Government department name changes: 'The sheer cost of renaming all of the letterheads and so on is just mind-boggling, and simply represents turning the wheel 360 degrees.' Photo / Michael Cunningham
Government department name changes: 'The sheer cost of renaming all of the letterheads and so on is just mind-boggling, and simply represents turning the wheel 360 degrees.' Photo / Michael Cunningham
Letters to the Editor
I totally agree with getting rid of names such as Waka Kotahi that mean nothing to many and absolutely nothing to foreigners. But, the sheer cost of renaming all of the letterheads and so on is just mind-boggling, and simply represents turning the wheel 360 degrees.
The samegoes for places like hospitals and libraries — and as Guy Body’s cartoon (republished below) showed, more emphasis gets put on these sorts of things rather than the actual function of that organisation.
Let’s hope this isn’t going to keep occurring on a three-year cycle or we’ll just keep on going backwards.
True to its word, the new Government is ditching things that are anathema to it. The Fair Pay Agreement legislation is out, presumably so National’s employer mates can continue to offer the opposite to the workers of New Zealand, on whom they rely for their wealth. It would be wonderful if National would hold themselves to the same standard and allow us to sack them if we don’t like what they’ve done after 90 days. Yeah right.
Someone give Gregor Paul a soapbox (NZ Herald, December 11). The Commonwealth Games got so big it became unaffordable, as simple as that. Gregor needs a cold flannel and a lie-down.
Steve Dransfield, Karori.
Te Papa security questions
Heads should roll at Te Papa. Where was the security? Where were the police? Was there prior knowledge to what the vandals had planned, thereby allowing them time to set up? After these, and many more questions are answered, someone should be fired for not protecting our national museum.
John Little, Milford.
Promises we can’t afford
Regarding Bryan Leyland’s opinion piece “Our power system faces a major risk this winter” (NZ Herald, December 11), when is the answer to a shortage of water to generate electricity in a dry year “a million tonnes of coal”? Answer: When you are an “academic advisor” to the Global Warming Policy Foundation, a London-based group of climate deniers.
But he is quite right about one thing: we are facing power outages. So, if we want to decarbonise, we need to build more renewable generation, sufficient storage, and use energy more carefully.
That is harder to do than say, but our new Government can’t even say it. Instead it makes promises the country cannot afford long-term. That’s the thing about modern democracy, it will deliver whatever the voters demand — right up until the moment it can’t.
Dennis Horne, Howick.
Guy Body's cartoon, originally published on Monday.
What was in the budget?
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown should have known that the 2022/2023 budget included a budgeted amount of somewhere in the vicinity of $7.4 million for recruitment costs, as this is what councils do every year and then every decade under the 10-year Long-term Plan process.
Council staff are unable to spend money that has not been allocated by the mayor and councillors through the yearly budget process, and if they have heads should roll. It’s just not good enough for the mayor to now be shocked at this expense. Has the Auckland Council just got so big that they do what they want rather than follow the will of the duly elected mayor and councillors?
Mike Baker, Tauranga.
Fed-up ratepayers
It is nice that Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown is calling out wasteful spending. After all, it is the ratepayers footing the bill, and they are fed up having to fund fiscal irresponsibility
John Ford, Napier.
Prohibition fears
In his letter Professor Boyd Swinburn (NZ Herald, December 11) states that the “great robber of choice is addiction” and suggested a law to “denicotise” cigarettes to help those 80-90 per cent who wanted to quit but couldn’t. Such a move, along with drastically limiting the number of outlets, would only serve to lead those without the willpower to give up into the “black market”, where they could get a ready supply of their normal cigarettes, at a far higher price. This was evidenced when prohibition was imposed in America in the 1920-30s: “moonshining” became prevalent, giving those addicted, or at least feeling in need of alcohol, a steady supply, albeit of dubious quality. Unfortunately, as has been proven so often, it is virtually impossible to help those who won’t help themselves.
Philip Lenton, Somerville.
Stop the political games
Anyone who travels Auckland’s motorways will know the frustration that comes with these clogged transport systems. While some improvements would help they are not the answer to our woes. Bus lanes and light rail are our only hope and it is disappointing to see that the current light rail programme is to be scrapped. Mayor Wayne Brown can see the advantages and obviously investigated a system in France. We would be wise to seek out these examples.
Too often we have seen our transport systems used as a political football and this has to stop. It is time for a meeting of minds of all political parties to thrash out what is best for Auckland and get on with the job. The huge waste of time and money on systems going nowhere is not in the best interests of the people who have to pay for these follies.
