Ethnicity consistency
In 2018, Professor John Fraser, the Dean of Medical and Health Sciences at the University of Auckland, said “the Māori people of New Zealand want to see Māori doctors, just like Pacific communities want to see Pacific doctors”.
Similarly, this year Dr Emma Wehipeihana claimed Māori doctors connect better with Māori patients and that it benefits Māori patients to be looked after by a doctor who looks like them, and who understands what’s important to them and their whānau. Yet, when a European patient at North Shore Hospital recently expressed a preference for non-Asian staff, it resulted in a “racism row”.
There seems to be a lack of consistency here. Is it “racist” because the European patient specified a preference for non-Asians? Had they specified a preference for European staff only, would that still be seen as racism? Or, unlike Māori patients, are European patients simply not allowed to have a preference in regards to the ethnicity of their carers?
Andre McMaster, Forrest Hill
Truth and consequence
Golriz Ghahraman is certainly not backward in coming forward, especially in stating that a serious shoplifting charge “may” be a bar to her practising law (NZ Herald, October 14). Well, so it should be, and more so given her background as a well-educated woman and one of our so-called representatives. If a police person had done that, you can bet their career would be over – as indeed it should be.
And just what on earth is loss-reactive shoplifting? It’s theft, plain and simple, and there can be no excuse for it. She committed a crime, abused her position in the process and so must face the music, just like any other citizen.
Paul Beck, West Harbour
First cab off the rank
Reading about the difficulties faced by passengers exiting Auckland Airport terminals trying to find a taxi, I wonder if the powers that be at Auckland Airport should take a leaf out of Wellington Airport’s system.
I experienced this while in Wellington for the WOW show a few days ago. On exiting the terminal, there were 15-20 taxis waiting right outside the doors, with a gentleman approaching my group to ask if we needed a taxi. He then waved to a vehicle of a suitable size, we hopped in and were taken to our accommodation.
The taxi service throughout the weekend was equally impressive. The taxi turned up exactly at the time requested on the several occasions we used their service. At the same time we learned of the difficulties these drivers face day to day trying to make a living, the hours wasted sitting waiting for customers and the overwhelming price they pay in monetary terms per month to the company they work for.
Margaret Wyatt, Tauranga
When nature attacks
Imagine if Florida was warned by some foreign power that death and destruction were to be rained upon them, and the threat followed up where whole towns were completely razed, with many citizens killed. Not only that, but the foreign power threatened that this scenario would be repeated often in the future. I suspect the mighty USA would be furious in its retaliation. The population would be screaming for blood and revenge. Well, I guess that would be an easy way to answer human aggression.
What is not so easy for each and everyone who drives a big gas-guzzling beast – and they are thick on the roads in the US – is to ask “what part do I play in the millions of tons of greenhouse gases pumped out each year?”
I won’t hold my breath for that reaction, so we will keep accepting what nature has in store for us all.
Vince West, Milford
Rebalancing act
What we are now seeing on the financial pages is the return to economic balance following the drastic event that was quantitative easing during Covid. Printing money only served to increase the consumer price index and blow out mortgage interest rates. What we are seeing now, and not before time, is the correction of this outrageous practice. There will not be much Christmas spending this year – most of us are still digging ourselves out of the economic nightmare.
John Ford, Napier
