Letters: The solution to homelessness; Mt Eden traffic project fears; NZ’s awkward Aukus choice

New Zealand has one of the highest rates of homelessness in the developed world. Photo / NZME

Letters to the Editor

Rough sleeper solution

With people sleeping rough, there has to be a reason and quite simply, it is a shortage of accommodation – why? (NZ Herald, May 20).

The answer is simple: there are too many people for the amount of accommodation available – why?

Immigration is greater than emigration – why? Because Kiwis’ skills are sought in Australia and elsewhere and we have too many immigrants who are not skilled enough to replace them. The supply exceeds the demand.

What is the answer? Simple, train more people with skills we want. Pay them while they train and pay their fees in return for a bond once they are qualified (this happened to me in 1961 as I trained to be a technical teacher, so it can be done).

Set up training establishments to train the people required and limit immigration to achieve a better balance of population.

So what is so hard?

Arthur Moore, Pakuranga.

Raised hackles

All indications are, from the road markings at Mt Eden Rd/Balmoral Rd, that Auckland Transport (AT) is about to introduce raised pedestrian crossings to a perfectly functional intersection.

It is difficult to understand what problem AT is trying to solve. There have never been zebra crossings on any corner and pedestrians and motorists have co-existed well for many, many years, with this intersection having no history of pedestrian deaths or injuries that would necessitate such spending of thousands and thousands of dollars.

There will be two months of noise, traffic disruption and cost for zero community benefit.

My heart goes out to the residents and businesses of Auckland CBD with 24/7 parking charges looming over their heads. The supposed need to raise revenue shows that AT, as an organisation, still hasn’t got the message that it has a spending problem.

Reduced spending by cutting its frivolous and unnecessary projects could deliver a significant cost-of-living saving by avoiding onerous parking charges in the city and avoid pushing people and businesses away from an economically withered CBD.

The failure to apply common sense continues to demand wholesale changes to management and personnel for an Uncontrolled Council Organisation.

Michael Locke, Mt Eden.

Awkward Aukus

Aukus was put together to counter China. Denying this is trying to deny the obvious.

This will of course anger and upset China. It would be an unfriendly act.

The current members of Aukus have made no secret of seeing China as a threat to their security. For New Zealand to sign up to this endeavour would be seen as a great disappointment for our biggest trading partner, the free trade with whom has benefited our relative welfare significantly over the past 20 years.

One can only hope the New Zealand Government stays away from such a retrograde move. Like most countries in the world, New Zealand should desire and pursue friendly relations with all other nations.

Going into a military alliance targeting New Zealand’s biggest customer, with whom we enjoy a significant trade surplus, does not make any sense. Friendly relations have been built and achieved, especially in this new millennium.

It would be very unwise to put New Zealand’s reputation and position as a free trader at risk.

Frank Olsson, Freemans Bay.

Unemployment costs

Unlike correspondent George Wilkinson from Epsom (NZ Herald, May 21), one is not an accountant but an octogenarian by some years, and no doubt he will also have seen the damage to society unemployment can cause.

When unemployment is high, crime increases as people become desperate in their day-to-day living. It is not until one ages that a realisation comes that life is very short and the question arises: do those who run the country factor that into their thinking?

One of the main objectives of any government is to keep people in jobs and ensure adequate housing is provided. With Kāinga Ora looking as if it will be strangled, the number of state houses being built will slow dramatically.

Placing the emphasis on social housing is just another example of the Government getting out from under because no funding has been promised.

This situation, coupled with forced redundancies, is an example of the country being run strictly as a business without regard to humanitarian necessities.

Reg Dempster, Albany.

Boxing clever

Professional boxing has been tainted for decades by sanctioning bodies handing out spurious world titles.

The sport has become so fragmented that not even the most dedicated of fans can keep abreast of who the real champion is in each division. The Alphabet Soup Boys is the term most commonly used to describe these sanctioning bodies.

Boxing fans can finally rejoice that after this weekend’s great bout between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury, it now has its first undisputed world heavyweight champion this century in the Ukranian Usyk.

Mike Parker, Castor Bay.