Letters: People are increasingly resorting to anonymity and violence rather than debate

Winston Peters' dog, Kobe, was hit by shattered glass when the NZ First leader's home was attacked on Monday. Photo / X @winstonpeters

Letter of the week

Road to anarchy

The attack on Winston Peters’ home with a crowbar was a reprehensible and cowardly act that can never be condoned in a democracy such as New Zealand. However, it could demonstrate broader underlying issues about the state of our society, in which people do not seem to want to have reasoned debate about complex issues anymore.

Nowadays, many people would rather resort to anonymity, violence, intimidation and a pack mentality to make a point. Where is the moral decency in all this? It is nowhere.

An act of aggression such as this reflects all that is currently bad about our society. It needs to be punished severely. Otherwise, people with a similar mindset will be further emboldened, sending our beautiful country on the road to anarchy.

Bernard Walker, Mount Maunganui.

A place of ridicule

Is it any wonder we’re seeing so many of the young, and not so young, showing complete disregard towards authority, the law, and a lack of respect towards others, when more and more displays of “I can do what I want” behaviour are being played out by some party members in the House? The very people who want to be elected to govern the country.

The latest “look at me effort”, by Te Pāti Māori MP Oriini Kaipara after her maiden speech, was a disgrace.

For many of us, it was another example of an MP making the House a place of ridicule.

Lorraine Kidd, Warkworth.

The price of coal

Heather du Plessis-Allan suggests (October 5) that New Zealand should withdraw from the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) because it would “drop electricity prices almost overnight”. She argues that burning coal at Huntly is too expensive under the ETS. But the problem we’re trying to solve isn’t just high power prices; it’s climate change as well. The ETS exists to encourage cleaner energy, not make coal cheaper.

Du Plessis-Allan seems to belong to the “New Zealand is too small to make a difference” school of thought, which is both lazy and wrong. If we took that view, so could Los Angeles, or any other economy of similar size, and global progress would collapse.

New Zealand has punched above its weight internationally. We can lead by developing practical policies that others can adopt. Weak-willed, short-term thinking undermines that tradition.

Abandoning the ETS would damage our credibility just as much as the Government’s indecisive stance on the Middle East. Both show a lack of moral courage and long-term vision - qualities New Zealand once prided itself on.

Niall Robertson, Balmoral.

Bowel screening

I’m so thrilled the bowel screening age is lowered to 58. I’m late 50s and have been doing the home tests for the last few years. It is the most simple, easy, non-invasive test, and then you post it.

My dad had bowel cancer. I was caring for him from his diagnosis through to treatment and follow-up tests. He needed me to translate for him. I would spend about 20 hours a week having to translate for him at the hospital.

Having to have colonoscopies was uncomfortable, and having to drink the PEG solution was okay the first few times but, after the third time, he got a terrible reaction to it. So that was another trip to the hospital.

To everyone out there, don’t be scared. Given the choice, I’d rather have a simple home test than leave it too late and need a colonoscopy.

Helen Loo, Totaravale.

Hooton’s opinion on Gaza

I must admit I don’t usually agree with Matthew Hooton’s opinions. However, in the case of Winston Peters’ stand on Gaza being justified, I couldn’t agree more.

Peters’ statement coming out so close to Donald Trump’s announcement on discussions taking place to end the fighting made everything Peters said absolutely appropriate, and far more in line with current thinking than those who tried their best to disenfranchise him. As it turns out, New Zealand was on the right side of finding a peaceful solution to the terrible atrocities that are taking place in Gaza.

Thank goodness we have a coalition party made up of people who listen and respect each other’s choices, and a Prime Minister who is able to allow that to happen without feeling threatened.

Robin Harrison, Takapuna.