Richard Prebble (Opinion, May 20) was part of one of the most unique and strangest phenomena of modern history. In the '80s he, along with Roger Douglas, instigated a radical right-wing economic "coup" within one of the world's most left political parties, the New Zealand Labour Party.
It was unique in the world, perhaps with the exception of the US Republican Party which devolved over a much longer period of time from the progressive party of Lincoln into the proto-fascism of Trump.
All nations accommodated some form of neoliberalism in the '80s-'90s. Flattening of taxes (so that the middle class bore an increasing burden), deregulation, privatisations and the stated destruction of unions were its backbone.
But few nations were so radical. Few were so destructive. According to Statistics NZ, from 1986 when Prebble, Douglas and the Business Roundtable began their radical right revolution, inequality immediately increased 22 per cent, later increasing to 30 per cent under John Key with Prebble's Act in government. Wages stagnated or declined with inflation, only rising marginally under a reformed Labour who revoked their '80s past. Only then did growth return.
Prebble/Act and the right-wing think tank The New Zealand Initiative are still using that scary, highly misleading phrase - "compulsory unionism" - a neoliberal euphemism whose policies were borrowed from US Republicans' "Right to Work" laws. Such deceptively nice-sounding language and policy were instated specifically to undermine unionism and lower wages. They worked.
Essentially New Zealand labour laws allow complacent workers to live on the back of union members who risk strike action and pay all the dues, while they receive the same benefits and wage increase. Their refusal to pay dues also weakens the wage struggle by kneecapping unions. Prebble's article "Back to the future in the workplace" (May 20) is indeed a formula for back to the future of falling wages.
BRIT BUNKLEY
Whanganui
Waste of money
Having wisely decided not to throw good money after bad by roofing the velodrome, I can't believe the council has now chosen to "repair and maintain" the velodrome track at a cost of $2.5 million over two years ... that was not one of the options we were given in the public consultation and is more of a waste of our money than roofing it.
It should be dismantled and the useful parts sold to Cambridge or Invercargill to get some of our wasted funds back.
The cost of demolition is bad enough, why is the council now deciding to spend 10 times as much on repairing an unroofed track? ... What happens at the end of the two years and $2.5m? Back to square one?
MANDY DONNE-LEE
Aramoho
Housing crisis
Anyone who passed Standard 6 (Form 2/Year 8) should have been able to predict the housing crisis. From 1935/36 onwards large portions of the population have been incentivised to go into neutral to qualify for state (taxpayer) funded housing, with an unseen consequence of a fall in GDP (simple economics).
Prior to the Great Depression, New Zealand was number two (behind Norway) in world living standards; we are now 27th.
The demolition of Cannons Creek and disposal of "Pepper Blocks" around New Zealand and career choices are resulting in hundreds of thousands of needies making TV's prime slot.
Lord forgive them (politicians) for they know not what they do.
BOB HARRIS
Whanganui