Auckland City Hospital. Photo / Doug Sherring
Over the past two weeks I have had the fortune or misfortune of staying in Auckland City Hospital three times. During this period I have possibly upset a number of hospital staff without meaning to. For 50 years I operated my own businesses in the hobby and motorcycle trades employing up to 50 staff. With this in mind I would like to apologise for being a grumpy old sod during my stay, however I would like to point out that I do have a little knowledge of how businesses run and in my opinion you are all working extremely hard, but there are too many layers of bureaucracy and the place is just far too big.
John Nelson, Blockhouse Bay.
Beneficiary Sonja Lawson plans to sue the Ministry of Social Development over their use of pseudonyms in interviews with her and on related documents. The practice has been ruled illegal by a Social Security Appeal Authority. I understood that the use of pseudonyms is only illegal if the intent is fraud. There is no such intent here, rather the ministry is attempting to hide the true identity of staff from clients they deem a risk. This sounds reasonable and extremely sensible, particularly with past staff attacks and even murders.
Does it really make a difference if a person thinks they are being interviewed by Jones when in fact it is Smith? If using a pseudonym is illegal, then taking a lead from Police witness practice, perhaps they could call themselves Interviewer A or B.
Graham Carter, Herne Bay.
Your survey on whether Jacinda Ardern's age should have a bearing on her ability to be Prime Minister reveals that many who took part lack knowledge of history. Several people younger than 37 have risen to that position. The most notable being William Pitt (The Younger), arguably one of Britain's best leaders, who served twice in that capacity and finally stepped down at the age of 47. He first became Prime Minister in 1783, at the age of 24.
Ian Barton, Pukekohe.
I prefer the one-in-200 year possibility of a week or so of disruption to fuel supplies to the bad old days when petrol to Auckland was delivered by ships. The Maritime Union (or whatever the union was called back then) was always threatening, every time its contract with its employers expired, to go on strike if its demands for a wage increase were not agreed to. To avoid disruption to petrol supplies the employers usually gave in which meant petrol prices were raised.
Michael Eiberg, Albany.
In response to J. Spencer saying farmers receive many subsidies, what century does your correspondent think we are in? I have been farming for 50 years. All farm subsidies ceased in 1984. We are a country renowned for farming without subsidies and proud of it. To my knowledge, the only government support farmers may get is in times of a declared drought or flood disaster with a visit to Winz for aid available to all New Zealanders, and possibly "tax relief" which is simply an adjusted time to pay your tax. Where are these subsidies, so I can claim them?
J. Coatsworth, Omokoroa.
It seems a bit rich for dairy farmers to demonise the leader of the Labour Party as a communist when the majority of dairy farmers belong to a Soviet-style co-operative called Fonterra which was politically sanctioned by the same Labour government that also negotiated a free-trade agreement with Fonterra's largest - communist - customer. Talk about ungrateful.
Owen Poland, Remuera.
During the final debate Bill English proclaimed that he was going to lift 50,000 children out of poverty by increasing various benefits and supplements. He also said, if the Budget surpluses allowed, that he would lift another 50,000 out of poverty in two to three years. How can someone with his commitment to children admit there is this level of child poverty and still be proud of his tax cuts of almost $2 billion in April next year?
Gary McGuigan, Papakura.
After reading of the claimed holes in the Labour Party's proposed budget for the next three years, I decided to check the facts for myself. Bingo. Within three minutes of obtaining a copy from their website, I found the first shortfall. If Labour want to obtain the trust of the electorate, its leader has to match substance with vision. At present it is seriously lacking.
Owen Mansill, Warkworth.
The broken fuel pipeline debacle is a great metaphor for our National Government. Nine years ago we were all led to believe we were on the right track to a life in the Utopian Isles of Aotearoa. Nine years on we are nursing broken systems of education, housing, healthcare, social welfare, policing, public services etc etc.
The one thing still going in New Zealand's favour was tourism. Sadly a lack of maintenance in infrastructure - in particular one pipeline - has probably put paid to that as well. The only thing this Government hasn't broken yet is the country itself, although with a Crown debt of $60b hanging over our heads after only nine short years, we all could be forgiven for thinking otherwise.
Jeremy Coleman, Hillpark.
Correspondent Peter Davis asserts with no justification that less taxation should be based on income and more on wealth and assets. Why? Two features I always thought a good tax system should have is to be fair and to encourage practices generally accepted as being good. How is it fair if two people have had the same income over a lifetime and one has squandered his earnings and the other has saved them to turn around and punish the one who has saved by taxing him?
For a long time we have been told that one of the fundamental weaknesses in the New Zealand economy is a lack of savings. Wasn't that why KiwiSaver was introduced? Taxing those who have saved to provide for their future is hardly an encouragement to save more. It seems more than unfair, it seems perverse.
John Christiansen, Mt Albert.
Your editorial yesterday contained a number of inaccuracies. We are not proposing the Reserve Bank be held to a specific rate of employment but rather that maximising employment becomes one of its objectives. We want to see all parts of our economic apparatus working towards this important goal.
This is in addition to the existing, and critical, goal of managing inflation. This approach is not unusual. Central banks in the United States and Australia have dual mandates. Research by the Federal Reserve Board of Boston that compares the inflation outcomes of the US and a range of single mandate countries shows that over the past 15-20 years the US performed better or as well as single mandate countries in controlling inflation.
There is no evidence the dual mandate approach of the US Federal Reserve contributed to the global financial crisis as you suggest. Similarly, your statement that "Labour's proposed changes to the way the bank operates may be more damaging" is devoid of evidence. In 2003 the Governor formed an informal committee to take on the role of setting the Official Cash rate. Labour's proposal simply seeks to formalise this and include a minority of outside experts. Again, this approach is not unusual around the world.
Grant Robertson, Labour Finance Spokesman.
As an Aussie enjoying all the benefits denied to Kiwis in Oz. I am frankly amazed that Jacinda is the only one with the guts to promise to fix the shocking imbalance. Behind that smile is an iron will.
David Tolmie, Mt Eden.
As this election draws to a close, I think we have a lot to be proud of about the way it has been conducted. First the extent to which the Electoral Commission has worked hard to ensure everybody has the opportunity to enroll. Compare this, for instance, to many states in the USA where some potential voters have unreasonable obstacles put in their way to inhibit their registration.
Then the voting process here is as uncomplicated as it can be and the extended voting period is to be applauded. Finally the election itself, while hard-fought and not without its "Trumpisms", is minus any of the rancour and hatred which we witness in other so-called democracies. So well done all. And I hope all vote - who you vote for is your business, just vote.
Richard Alspach, Dargaville.
They allege the Crown ignored Treaty obligations by not engaging with them.