Then we have the resistance from agencies reluctant to give up their fancy expensive downtown offices and move into vacant less costly space in the main building.
A king without a kingdom. So why not save money and don’t bother with a mayor?
Jock Mac Vicar, Hauraki.
Hospital praise
I am writing in regard to our inundated Health NZ and in particular, North Shore Hospital.
I recently found myself being transported to A&E by ambulance for a suspected stroke. I have the highest praise for the two St John paramedics and the myriad of doctors and nurses who were trying to cope with a totally swamped emergency department and the team in the stroke ward.
I received nothing but the very best of care. I witnessed the triage staff trying to juggle all the patients arriving by ambulance and also walk-ups and working out who was highest-priority and all did it with great empathy for the patient.
Not once did I see the staff retaliate when somebody took exception at the long wait they had experienced. The orderlies were all so good-natured and still smiling and joking with us as they came to the end of their 12-hour shifts.
There has been a lot of negative press around lack of staff etc but we need to take a moment to be thankful for those that are doing their absolute best for the patient under extreme circumstances.
I, for one, will be singing their praises loudly.
Jane Hanvey, Northcross.
CEO austerity?
Public service job cuts although unpalatable are, to some degree, necessary.
Yet it seems the majority of these job cuts are in the lower salary bracket. Is the same austerity applied to chief executives?
Recently we have heard of fairly plum jobs being allocated to ex-National Party ministers to lead various investigations/inquiries, from the Cook Strait ferries to Kāinga Ora.
So it is understandable that those on the receiving end of termination/redundancy notification feel particularly aggrieved.
Our thoughts and efforts should go towards ensuring the continued wellbeing of these folk and hope of course they can get back into paid employment.
Miles Langdon, Remuera.
Slash MP numbers
New Zealand’s government department funding woes have been the result of neglect by successive governments comprising blue, green, red and other shades of politician.
It is obvious, that professional pay scales are so seriously out of kilter that large pay increments will be necessary to restore remuneration to levels that will retain qualified staff.
Our current crop of politicians should look in the mirror before pointing the finger at their predecessors and have the courage to dump the promised tax cuts. Some Scandinavian countries have quite high tax rates, but they can (as a result) fund excellent government services.
If we are to have any hope of overcoming the ineptitude of our parliamentary jugglers, we need to dump MMP in favour of STV, so that MPs can more likely be chosen on merit. MMP allows unelected party officials to prioritise their party lists to favour parliamentary candidates who would never be chosen by the electorate.
To perfect this reshaping of parliament, MP numbers should be pared back to a maximum of 60. Our MPs love MMP with its power to defy the electorate’s wishes. That probably means that we need to force a referendum on them.
Hugh Webb, Hamilton.
Banishing boy racers
Again we see yet another community is plagued by boy racers (NZ Herald, April 12).
This behaviour is not only anti-social, it’s illegal. Also, cars are not toys and it is a privilege to have the luxury they afford us. A luxury which shouldn’t be abused.
Cameras will catch these boy-racer people so that they can be dealt with and their behaviour stopped. Very simple technology could fix this problem promptly. Why isn’t it being used?
Heather McGuire, Tuakau.
Animal exports
Recently I heard talk of a “gold standard” to govern conditions for live-animal exports. This is total balderdash.
No regulations or stipulations could possibly justify the suffering of innocent and helpless animals in the name of profit - and let us be quite clear. This is all about money and a reluctance to offend China.
As an aside, one could also consider that subsequent governments have, despite advice from the fire department, the SPCA, hospitals and countless public submissions steadfastly refused to ban the private sales of fireworks - made where?
It would be rare indeed for me to agree with the Labour Party, but I applauded the banning of live animal exports. Such trade is an abomination and one with which New Zealand should not be associated for any reason.
Geraldine Taylor, Remuera.
