Letters to the editor: Group responds to mayor's comments

Aerial shot of Rotorua. Photo / File

Rotorua District Residents and Ratepayers (RDRR) supports much of the mayor's opinion piece on Covid-19 (Opinion, April 3).

We are also thankful to staff delivering essential services, those in lockdown keeping others safe, and the outbreak of humanity we are witnessing.

Council was smart to adopt the Government's packages - to cushion impacts on people and businesses and encourage recovery.

Putting all projects on hold during lockdown and reviewing them with Government guidelines. Giving essential services (three waters, roading, rubbish and recycling) top priority.

However, we disagree with the mayor's belief that "assistance needs to be targeted right, alongside packages coming from central government". Council does not hold income data. It can't determine effects with precision. So-called rightful targeting can, in our view, result in subsidies distorting market signals, wasteful duplication of government programmes and cronyism.

In our opinion, the fastest way Rotorua can recover is to leave as much money in the community as possible to maximise people's choices and boost innovation. Every extra dollar the council takes out of the community will slow recovery.

Deferring current rates six or 12 months plus freezing and cutting annual rates will give our people the break they need and accelerate economic recovery.

Reynold Macpherson
Councillor

Cautious optimism

There is cautious optimism from the scientists that NZ is winning the war against Covid-19.

I watched Prime Minister Jacinda Adern on Tuesday doing her television presentation, alongside the Director General of Health.

What a performance.

At question time she pre-empted the journalists by jumping straight into the David Clark debacle.

In my view, the journalists flogged it to death.

She was all over the big picture with so many facts and figures at her fingertips.

Our Government is listening to the scientists and basing its decisions on facts and science-based evidence.

Earlier that morning I watched Trump on Al Jazeera. No contest.

If he's not promoting unproven drugs then he's name dropping and telling us he's best friends with some world leader or other.

I know who I want to be running our country.

I hope Adern doesn't bow to pressure and lift the lockdown too soon. The medical professionals are saying until a vaccine is available the virus can only be managed - which means in our case, closing the borders.

So although we will come out of this with a damaged economy I hope with time we can build a brave new world.

(Abridged)

Lesley Haddon
Rotorua