Migration pressures
Migration, immigration - call it what you like. English, Australian, South African, Asian ethnicity - what does it matter, there are just too many of them. Assumptions often prove to be wrong. Yesterday on a bus two teenage Asian girls sat nearby. Their Kiwi slang was unmistakable but to put my assumptions to further test a mother with two young children boarded but only spoke either Korean or Chinese.
My chemist is South African, my phlebotomist Filipino, my cafe which provides me with a free muffin with my coffee Asian. A Country Calendar programme highlighted that many workers were from Vanuatu. Practically all my neighbours were not born in New Zealand. None look to have criminal intent and work assiduously at their tasks.
Most of us will admit that we are concerned about the immigration numbers. The reason - and probably the only reason - Asians draw attention is because they are easy to recognise so they draw the short straw. We just need to slow immigration down and give infrastructure projects a chance to catch up with demand.
Reg Dempster, Albany.
New arrivals
We are experiencing record high levels of new arrivals, with those from Britain and Germany mainly arriving on work visas, and arrivals from China, Britain and India getting residency visas. Put another way, the first group comes to work and the second, to live.
With wages in the first group's home countries being quite a bit higher than here, it is unlikely that they will work for just the minimum wage, or even a living wage, and thus should not impede the chances of a young New Zealander obtaining their first job. The second group has to live somewhere and so add to the housing shortage, particularly in Auckland, with consequent sky-high prices severely impeding the chance of a New Zealand couple obtaining their first home. It is undeniable that inward immigration must be considerably reduced, and it is obvious which group should bear the brunt of cuts.
H.E.H. Perkins, Botany Downs.
North Korea
The correspondent who blames the US for showing its military might to North Korea is blaming the wrong nation for the crisis. He obviously is too young to remember the Korean War. If he did he would know North Korea was occupied by the Soviet Union when they overran it towards the end of World War II.
While the South was struggling to survive the ravages of that war, the northern Soviet-equipped army invaded. The UN Security Council asked other nations to help the South and this they did. It ended in an armistice and as such is technically still going.
The Kims became ruthless dictators and keep their half of the peninsula in subjugation. Like all dictators they have a huge standing army while their people starve. Would your correspondent really like to see them triumph over Trump? If so he is not living in the real world.
A.J. MacKenzie, Rotorua.
Pushing barrows
Mike Hosking claims that Bill Rosenberg is pushing a 1971 barrow and taking Andrew Little for a ride in it. He makes this sound like a bad thing. But is it really? A barrow made in 1971 could possibly still work in 2017. A barrow built in 1994 probably wouldn't.
In 1971, our children didn't have to mortgage their future for a university education but they could realistically dream of paying off a mortgage on a house in Auckland. In 1971 a washing machine cost more in comparison with today, but then it probably had an eight-year warranty and would last longer than the warranty. If it broke it would be repaired, not just dumped and replaced.
Yes, wage parity might be an archaic idea (and no, they are not saying a bus driver and a box builder should get the same wage) but it is a fairer one than "make them work for as little as we can get away with paying them and let the taxpayer or charities top up the shortfall".
Lyall Dawson, Sandringham.
Reasons for change
Mike Hosking berates trade unions for their lack of economic know-how, but in so doing reveals his own ignorance. Higher minimum wages and better pay stimulate consumption, which in turn stimulates the economy.
It is why Sweden and Germany's economies are more successful than Britain's where wages are kept low and zero-hour contracts rule the roost.
Hosking also uses Jeremy Corbyn (whose chances in the UK general election he wrongly dismisses) to press home his point without acknowledging that Corbyn's interventionist policies - including a higher minimum wage - have received majority support in several recent UK polls.
Finally, global agreements such as TPP fuel the flow of capital, but do not - on past evidence - improve wages or the lot of workers. Time for a change?
Richard Woolley, Sandringham.
Parker bout
Boxing fans really do put up with some pain and frustration these days with all these mismatches. Joseph Parker is No 1 for the WBO, and Deontay Wilder the same for the WBC. However, all that the sport of boxing comes up with is a No 14 fighter from just one of the four divisions for Parker's opponent. That's like a champ taking on a 56th-ranked chump.
No point wrapping him up in cotton wool forever. If he doesn't get some stronger opposition soon, he's going to get thumped when faced with some of the elite professional boxers out there.
It makes me chuckle when people think he can take on Anthony Joshua right now.
Glenn Forsyth, Taupo.
Recognising Australia
Had Nancy Bates been to an Anzac Day service in New Zealand recently she would have found that Australia IS honoured alongside New Zealand in true Anzac spirit.
I have been attending the Dawn Service at the Cenotaph in Auckland for many years and can assure her that not only is Australia acknowledged in the address but the Australian flag is flown alongside the New Zealand flag, and the Australian National Anthem is sung (often before the New Zealand one).
We always speak of commemorating the Anzacs who died, not just New Zealanders. It may be a growing trend in Australia to honour both countries, but it has long been the established norm in New Zealand.
Alison Whittington, Northcote.
Deportation issue
Sultan Ali Abdul Ali Akbari should be returned to his own country regardless of the consequences. He has committed six assaults or indecent acts on four females (two of whom were children aged 8 and 10) since his arrival in October 2012, including offences while he was awaiting trial.
It is my opinion that he should not be granted a five-year reprieve to prove he has been rehabilitated as he has shown that he has no accountability for his actions.
I implore the government officials to deal with this and deport him immediately.
It is this Government's responsibility to take serious action as it is obvious that a prison sentence is not going to rehabilitate him and the safety of the
New Zealand female community is paramount.
Jan Bickerton, Hobsonville.
Scottish football
Further to the letter from John Bradley regarding coverage of the London Marathon, the same applies with football results from every country in Europe except Scotland.
Last weekend was cup semifinals and no results. This has occurred on a regular basis for many years.
It is as if your journalists choose or are informed to ignore Scottish results.
Ian Law, New Lynn.
