A tax on your houses
Thank you to Claire Trevett for her comments (NZ Herald, May 3). I could never understand why a Labour Party leader would be so unwise as to rule out obvious progressive
taxation such as a wealth tax or a Capital Gains Tax.
It goes against everything that Labour stands for politically.
I doubt if it would harm the chances of Labour's success at the next General Election if it was to actually campaign on a more progressive tax policy. It would be a good chance to get a real feel for the feelings of New Zealand about the widening inequalities produced by a "system" that rewards the wealthy and those that make their money in frankly parasitic ways by speculating on properties and in the financial services sector.
Stephen Main, Hokianga.
On the wrong path
Auckland's steep ridges and fickle weather over much of the year make a further $2 billion spend on cycleways anathema if only 1.2 per cent of us cycle to work daily, unaltered since the last census.
We already have 350km of cycleways, which remain stubbornly empty despite all the hype to "get on your bike".
Compulsory cycling instruction in schools seems perfectly reasonable, but removing parking for teachers reflects the blinkered approach of a day-dreaming ideology.
Mary Tallon, Takapuna.
Cycle of life
A new 260km of cycleways around Auckland sounds to me like a great plan.
There have been two things stopping more people from choosing cycling as a viable transport option in our biggest city. One is the inherent danger of riding alongside all the cars on the roads. Designated cycleways make the journey much, much safer.
The other thing holding folk back from cycling has been Auckland's hilly terrain. However, the advent of e-bikes negates this to a large extent as these bikes can go up steep inclines much more easily.
Getting school children back on bikes will be a great start too. If they learn to ride at a young age they will hopefully keep this up, right through their lives. The health benefits alone are enough to encourage this. When I attended Mt Roskill Grammar in the 1960s, every student either walked or cycled to school. The bike racks at school were full each day.
Now I am semi-retired and still ride - admittedly an e-bike.
Glen Stanton, Mairangi Bay.
Business as usual
So the unvaccinated internationals can now enter New Zealand, as well as all the other sick who come in with new Covid variants. It seems out of control to the many compromised persons who will have to take precautions and give way everywhere. Even pre-departure flight testing is now derided and we are beset with reconciliation stories about the poor people who had left this country whose borders mean nothing. Our costly young folk will go overseas, as culture demands, possibly not to even see the depleted world while they pursue more money and so we will go back to importing low-paid would-be immigrants.
Yay, global tourism and ignoring the lack of freedom for most people trapped in serving it.
Julie Daymond-King, Helensville.
Ambience ambushed
In response to the excellent opinion piece by councillor John Watson (NZ Herald, May 3), I wish to point out that our heritage suburbs in Auckland are already seriously at risk.
Villas with extensive gardens have been swallowed up by infill housing, and a good number of heritage homes have been moved to country sites, where they grace their settings and provide lovely homes on the outer reaches of the city.
But Auckland is the prominent city of New Zealand and our early history is, in large part, characterised by the homes our city fathers established in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Walk the streets of Epsom, Remuera, or Mt Eden and you can sense the quiet settled atmosphere of the old villas resting in their spacious gardens. Brash uprising of tall townhouses and apartments could so easily destroy this ambience, and in fact this has already occurred in some other suburbs.
Let's oppose the Government ruling to Auckland Council. It's our heritage and urban history that we are striving to preserve.
We must act now, before the destruction proceeds further.
Diana Burslem, Epsom.
Loss of flight
Simon Wilson looks at Christopher Luxon in some aspects of his personal management experiences.
It is interesting to note that during Luxon's time as CEO of Air New Zealand, it was experiencing high growth in a period of record worldwide travel by air.
Air New Zealand had been in operation for many years and relied on well-established systems and procedures at the operational level to ensure its longevity, regardless of whoever was leader.
I believe a bad decision made during his time was cancelling services to London. Senior representatives did not have the institutional knowledge to remember the efforts that management, under Norman Geary's direction, took in the early 1980s to gain rights, firstly, to fly into Gatwick and later, Heathrow. We fought hard to convince the UK government to allow a daily service to Heathrow. To sell those rights to a second-tier US carrier made little sense. I suggest we will never see a scheduled Air New Zealand aircraft service to London again.
