Getting answers
The terms of reference for the Covid Royal Commission are too narrow for blame to be levied and too broad to provide a reliable blueprint for future planning. Apparently. So the solution to this perceived dilemma arises after next year’s general election. The party(s) that hold the Treasury benches can alter the terms, based on what the commissioners have learned up to that point. Just ask them what extensions are needed to provide a more meaningful report, and make the necessary amendments to the commission’s terms, the schedule and the costs. After all, it is that government that will have to address the findings, so it seems sensible for them to ensure it is a worthwhile exercise. Some worthy academics will no doubt bleat that changing the terms is “constitutionally unusual”, or some similar meaningless phrase, but Parliament is sovereign and quite entitled to change its mind on a political matter. Getting the right answers to provide a dependable blueprint for the next pandemic is what matters. Let’s just do this.
Fred Wilson, Devonport.
Shame-faced
The Royal Commission is far too late, woefully narrow and won’t report until after the election. It is a blatant attempt to take the Covid-19 issue off the table. The Government failed to respond adequately to the initial outbreak and continues to fail to address what is happening today. Ministry of Health figures show we have gone from 10 cases in November 2020, to 5074 in 2021 to 107,313 just last month. The terms of the Royal Commission are to look at what actions can be taken in a future pandemic. The pandemic is not over. The Government should be addressing the pandemic that is striking us now and doesn’t need a Royal Commission to do that. Widespread mask-wearing has proved to be effective. I understand why nobody is suggesting mandating this – it’s unpopular. The actual wearing isn’t, it’s the mandating that sparked protests. To those who refuse I say: “fine, get sick, potentially die or possibly go down with long Covid and see your life go on hold for months if not years”. The Government should encourage mask-wearing in confined and populated spaces but it is more concerned about electoral chances, not the health of citizens. Shameful.
Rod Lyons, Kumeū.
Vaccine boosters
Once again our Ministry of Health has let us down. Their incompetence and inadequacy are stunning. The rest of the world has already got the updated Omicron vaccine available, for example, Canadians are on their 6th vaccination. Meanwhile, in New Zealand, we are now entering yet another wave of Covid infections: around 5000 per day and 40 deaths. The Minister and his department need to act quickly or we will be back in localised lockdowns.
R Jenner, Bayswater.
Whakaari inquiry
I refer to the opinion article written by Alan Thompson (NZ Herald, December 6) about the Whakaari/White Island eruption. I remember some time ago writing to concur with a similar article written by John Roughan. However, a Government-sponsored inquiry has still not been carried out. Why is this? As Thompson says, it is disrespectful to the memory of the 22 people who lost their lives.
Kay Wheeler, Huapai.
Salem revisited
Isn’t it a good thing to entrench New Zealand’s water ownership in government? Look at what’s happened to our power prices since the NZ Electricity Department was sold off to privatisation. Fantastic increases. Perhaps Government’s life-saving but restrictive Covid-measures are now so resented that everything they do is wrong, just like resentment between estranged couples makes everything wrong. One is reminded of Churchill’s dumping by the electorate immediately after WWII, as if all the rationing, destruction and so on must be the leader’s fault. Why isn’t resisting the urge to scapegoat taught in schools? Must we relive Salem forever?
Jim Carlyle, Te Atatu Peninsula.
Enveloping crises
The current antics of the Government remind me of the story of the outgoing prime minister who left his successor three envelopes and the instructions to open one each time there was a crisis. Crisis number one duly arrived and she opened the envelope to read “blame the previous government”. Some time later, crisis number two occurred and the second envelope read, “blame the media”. When the third crisis arrived, she anxiously ripped open the final envelope only to find the instruction, “prepare three envelopes”.
Duncan Simpson, Hobsonville Pt.
Targeted rates
The Auckland mayor proposes to cut the Natural Environment Targeted Rate and Water Quality Targeted Rate by two-thirds for the next year at least. The NETR and WQTR were instituted in 2019 after wide consultation with the public specifically to meet Auckland’s environmental and water quality needs. Any disquiet about these severe cuts in the 2023/24 NETR and WQTR budgets is being soothed by revelations that there are unspent “reserves”. The NETR and WQTR were to be used for the purposes for which they were collected. In the past few years, some of this rate money was not spent and was instead held in reserve, in other words, used to improve the balance sheet. Now these funds are being used to allow the overall rate to be kept down. Despite the spin, what it actually means is cumulatively less money going on the environment and water quality. There needs to be an independent inquiry into Auckland Council’s management of its financial affairs. If not, it will continue to sell assets such as parks, income-earning assets such as airport shares, use the windfall of Three Waters money to plug holes in the budget, and starve critical areas such as environmental action.
Sandra Coney, Piha.
