The subject matter is deeply troubling, but the insertion of the word pēpi, in place of baby, throughout the article reflects respect for our language and people. Ka pai. Photo / File
The subject matter is deeply troubling, but the insertion of the word pēpi, in place of baby, throughout the article reflects respect for our language and people. Ka pai. Photo / File
LETTERS
Praise for te reo in article
Thank you for the use of te reo - "pēpi" (Newborn uplifts 'more by routine than exception', report finds, Chronicle, August 7) .
The subject matter is deeply troubling, but the insertion of the word pēpi, in place of baby, throughout the articlereflects respect for our language and people. Ka pai.
While NZ First vetoed progressive Green legislation in the coalition, they audaciously call the Green economy "pixie dust".
When NZ First supported a National government in the late 90s, the Massey Report showed that the gap between New Zealand's rich and poor was now one of the widest amongst developed economies.
For the most part, it still is - in a large part due, in my opinion, to Peters' short-sighted conservatism.
Indeed, the stagnating economy only took off in 2000 when the coalition government, supported by the Greens, reversed NZ First/National's 90s policies.
This then-new coalition raised top-end income taxes for the wealthy, increased regulations, and bought back state-owned businesses and houses that National and NZ First ran into the ground with their real pixie dust economy.
A report by the New Zealand Initiative admits that the top 5 per cent of New Zealanders own about 40 per cent of the nation's wealth.
Meanwhile, economic modelling show that only 6 per cent of Kiwis will have to pay the proposed wealth tax on property and shares.
Averaging in recessions, property and share prices annual increase is 7 per cent or more.
Most of that profit, when realised, is entirely tax-free. That immense loophole does not exist in any other developed nation. No wonder that poverty and homelessness here remain high; health and education are struggling.
Many European political parties and governing bodies including the European Union either have, or are now considering reinstating wealth taxes.
Switzerland, the standard of economic responsibility, has a wealth tax of up to 1 per cent. Economic rock star Thomas Piketty recommends a universal wealth tax of 5 per cent for the super-rich.
Additionally, few mention the Green tax cut. It excludes the first $10,000 earned from income tax. Indeed, the Greens were the first to also support quantitative easing, now a universal mainstream policy.
Only the Greens are truly countering the catastrophic economic fallout from human-caused climate change. If their detractors bothered to look at the hard data, they'd see that the Greens have among the most economically responsible policies in New Zealand.
I would question the survey results initiated by the Regional Velodrome Trust to back up their claim that 83 per cent of Whanganui residents polled, "overwhelmingly" backed the velodrome roof.
The population of Whanganui is currently 47,300 people and a poll conducted of 427 people, less than 1 per cent of the population, is hardly an overwhelmingly majority. How many of those people polled were actually ratepayers of the city, who will undoubtedly eventually be lumbered with some proportion of costs for this "want" item, which is really not a "need" ...
The velodrome roof is the obsession of one person on council, not the entire citizenry of Whanganui who I imagine are absolutely fed up with rates rising every year to cover items that are non-essential. [Abridged]
