Prime Minister Christopher Luxon at Tūrangawaewae Marae for this year's koroneihana, held just days before Kīngi Tūheitia's death. Photo / RNZ
End this period of disharmony
Shane Te Pou’s article on the passing of Kīngi Tūheitia and how his legacy might be remembered hits the mark completely and deserves the utmost consideration (HoS, Sept 8).
The Prime Minister spoke eloquently and well during the funeral proceedings but those words will ring hollow unless he is prepared to show real leadership and remove the " elephant in the room” now.
It is already apparent that the proposed Treaty Bill will be a divisive force at a time when the issues we are facing - health, education, the environment and more - need our collective and positive energy, not diluted by a piece of legislation being promoted by a very minor party and which diverts us from the true course.
David Seymour must be well aware of the tensions already being generated by his proposal. It is probably too much to expect that he too would be prepared to honour the legacy of the late Māori King. In reality the call for unity gives him the perfect out for a change of heart.
Does he have the moral fortitude to hear the call? If only! There is a simple test. What’s best for New Zealand - to move forward together or to enter into an extended period of disharmony with no possible positive outcome?
Surely there is only one answer.
Alan Henry, Cooks Beach.
Health emergency
I’d hate to be waiting in a hospital ED and know that workers have warned the world that they are struggling to staff it safely.
It’s reassuring though to hear the Prime Minister no less say that he is reassured by Health Minister Shane Reti. I say to you “we are doing everything we can” despite a death, which he won’t talk specifically about. Saying you’re doing “everything” rings as hollow as his recent plea for unity.
So what does doing “everything” mean in the political context? It means cutting health back office staff, gagging health professionals from complaining and saying we’re in a fiscal hole so health dollars are limited while refusing to consider a wealth or CGT tax to fill the hole.
Would a few more recently-graduated nurses fill the hospital holes, rather than a $12 billion tax cut, a $3b landlord splurge and $4b on filling potholes?
So much for doing the basics well. We were told the public could spend a tax cut better than hospitals. Distressed staff know all the words from Luxon and Reti: challenging and complex, they will need to do better. To all the nurses struggling, be reassured we appreciate you.
Luxon knows ultimately voters need to tip them out for disingenuous, dishonest rhetoric. Health NZ bosses are in denial just earning medals for boot-licking.
This is the real emergency.
Steve Russell, Hillcrest.
Liveable city
Mayor Wayne Brown’s suggestion of a second bridge across the harbour is just another example of the poor decision-making that has beset our city for decades.
The discussions about a tunnel or a bridge over or under the harbour all ignore the elephant in the room. Auckland has too many cars.
We are a city of approximately 1.6 million people who own almost 1 million cars. If we want a liveable city that has the capacity to grow, we need to reduce the number of cars and make vehicle owners pay the full cost of using public roads to commute and as private parking places.
We should have a tunnel under the harbour to expand our heavy rail system. We need to have heavy rail to Helensville and Silverdale. This combined with adequate parking at train stations will provide a real alternative to commuting by car, will reduce the environmental impact caused by vehicles and make our city more liveable.
We can only hope to facilitate this sort of change if our local and national politicians take a long-term view of how our city will grow and start implementing a plan that will achieve this. Hope springs eternal.
Eddie Mann, Remuera.
Road cone mania
The American who invented the red cone in 1940 and patented it in 1943 has a lot to answer for.
It has even been suggested that there are now more road cones in New Zealand than sheep, so maybe we have a new tourist attraction to assist our worrying trade deficit.
Seriously though, as an Aucklander, I have just about been driven “spare” by the sheer number and frequency of red cones used on our roads. In March 2023, after it was revealed that Auckland Transport spends at least $145 million on red cones and traffic management annually, Mayor Wayne Brown stated that it was “unjustifiable”.
Brown’s comment was made more than a year ago, and as far as I can see the problem is no better, and could quite conceivably be even worse. At, I believe, $4 a day to hire a cone, it is no wonder the cost to councils runs into millions very rapidly, and the other rather alarming observation I have made is that sometimes there is evidence of people working and sometimes just red cones.
The UK suffered from red cone malaise in the 1990s and John Major even had a “cone hotline” when he was Prime Minister - now there’s an idea perhaps?
Randal Lockie, Rothesay Bay.
School for Swifties
AUT’s new summer school course analysing Taylor Swift’s 18-year career through the lens of communications disciplines is not as far-fetched and worthless as Peter Cook may think (HoS, Sept 8). She is a sociological, psychological, communications and marketing phenomenon.
Questions could be asked as to how this could have come about. Is it because she is attractive? Is it because she dresses and moves in a provocative manner on stage? Is it because her lyrics and music appeal to many people?
Is there some sort of herd mentality that has grown over the years so that not to be a Swiftie means that you could be excluded from the so-called in crowd so there is almost an obligation to be a fan? Is there some sort of envy attached to her because of her elaborate lifestyle that includes jetting around the world without too many questions being asked as to her contribution to the pollution of the planet?
Then of course there is her ability to be the envy of all young girls who see being the girlfriend of a walking wedge knucklehead in the NFL as something to be proud of.
All these things could be studiously analysed in a School for Swifties.
Bernard Walker, Mt Maunganui.
Black and white solution
With education standards a hot topic here maybe the Government should consider making chess a core subject in all schools.
With improvement in reading and maths, along with critical and creative thinking, chess has been proven effective for students of all ages and abilities.
Evidently, the small country of Armenia (population 3 million) was the first in the world to make chess mandatory in schools, aiming to build a better society. They say not only have children achieved academically but chess has helped children build friendships and learn sportsmanship.
Since Kazakhstan introduced chess in schools it has become hugely popular across all ages of society. In June Kazybek Nogerbek, a 20-year-old chess player from Kazakhstan, triumphed over 13 Grandmasters to win an International Chess Federation tournament.
Glen Stanton, Mairangi Bay.
Police say they are following lines of inquiry to catch the offender.