You get what you pay for with health insurance and as far as the cash requirement, will this be another revolving door bank account? It would seem the minister has succumbed to pressure from a large number of constituents in her own electorate.
Reg Dempster, Albany.
Avoiding a Pacific conflict
New Zealand is a Western-style democracy and we trade with many nations. When we are able to achieve a trade surplus the entire country benefits. Should the Aukus member nations engage in a conflict with China, we will be swept up in the conflict. We are the friends of the member nations who make up the Aukus grouping.
China will then most probably stop trading with us. The Aukus members are very aware that New Zealand is not tooled up for war. So, our role would be a minor role. Our armed forces could be entrusted to drive ambulances and ferry the wounded to hospitals. While World War II raged, Sweden and Switzerland were able to stay out of that terrible conflict. Does anyone today condemn those two countries because they prospered and also provided a refuge for those people who were fortunate enough to find a safe place to go to in a time of conflict?
New Zealand has no serious issues with China. If we stay out of a conflict with China we are not being disloyal to our good friends in Aukus. We all need to think carefully about the horrific consequences of a conflict that would most probably result in nuclear weapons being used. It would be suicidal for New Zealand to get involved in a conflict with the largest and most powerful country in Asia.
Johann Nordberg, Paeroa.
Pace of play
After watching the Argentina v Lions game it is obvious the Northern Hemisphere refs are not following the directive to stop the time wasting and speed the game up. They completely ignored the 60-second clock for taking a penalty.
On one occasion the kicker even took time to wait for a drink and then took well over 60 seconds to take the kick. The setting of scrums was also a fiasco. If our refs insist on speeding up the game the Lions will really struggle.
Jock MacVicar, Hauraki.
Luxon’s Middle East knowledge
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon describes Israel’s pre-emptive attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities as “really unwelcome” and wants to see the parties come together and have conversations. Does he have any understanding of this issue at all?
Does he understand that the Iranian regime hasn’t even tried to hide the purpose of their nuclear programme? That they have consistently and openly stated that its purpose is to “wipe Israel off the map”?
Further, does he understand that this is the same Iran that funds anti-Israel proxies in Syria, Lebanon (Hezbollah), Yemen (the Houthis), the West Bank (the PLO) and the most vicious of them all – Hamas in Gaza?
Does he understand that this funding goes directly into armaments that are fired relentlessly into Israel, day after day?
Does he understand that this same funding underwrote the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023? An attack that resulted in the mass rape, torture and murder of more than 1200 innocent people and the abduction of 251 more?
Did he think about these issues when he recently declared “sanctions” on high-ranking Israeli Government ministers?
Does he have even the slightest concept of the evil that Israel is facing and the existential threat that Iran represents to that tiny Middle Eastern democracy?
It must be assumed that the answer to all of these questions is “no” because no informed person could know all this and “want to see the parties come together and have conversations”.
Bernard Walker, Mt Maunganui.