Raked payers
So Auckland Council is debating our next rate rise. It soon forgot that it has already obtained by a delusional rate re-evaluation, a 30 per cent increase from many ratepayers. This is equivalent, in my case, to an extra $1000 a year (take that out of your pension and see what you have left). Now, they are considering the next rates increase based on their money-grabbing re-evaluation. Where is this money going? Will they ever balance their books, one wonders? If I were running my business today on their guidelines I would either be in jail or out of business. Is it time to abolish this “Super City”; it is certainly not working to the benefit of Aucklanders. It is just a city financially and physically out of control. It is also pretty obvious that this was another glorious government mistake and still the only Super City experiment in the country. Thank goodness.
Bob Jessopp, Massey.
Blood donors
What next? Only blood from people of similar race, colour, religion or some other extreme belief to be used in operations for the children of these deniers of our best doctors and scientists? When these beliefs, which are being fed by social media, are more important than the well-being of their children then our society is surely in a very sad and dangerous state.
James Archibald, Birkenhead.
She got a way
Being Billy Joel fans, we purchased four tickets as soon as they came on sale. Two weeks prior, I had surgery and was gutted to think couldn’t go. I borrowed a friend’s wheelchair and emailed to ask if two tickets could be exchanged for wheelchair and companion seat - and they said they would get back to me. I hadn’t heard so we took an Uber and staff let us through first barrier so we could be dropped off. When nearly at entry H, an event lady spotted us, came over and asked to see where we were sitting. She said to follow her and took us through Entry G where we could get the elevator up. Two tickets scanned and two didn’t. A gentleman took the tickets after I explained my request for changing tickets but hadn’t heard back. He arrived back with two replacement tickets and we were escorted to our new seats. The reply and replacement tickets arrived in my inbox early Sunday morning. We loved the concert, so thank you for making our night.
Sue Wagener, Pt Chevalier.
Unbeaten run
In response to the opinion from Chris Rattue (NZ Herald, December 6) that the Ryan Nelson-led All Whites have never received enough credit for going through the group stage undefeated, can I say that I am tired of the team being heralded as being the only “unbeaten” team at the 2010 event? At the end of the group stage, where the All Whites bowed out, there were eight other teams who were also undefeated - Uruguay, Argentina, USA, England, Netherlands, Paraguay, Brazil and Chile. The only difference was that all of these teams were capable of winning at least one game and progressing on to the latter stages of the tournament.
Kevin Greene, Dinsdale.
On entrenchment
Labour caucus was “fixing it as a team”. It appears that they had also alienated themselves from the truth as a team. Peter Newfield, Takapuna.
On spending
Michael Wood injects $350 million into the economy for transport improvements while Adrian Orr asks us to cut back on spending. Does this mean increased Government spending is not inflationary, yet for the rest of us, it is? Gavin Baker, Glendowie.
On Jackson
Willie Jackson has no need to apologise (NZH, Dec 7) for his interview on Q&A. He has done us all a favour by showing us his true intentions when the TVNZ/RNZ merger comes to fruition. Mark Young, Ōrewa.
On poverty
Poverty in New Zealand is caused by one thing - people having more children than they can afford. R. France, Northcote.
On athletes
Murray Halberg, Peter Snell, John Walker, et al, would have got far more recognition in this country if they kicked an oval ball rather than running. Fiona McAllister, Mt Maunganui.
On louts
The reports of “Crate Day” from the Ashley River in Canterbury illustrate “ute mentality” very pointedly. You can do what you like, regardless of the costs to other people and the environment, as long as you say “it’s legal”. Stan Jones, Hamilton.
Big oil slump must mean cheaper prices
New Zealanders suffering from the volatility in oil prices are directly affected by this Government closing down new exploration and new permits for oil fields and allowing the closure of the Marsden Pt refinery. When you call at the pump to fill up, the cost is directly affected by this Government’s policies. That’s before the hideously high tax grab. Guy M.
This is a speculative comment not based on anything in the article. Philip H.
Except New Zealand has always been affected by oil price volatility - nothing to do with the current Government. Tezza S.
Diesel will remain high because some foolish government closed the Marsden Pt refinery just when it was going to make some real money. Oh well, it’s only people working the land who get hit the hardest here. Garry R.
It wasn’t the Government at all. Refining NZ was a private company. George R.
The Government will just view this as a golden opportunity to reintroduce full taxes on our fuel. After all, we do have essential services such as bus stops and bike lanes, the TVNZ-RNZ merger and Five Waters to pay for. And let’s not forget the need to subsidise the wealthy into their new Teslas. Gary W.
Always slow to come back down, but fast to go back up. New Zealand; the land of rorts. Not just petrol, but meat, vegetables, building products, the list is long. Elizabeth J.
They were paid to target a woman embroiled in an alleged international pyramid scheme.