Dr Ian Ferguson, Titirangi.
Public pays for abuse
First, we have the appalling Post Office scandal in the United Kingdom and now the equally appalling Abuse in Care scandal here in New Zealand.
Whilst it is right that the victims should be financially compensated, it should also be recognised that the taxpayers who fund such compensation are also victims. Too frequently senior state and religious employees who commit these acts seem to escape scot-free.
Public inquiries that take years to complete, that, incidentally, we also fund, are all very well but what we, the public, want to see is that those responsible are not only publicly named and shamed but also suitably punished by heavy fines and or prison sentences.
Hopefully, we will not have to wait in vain.
Gerald Payman, Mt Albert.
Political logic
We appear to have elected representatives who have no idea how to use logic in their decisions.
We have the Greens and other parties who are very quiet instead of saying it like it is - Darleen Tana broke the rules and has to be expelled. Where the problem arises is the various ministers and parties who haven’t a clue on how to do it.
Let me clarify it for you. She was not elected and only came from the list to make up the numbers, therefore she is responsible to no electorate, only the party she serves. She has broken the rules, so out she goes, no discussions on where, she doesn’t have an electorate to have to explain or answer to, she just goes.
Now what was complicated about that.
Tom O’Toole, Taumarunui.
Creeping managerialism
I could not agree more with Steve Williams’ letter “Directed anger” (NZ Herald, July 26) when he says drastic action should be undertaken to remove overpaid, politicised, parasitic managers within the health service, who know little or nothing about the work of clinicians.
That this level of management exists reflects the fact that the scourge of managerialism is alive and well. This governance model, imposed on the public service by the 1988 State Sector Act, is based on the falsehoods a generic set of management skills is all that is required to be a manager and that a government department is a “business”.
Micro-management, endless restructuring, and a proliferation of positions such as “strategic adviser” and “business analyst” followed. Bureaucrats in these categories, who are essentially non-productive, need to be ruthlessly culled.
Fortunately Nicola Willis and her coalition partners are very much aware of this fact. They have made a promising start but much more needs to be done.
Bruce Anderson, Christchurch.
Scooter tantrum
On my recent trip to the UK I visited several towns and cities. It took me a few days to pinpoint what was “wrong” in all these places, and then I realised that I wasn’t running the gauntlet of abandoned rental scooters.
Many towns simply didn’t allow these, but those that did had clearly marked return zones. These were simple painted areas next to bus stops, train stations, libraries, tourist attractions etc.
I only came across one scooter not in a return area. In contrast, on the journey home from Auckland airport, I counted 19 scooters discarded on footpaths.
Obviously the scooter companies must have the the means to enforce orderly returns - GPS, clients providing photos, maybe even fines - in order to be operating successfully in UK towns, so these could be applied here.
It is time that Auckland council took action because at present the city looks like a toddler has had a tantrum and thrown out all their toys.
Katie Gormley, St Heliers.
