Letters: Gun recall, football, David Hisco and Israel Folau

If a fair price is not paid then gun owners will not co-operate, even though they put themselves at risk of prosecution, writes H Griffiths. Photo / Getty Images

Opinion

I totally agree with Heather Du Plessis-Allan that the prices paid by the gun buy-back scheme must be a fair percentage of the retail value of the gun, the price that most owners will have paid. If a fair price is not paid then owners will not co-operate, even though they put themselves at risk of prosecution. As there is no register of firearms the scheme depends on the goodwill of owners, and at the moment there isn't a lot.

The next step is to follow Australia's lead and establish a register. Yes, it will take time and money but without it the job is only half done. Additionally, as in Australia, all transfers of ownership of firearms, even private sales, should be through a licensed gun dealer. Then there is a 28-day period in which the police do licence checks, storage checks, and crime checks and if all is okay they then approve the transfer of the firearm. With experience in two different Australian states and here in NZ, I believe we can get a lot tougher here without seriously inconveniencing law abiding gun owners.

H Griffiths, Whitianga

Play the game kinder

Being an avid reader of the Herald on Sunday and a long-time subscriber, I don't moan very often about your articles, but I feel I had to mention "We Salute You" (June 23). You say that a team who score 29-0 in a football (NOT soccer any more in NZ, thank you very much) game are heroes!!??

I don't think you know the meaning of the word. The real heroes are the beaten team for evidently not giving up and for just being good sports in their huge loss — do you not think so?

"Play the game" Herald and be kinder and fairer.

Tony Lawson, One Tree Point

Where attitudes are forged

Regarding the violence towards referees who make unpopular decisions: A few years ago, as a day reliever in an intermediate school, I was given a baseball match to supervise on sports afternoon. The boys in the two teams spat and swore at each other. I gave them two warnings and said that if they continued I would take them off the field. They carried on so I walked them off. The deputy principal came to investigate. Did the boys get a telling off because of their behaviour? No, I did because I'd ruined their game. Easy to see where sporting attitudes are forged.

A Martin, Helensville

Folau new kind of evangelist

Israel Folau is a new kind of evangelist. Christians are forming a queue to fund his defence. He demands the right to publicly spout divisive, offensive, unproven Biblical dogma. It is staggering that his supporters see this as money well spent.

Andrew Tichbon, Greenbay

Will cheques still go?

Was David Hisco, chief of New Zealand's largest bank the ANZ (HOS page 34), possibly the initiator of the secret agreement between all our major banks (as I was advised by a BNZ New Lynn staff member) to stop issuing and processing cheques early in 2020 on the same day to stop people going to banks that still provide that valuable service to customers?

Not all elderly people have computers or apps so how will they pay their bills? But is there hope now Hisco is gone that cheques will stay? I sincerely hope so for thousands of elderly people plus many others who write out cheques so NZ still has 50,000 cheques issued each and every day. What will they all do if cheques go as David has?

Murray Hunter, Titirangi

There's no free lunch

The Herald on Sunday recently reported that Justin Lindsay, a music teacher who is "philosophically opposed to unions" has complained that the 3-month delay in implementing the pay rise for non-union teachers is unfair. Mr Lindsay is apparently unaware that decisions have consequences. In this case, he decided not to support the union and its members. The consequence was that he didn't get all the benefits that the union secured for its members. There's also a truism that applies to his decision: "There's no free lunch."

Gerry Beckingsale, Torbay