Secondary school teachers strike outside Judith Collins' electorate office in Papakura, Auckland, this week. Photo / Alyse Wright
The war on inflation
Surely there is something fundamentally wrong where a society’s most essential state-employed workers – nurses, doctors, teachers, police, ambulance drivers and firefighters – are all taking strike action to fight for competitive salaries.
The Australian states, employers and universities are watching carefully and using the opportunity to redouble their advertising campaigns not only to our disgruntled talent but also to our future talent. We are unnecessarily bleeding people who, once lost and resentful as to how our country signals their value, are likely lost forever. Better we take a one-off inflation hit, recognise we are losing the war for talent and take pay and conditions off the agenda by providing competitive incomes.
These short-term cost-saving measures are going to have dramatic long-term consequences. These community service-oriented people, who are already in short supply, should not need to be spending their valuable time protesting and striking. This is an easy fix – Government and state-owned employers are hiding behind misleading statistics and spin to justify their inaction – surely the Government doesn’t need to work quite this hard to lose the next election?
Andrew Harmos, Parnell.
Rates as a wealth tax
I agree 100% with Trevor Smith’s letter (August 21) regarding rates becoming a wealth tax.
The role of councils is to provide services to ratepayers and, just like when you take your car to the garage for servicing, they should only charge for the services they provide. Can you imagine the mechanic at your local garage charging you based on the suburb you live in, the value of your home and land it stands on? Perhaps the best way to get a rates reduction nowadays is to let your home fall into a state of disrepair so its value decreases.
That would include not mowing the berm on the street and piling rubbish on the front lawn or footpath. Maybe the CEO and top bureaucrats could take a pay cut to help keep the rates down? Yeah Right! Now that would make a great Tūī billboard.
For any aspiring councillors in the coming election – make this an election promise and you would really be someone worth voting for. Oh, and one other thing – what about the tax on top of a tax … GST on rates … that’s yet another “anomaly”.
Jim Heyder, Takapuna.
Writing in schools
About 10 years ago I was a learning assistant in a large high-decile primary school in East Auckland. I was informed by senior staff that they purposely avoided teaching handwriting to the children because ”ours is a digital school".
I found this attitude unbelievable for its short-sightedness. Now most of those children are in university or the workforce or, God forbid, teachers, who cannot write properly or teach their pupils how to do so.
If that school’s policy was the norm then and now with other schools following suit, then the answer on why handwriting skills are so poor is simple: they were never taught them.
Ruth M Blair, Half Moon Bay.
Handwriting skills
Teachers can easily turn the tide and “lead the way” with the teaching of handwriting skills (editorial, August 21), but first they’re going to have to have time back from an over-busy curriculum.
Perhaps the Government, so quick and right to take away cellphone use, could suspend the teaching of computers until intermediate, ensuring a well-developed, skilful finger presses down accurately on keys.
Emma Mackintosh, Birkenhead.
NZ economy
The recent OCR (Official Cash Rate) cut has generated a lot of media chat about the effects it will have on our economy, which continues to lag. There is a lot of talk about there being more money in Kiwis’ back pockets, which they will spend to improve the overall spend.
One important factor has been overlooked in all this talk to stimulate spending, and that is: why spend money on things you don’t need?. This is being clearly reflected in the senior section of our population. Today, the percentage of people over 65 is around 17%, which is double that of 50 years ago.
I suspect that most seniors have already accumulated most of the things they need or want. So why buy more?
It’s also evident that older people are less likely to dine out or consume lattes and muffins at local cafes, while using their latest iPhone. Most seniors will spend their cash on food, heating, rates and other essential expenses.
Ageing is not going to go away (unfortunately).
Dick Ayres, Central Auckland.
A game, a party or a circus?
I agree with Graham Fleetwood’s comments about exaggerated levels of excitement during NPC rugby games. As far as I can make out, the “excitement” is brought about by loud music during any break in play lasting longer than 10 seconds, loud announcements over the ground sound system by random people trying to inspire the fans to support the home team, and sideline flares being set off after a try or penalty has been scored.
If the excitement is in the overdone sideshow offerings, then the value of holding the game in the first place will need to be assessed. Is it a game, a party or a circus? I find watching the Heartland Championship games on Saturday afternoon much more entertaining. The focus is all on the game, not the extraneous, so-called “entertainment” constantly interrupting and detracting from the action on the field.
Jeremy Coleman, Hillpark.
Modern mining
Dear everyone who doesn’t want mining and extraction in New Zealand. It’s time to hand over your cars, washing machine, watches, phones, computers, cars – frankly, everything not food.
In fact, also food, because the trucks and shops would also be gone. Stuff is made from stuff. If you won’t allow stuff to be taken from the ground, then you cannot buy stuff. All you are doing is shifting the mines and pollution from your country and making some other poorer and less protected country do your dirty work.
Albert McGhee, East Tamaki.
Competent teachers
A new curriculum will only produce high standards in education if NZ has competent teachers. They are the key.
In order to earn a salary commensurate with their years studying for their specialty degree, followed by a Diploma in Teaching, most will need to move out of the classroom and into school management.
We entrust teachers with our most precious resource.
To attract excellent classroom teachers, pay equity could be re-established with MPs, who, unlike teachers, do not require any vocational training at all.
Ginny Stainton, Birkenhead.
Air Force workhorses
Could we not have commandeered the two C-5M Galaxy aircraft as replacements for our old 757 jets? They can land short, can carry just about everything we own up to and including a Hercules with the wings removed. Plus, with its length, politicians from both sides of the fence could travel together with the ruling party up front, a wall in the middle and the rest behind that down the back. The choices it would provide would be endless. What a pity, though, that our pilots cannot interact on exchange with an air force on that scale.
Paul Beck, West Harbour.
Interesting article in the Herald (22 August) about the introduction of smart mouthguards in women’s (and men’s?) rugby. I guess we’re on standby to find out when they are going to be introduced to boxing and cage fighting.
Peter Smith, Devonport.
After renewing my Sky box we have had endless problems. Freezing of every programme and failed recorded content. We have had to become technicians in our own home to try to fix the problem. Is Sky giving customers full disclosure on the success or failure of these satellites?
Annette Moncur, Whangarei.
It is quite sensible to increase the amount of living space near train stations with the CRL opening quite soon. What would be absolutely stupid is to accommodate car parking for said residential living near those stations. That would seem counterintuitive to me. Is it not the whole idea of the CRL to minimise those needing a car? If that is not achieved, then the billions spent on the CRL could be seen as a little pointless.
John Ford, Taradale.
Ardern, Hipkin and Robertson must be subpoenaed; we need to learn from this pandemic
Dennis Knill, Parnell.
The reason given for removing certain Māori words from school readers is that Te Reo Māori spellings are often inconsistent with a phonetic approach to reading. Te Reo is actually far more phonetically logical than English, but in the spirit of its detractors, I propose that we also remove such inconsistencies as ‘school,’ ‘write,’ and ‘taught.’
Sally Baughn, Hamilton.
Just imagine the good that would come if the Government collected all of the overdue student loans and spent them on welfare, health, and social welfare. I cannot think of one good reason why these loans should not be repaid immediately or placed on a rigorous repayment scheme.
Larry Mitchell, Rothesay Bay.