If Luxon ever has the influence to make decisions on behalf of New Zealanders, I hope that they will be well made, after considering the past for the future wellbeing of all its citizens.
Peter Burn, Gulf Harbour.
Luxon makes sense
It is disappointing that a journalist of Simon Wilson's calibre when talking about Christopher Luxon (NZ Herald, May 3) needs to invoke the mantra that anyone working hard and in business is rich and entitled.
The fact that Luxon is targeting the points he does makes sense looking up to an election and if he makes a few "gaffes" when answering questions it is better than a prime minister that avoids answering at all.
Furthermore, the success of the Auckland to Hamilton railway is subjective and irrelevant in the opinion piece.
Mike Lund, Parnell.
Wave crime goodbye
I am quite amazed that people are so concerned about the increase in crime that appears to be getting out of control.
I am quite sure that when our wonderful Prime Minister becomes aware that it is becoming an issue, she will get Poto on the case.
No worry, problem solved.
Peter Sauvary, Parnell
Poor motives
Poverty and offending are not related.
Living on minimum income with eight siblings regularly eating cheese soup for dinner, yet none of us turned to stealing; none turned against our neighbours.
Nor did we carry our iPhone to video our "score" and we never had "support vehicles". Offending is for bragging rights or drugs, never for bread or water.
Randel Case, Buckland Beach.
Speaking truth
Susan Grimsdell NZ Herald, May 3) has a problem with Elon Musk and free speech.
Indeed, hateful speech can be frequently found in free speech, but not all free speech is hateful words.
Much of it is kindly offered as someone's personal opinion, or an alleged truth and can go a long way to support another's reasoning that would otherwise not be heard and needs to be said.
Chas Bennett, Paihia.
Seeking Miss McKenzie
I know this is the longest of long shots, but would any of your readers happen to know of a woman, then known as Miss McKenzie, who went to the UK from New Zealand in the mid-60s and taught at Rotherhithe Junior Mixed School in south London?
One of her pupils, who I know, went on to become a well-known writer and broadcaster in the UK and has often mentioned her in his writings/shows, so in a digital equivalent of putting a message in a bottle and throwing it out into the sea, I thought it was worth a punt.
Yours in hope, rather than expectation,
Julian Shea, London.
Short & sweet
On DWTS
Keep your head high Eli Matthewson, you are amazing. Whenever you're on the TV show "Have You Been Paying Attention", I always watch it as you light up my evening. Glenn Forsyth, Taupō.
On Mallard
Trevor Mallard makes New Zealand look more and more like a banana republic. Or even worse, like a Soviet republic. Michael Walker, Blockhouse Bay.
Winston Peters believes we are a banana republic. Mallard is proving it by peeling back our rights. Ian Doube, Rotorua.
What took Trevor Mallard so long? This is probably the only positive thing he has done in nearly 40 years in Parliament, although the legality is questionable. Rod Lyons, Kumeu.
On maunga
Regarding Tūpuna Maunga Authority activities. Just imagine Cornwall Park and One Tree Hill without their magnificent exotic trees. Nick Nicholas, Greenlane.
On climate
Should I buy Wellingtons or will I get by with a pair of galoshes? David Tolmie, Mt Eden.
The Premium Debate
So let's get this straight... teachers, with their own bags and resources; kids and their gear will bike across town in the wind and rain at the cost of some unholy figure to achieve what? Mark C.
Auckland Transport is out of control. It has to be stopped. Vote for any candidates who will stop this nonsense. I can't believe it thinks it can follow its agenda, regardless of what the public thinks. Come on Kiwis, stand up. Ian U.
Great, the council is proactively promoting and leading the move from cars to cycle and public transport. Those that still need convincing this is the future need to go on the cycle lane along the Northwestern motorway in the morning and see how popular this has become. Build it and it will get used and take cars out of the queues on the streets.
We need more cycle lanes to improve safety and, yes, take parked cars off the road. Edwin Z.
Auckland is heading to a financial meltdown and yet the madness continues. Pim V.
This will inspire more people to take up employment overseas as this plan is insane. I'm 60km outside of Auckland, no way I can cycle in. Adrian K.