I was sad to read the letter from your correspondent Doug Honner (Herald, September 23) about school children with no lunch. I was sad that Doug can't put himself in the shoes (or bare feet) of a hungry child watching other children eating their lunch and I was sad that he used his age as a reason to bash people in poverty.
I remember my mother having a job as a teacher's aide back in the 1960s. The job was really to have a cooking class so that hungry children could be fed a nourishing meal that they had cooked themselves.
Hungry children are a reality. Their parents' failings or their inability to provide food is irrelevant in this situation; children need to be fed. People fall into poverty for many reasons, none of them the fault of the child. This is just another version of the "why don't they eat porridge" or "they should have a big vege garden" mentality which battered me when I found myself suddenly a solo parent with four children in the 1980s through no fault of my own.
Deborah Watson, Te Aroha.
Life pressures
I was appalled to read the opinions of Doug Honner (Herald, September 23). To equate poverty in 2019 with poverty in the 1930s is a travesty.
We live in an entirely different world. There are huge pressures put on families and young people that simply did not exist in the Great Depression. These include advertising and social media.
Many parents are working two or three jobs at minimum wages that simply do not cover the cost of rental housing, electricity, food and other basic costs including school fees and other educational costs. How do we expect parents to support their children in sport and other extra curricula activities when they can hardly afford to put food on the table?
New Zealand is an affluent society and those who have should assist those that are struggling to survive not criticise and condemn. This is basic human decency.
Keith King, Onehunga.
Doctor fees
I can now see why the accident and emergency departments at hospitals are overflowing with people who just need see a doctor at the weekend.
My son went to White Cross medical practice on Saturday, he was charged $100.
How can a low-income earner, who needs to see a doctor, afford that?
Janet Bailey, Henderson.
Port building
The arrogance of the Ports company in building a five-storey parking building on prime waterfront land in the face of overwhelming public and political opposition beggars belief. Auckland Council and the Mayor unbelievably say they cannot interfere with the decision when they own the company and appoint its board. They don't need to interfere. They should just fire the board, take the land off the company and rent it back to them at market rates. Then the right things would start to happen.
And why is it that all the statements on this important public matter come from the communications division of the Port company? Why are the chair and board not fronting to the public directly? I hope the new council sorts out this disgrace.
Doug Armstrong, Glendowie.
Spark Sport
The "fuzzy" moments had me wondering whether I had drunk too many rums or forgotten to clean my glasses. However they are just the start of Spark's problems.
The camera angles and view left me wondering if the producer and cameramen actually know anything about how the game is played. I would prefer a side shot of the scrum rather than looking down on it. We like to muse over which side might be responsible for collapsing the scrum. The camera angles made it difficult to really follow the game. Conversion kicks that come towards you? Too many overhead wires and not enough down-the-sideline footage.
The commentary was also a problem. Oh, how we missed Nisbo. He has learned not to fill every single moment with idle chatter. Marshall only talks when the game pauses and usually explains the reason for the penalty etc. Talking a speed is a huge distraction as well. We simply turned the sound off.
I realise it is early days but, like the loss of Quinn and MacBeth, it will take some time to get over the loss of Sky Sport.
Perhaps Mexted could be persuaded to join the commentary team?
J Hansen, Hastings.
Denigration
Female, pale and stale. Is this acceptable or sexist? Why does the white male continue to be denigrated by the phrases such as "white, pale and stale" as in the article by Sasha Borissenko (Herald, September 23). The white male is the only group able to be disparaged without cries of racism or sexism. Three quarters of suicides are male, 475 per year, and yet there is no Ministry for Men. Ms Stewarthad a Herald article headlined "Men in suits scariest gang of all" where she compared board members to gang members. Time to stop the continual male deprecation and work towards the other half of Feminism which is the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes.
Albert Nipper, Red Beach.
King coal
I noted Japan and Australia have been barred from addressing the delegates at the UN climate change summit, yet China has been included among the speakers.
For the record, China has 15 coal-fired power stations in operation, six under construction, and two (or more) in the planning stages.
Outside of China, they are building hundreds of such plants: one recently completed in Pakistan, and more coming - Turkey, Vietnam, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Egypt and the Philippines.
On the surface, the UN and China would appear to trying for a joint Hypocrites of the Year 2019 award. If the subject wasn't so important, it would just be amusing.
B Watkin, Devonport.
Cannabis cost
The country is being asked to vote on legalising marijuana, and lots of journalists and high-profile commentators are passing comment, both for and against, but no one that I have observed, has asked, and answered the following fundamental questions, that we all should be asking:
Why do so many people lead such miserable lives, that they feel they need to take drugs, to presumably escape?
How much does the average smoker of weed, spend on drugs each week? What does that represent as a percentage of their nett weekly income?
If they are on a benefit, how do they fund their drug habit?
The average salary in NZ is $50,000 – not a lot! Does spending money on drugs push you below the poverty line?
Do you think the hard-working taxpayers of this country should pay for your habit and lifestyle, and all the health and other ramifications, that may entail?
John Oliver, Remuera.
Short & Sweet
On scooters
According to correspondence regarding walking safety, skateboards are bracketed with scooters. Where AT has decreed that scooters are not motorised vehicles, at least riders have sufficient control to stop them ploughing into pedestrians. Ellie Carruthers, Eden Terrace
On climate
Well done to the Herald for joining the Climate Change push from worldwide media. Let's hope people feel better informed, and more able to put into practice the small changes we can all make. Fingers crossed for the future of our children and grandies. Penelope Hansen, Mt Eden.
Smartphones are responsible for some 90 million tonnes per annum of carbon-dioxide-equivalent emissions. How many Greens, and schoolchildren striking against climate change, will forthwith abandon their smartphones in favour of saving the planet? G N Kendall, Rothesay Bay.
On vaping
In an article about the rise in student vapers (Herald, September 23) there was a comment about "a noticeable glamorisation of vaping". I suggest, if you think it is glamorous, the next time you are vaping, you stand in front of a mirror and see what I see. Pat Dennerly, Pinehill.
On greetings
When parents/caregivers say "hi" to people they meet in the street regardless of race, belief, age, gender, then possibly their children will copy and learn to do the same. This is how open-minded people are created. Doetie Keizer, Riverton.
On teeth
The simplest way to ensure adults keep having regular dental checks would be to give everyone one free visit a year. Jeanette Grant, Mt Eden.
On Ardern
People ask why the PM seems to announce so many policies that affect New Zealanders, when she is overseas. The reason is obvious, as that's where she frequently is. Mike Baker, Tauranga.
