential impact on the community and families of the offender and of the victim is the ultimate litmus test. What benefits all has to be taken into account. Perhaps judges are realising that they're seeing repeat offenders because these people have learnt tricks of the trade while in prison, places these same judges were once willing to send them.
Going to court and having to justify yourself, with the added humiliation of your family watching everything and your school and community knowing about it, is a timely reminder to any youth contemplating their misdemeanours.
As a young homeless man told me in Queen St recently, ''I can't get a job because I have a conviction''. Maybe families with concerns should ask their local police station to show their kids what a cell looks like (before they commit a crime).
Susan Verran, Takapuna.

Jail time
How ironic that in the same Herald edition (Aug 29), we have a story of a company director who steals $1.4 million and keeps his high-paying job while remaining a director of companies where he can still pocket fraudulently, while the National Party and Act are calling to "lock up" 15-year-olds stealing cigarettes. Ironic also that we are in the midst of an agonising public inquiry into abuse in care of locked-up youth. Is this "lock-them-up" policy based on the polling of their likely voters? Not that it is suggested that their voters are potential fraudsters, heaven forbid - current SFO court cases excluded, of course!
Neil Anderson, Algies Bay.

Short & sweet

On soldiers
There are a number of reasons foreign soldiers go off to fight for Ukraine and join the Ukrainian Foreign Legion. Pay is around $4000 a month. Significantly more with special bonuses. That alone might be enough to attract former soldiers or those on leave. James Gregory, Parnell.

On payments
Nicola Willis [talks of] the unsuitability of the cost-of-living payment going to investment bankers alongside backpackers. Perhaps it will tide them over until their tax cuts arrive under the next National Government? Alan Johnson, Papatoetoe.

On Tamaki
How many of Brian Tamaki's followers watching the mock trial during last week's protest at Parliament would have realised that the judge was a fake? Considering they believe Tamaki is a real bishop/apostle, my guess would be none of them. Lorraine Kidd, Warkworth.

On tax
Why doesn't the Government introduce a new tax for overseas companies that operate in New Zealand of, say, 25 per cent, before they shift all the profits overseas? Glenn Thompson, Takanini.

On All Blacks
New Zealand Rugby seems intent on dismantling the only New Zealand "brand" (the All Blacks) to have any cut-through internationally - especially now that "Fozzie" has been given permission to turn the ABs into the same sort of mid-level mediocrities that he achieved with such success at the Chiefs. Once a reputation is lost, it is lost forever. L Barker, Blenheim.

On players
A few minutes to go. All Black lineout close to the Puma line. Down seven points. Our man throws the ball in crooked. Game over. Can't blame Foster for that. Why can't the players do the crucial things right? No comment from the pundits, too anxious to blame the coach... Peter Arnott, Howick.

The Premium Debate

Survey reveals why quarter of Kiwis are looking to change jobs.

What do you do, when you bring your work concerns to your bosses and they refuse to listen to your concerns? They may have changed their values & priorities during your tenure. There are some options: resign, get stood down for your "disagreement", or, if there is an option open, you could protest. Sara M.

"Considering changing" is not the same as actually changing. Perhaps this whole topic is merely something from HR consulting drumming up business? Chris G.

A recent US study revealed that the majority of employees who changed jobs since Covid, reportedly for mental health reasons, found their situation had not improved. The grass isn't necessarily greener on the other side of the fence. Jodi O.

From one bad employer to another? Brian H.

Are New Zealand managers up to the challenge of managing wellbeing in their workers and workplaces? That is, do they have the right training, experience and attitude to do it? My hunch is that many of them, possibly most, won't and don't, and I can see this as being a huge problem for them going forward if they want to retain their most able staff. David B.

A lot of New Zealand managers aren't up to being managers - part of the reason we have so much bullying and low productivity. Kathy A.