The Black Ferns celebrate their win over South Africa on Sunday.
Black Ferns lift our spirits after All Blacks’ display
After the disappointment of the All Blacks, it was great to see the women’s Black Ferns team in action.
There were a number of players who stood out but for me, it was when Renee Holmes got an injury to her leg and somebody had to take her place as goalkicker. She threw the ball to 18-year-old Braxton Sorensen-McGee who, without the slightest demur, stepped up and smacked it between the posts. Just how good is that?
Thanks girls, you made the blinds liftable in my house.
Reg Dempster, Albany.
Playing for pride
There were two very different results for our national rugby teams over the weekend, both against South Africa. There was also seems to have been a great difference in mindset between the All Blacks and the Black Ferns.
There’s an expression in Australia about “playing for sheep stations”, meaning life, limb and pride are on the line. This is how the All Blacks are expected to play, leaving everything on the pitch in the quest for glory.
Having just watched the Black Ferns’ demolition of South Africa in the quarter-finals of their Rugby World Cup, it’s very clear that sheep stations don’t come into the mix. They play for pride, for each other, for the love of the game and for joy. This shows up in the smiles on their faces throughout the game. The reason? They know and appreciate that rugby, like any other sport, is a game. Nothing more or less.
No doubt there will be a lot of post-mortem commentary about the All Blacks’ loss, but the fact is, they just lost a game. Nobody died and the sun came up again the next morning.
If there’s an answer to the failure, the place to look is the approach the Black Ferns adopt. There are no “stars”, they are the most coherent team I’ve ever seen working together.
Jeremy Coleman, Hillpark.
What’s wrong with a CGT?
Thomas Coughlan’s focus on the perils for Labour of announcing a capital gains tax (September 13) seems to be exaggerating its importance. Surely a capital gains tax (CGT) is one of the most glaringly obvious reforms that previous Governments, both Labour and National, have avoided like the plague.
It’s not the real problem. Public services have been gutted and inequality is soaring, along with poverty and homelessness. Surely most people in our country are not happy with this state of affairs?
It will get worse unless we change direction, and soon.
Let’s talk about what matters! It’s time for some meaningful gestures of hope and positivity. How about starting with free public transport for all, funded by reversing the numerous tax cuts for landlords and corporates we have seen under this Government?
The benefits of free public transport would be immediate. There would be a reduction in traffic congestion but, even more importantly, this would be a huge benefit to the thousands who are struggling each week with high rents and soaring power prices.
We know that “trickle-down” economics is a hoax. Opposing a CGT is pure self-interest from the numerous rentiers whose representatives currently populate the Government benches.
Vivien Fergusson, Mt Eden.
Reduce fossil fuel use
Recent reports suggest that despite huge investments, carbon capture will not be the answer to reducing our planet’s emissions.
Nor can we rely on new forestry planting – trees can be flattened with increasingly severe storms, or consumed by wildfires.
The only answer to a liveable future is to reduce our use of fossil fuels – yet it seems so many nations, New Zealand included, are backtracking on earlier commitments.
The future looks bleak indeed.
Linda McGrogan, Taupō.
Thanks, Emmerson
Rod Emmerson, as usual, makes us laugh while making a good point in the cartoon (September 14) showing Christopher Luxon and cohorts holding a sign at the pro-Palestine March For Humanity protest on Saturday saying “Still growing a spine – almost there!” while a Palestinian flag flies next to him.
Some of us would like him to take a leadership role in the United Nations General Assembly and declare/demand a peacekeeping force be created/deployed for Gaza (and all other warring nations) with all UN nations participating and paying for it!
However, this requires a lot of effort – and perhaps a bit of a spine.
Dennis Worley, Birkenhead.
A lethal cocktail
The shooting of Charlie Kirk shines a light on the United States’ troubles.
It has a long trail of politically motivated assassinations.
A society so wedded to firearms, coupled with overall declining mental health and stirred by social media’s toxic hate speech, produces a lethal cocktail.
Larry Mitchell, Rothesay Bay.