Letters: New Zealand ‘should model itself on best socio-economic countries in world’; Auckland Transport projects; and the All Blacks’ entourage

Matthew Hooton (NZ Herald, December 22) says New Zealand has a choice of heading towards the Scandinavian or US-style models for our social and economic development. In one line, he dismisses the Scandinavian model of high, progressive taxation, extensive education and welfare systems and high trust in government where the "right size" of government is quite large. He then elaborates in the rest of his article about how we need to head further down the track towards the US model of low, flatter taxation, minimal welfare and low trust in government with the "right size" of government being small — in fact, 25 per cent less than it is now, according to his reckoning.

I challenge Hooton to dedicate his next article to explaining why Scandinavian countries are always on top of the world rankings of social and economic indicators, like the Human Development Index and the Global Competitive Index, and why the US languishes much further down the rankings despite its size and wealth.

New Zealand should model itself on the socio-economic models of the best countries in the world.

Boyd Swinburn, Professor of Population Nutrition and Global Health, University of Auckland.

Liven up the carols

As an old dude having suffered the same Christmas carols over and over for some 83 years it suddenly occurred to me how dreary, inane and downright boring they are. Bing Crosby tried to liven them up a shade with a slightly upbeat "Jingle Bells" but even that eventually succumbed back to dreary and boring. Christmas is supposed to be a celebratory and joyous occasion so surely there are some Dixieland or bluegrass musicians out there who can liven them up a bit.

Gary Hollis, Mellons Bay.

In a better position?

Mike Munro’s article "Mini budget triumph of spin over substance" (NZ Herald, December 22) goes on to talk about what happened in Britain — clutching at straws and sounding a bit desperate. Does he truly think Labour left us in a better position than when they took office? National’s mini-budget was just that (with very little time left in the year to be more drastic). More substantial cost savings to reign in spending will occur next year and the years after. After all, as he said, "This is the last time this year to give everyone an earful about the grim state of economic affairs". I agree with this statement.

I MacGregor, Greenhithe.

Holidaying Kiwis

Judging by figures quoted recently, about 20 per cent of our population have sufficient funds to fly on a domestic holiday. Many more are flying overseas with average fares significantly higher than the domestic equivalent.

There is hardly a spare motel bed in Taupo and I suggest Rotorua, Whangamatā, Mangōnui and most other traditional North Island holiday resorts are similar. These North Island resorts are almost certainly filled with North Island drivers, not holiday flyers.

In Taupo, the no-vacancy signs were up several days prior to the actual holiday dates and it has been almost impossible to obtain the services of any trades or service personnel for a week or more.

I can only conclude New Zealand is actually a very wealthy country, or inhabited by a large percentage of people with precious little financial nous.

Robert Burrow, Taupo.

Swapping places

Matthew Hooton (NZ Herald, December 22) is always good for a giggle. Forty years after Roger Douglas and his enablers like Ruth Richardson, New Zealand is poorer, less productive and more divided as a society than say, the wonderful Norman Kirk years. Hooton’s prescription for our current catastrophic situation? Double down on Rogernomics.

Interestingly, the exact same 40 years of calamity here has seen China rise from among the poorest countries in the world to one of the richest. China and NZ have swapped places. Bureaucrats dictate how business must be conducted in China; here business sees government as needed only when it can’t stand on its own feet and goes blubbing to the government for handouts.

Mark Nixon, Remuera

Praise for Brash

Congratulations to Don Brash and The Weekend Herald (December 23) for publishing his opinion piece headlined "Why on Earth would we join Aukus?" I trust our Foreign Minister Winston Peters will give serious consideration to the sane and sensible analysis and advice of Brash.

Frank Tay, Papanui

Critical of ‘enhancements’

Just a friendly warning to residents of Blockhouse Bay and Blockhouse Bay Village shop owners.

Auckland Transport "upgraded" the Railside Ave/Great North Road Henderson intersections. Valuable car spaces were lost and local businesses closed due to lack of passing trade. Judder bars were also installed, and traffic built up in all directions. After a backlash from shop owners and the general public alike, AT reversed the "enhancements". Now this area is flourishing again. I can only assume that the remedial work was done once again at the ratepayer’s cost.

Another example of AT’s "enhancements" can be seen at Glen Eden Shopping Centre on the corner of West Coast Road/Glendale Roads. What an eyesore.

AT has also installed a raised intersection and traffic lights at the Universal Drive/Rathgar Road intersection in Henderson. Surely anyone should have realised before it even started that this was going to be a total waste of our ratepayers’ money. This intersection remains a disaster. Traffic tails back in all directions for most of the day. The visual pollution is bad, the noise pollution is bad, the fumes are bad and the tailbacks are bad. AT also put in three raised pedestrian crossings on Swanson Road, where pedestrian lights would have been simpler and cheaper.

All of the projects I have mentioned have eaten up valuable ratepayers’ money. What a waste. AT needs to be held to account.

Norm Smith, Henderson.

A QUICK WORD

Mike Munro’s opinion piece (NZ Herald, December 22) refers in part to the UK Tory financial plan in 2010 as the decade that broke Britain. In NZ, the previous government spent six years without any plan that effectively reached the same end result.

A J Petersen, Kawerau.

It is only a few weeks since the Coalition Government claimed they had all the answers. It has not taken them long to realise that they don’t - I refer of course to the expert advisory committee being set up for the Cook Strait ferry problem. Will we be told how much this is costing the taxpayer?

Greg Cave, Sunnyvale.

Regarding the Cook Strait ferry issues, why not lease the best ships available for the next 20 years and have private enterprise build and run the ports. It seems to work for Auckland Airport.

Andrew Fleming, Epsom.

John Mihaljevic’s letter (Weekend Herald, December 23) suggesting that putting MPs on the minimum wage to see how many "really are there only for the public good" is one of the more asinine expressions I have seen of our kneejerk national obsession with how politicians are overpaid. Presumably, doctors and teachers should be treated likewise, to demonstrate their commitment to education and health care respectively. Firebrand unionist Bill Andersen, a Communist and no friend of politicians, once lamented in a conversation with me that the low esteem in which we held politicians was a threat to democracy. I share his view.

Peter Calder, Auckland.

Glen Stanton’s vision of a new waterfront stadium (Weekend Herald letters, December 23) is seriously flawed. Rugby sevens, hockey and football are all very well. But as soon as you add an athletics track as he suggests, you ruin all of the above for spectators.

B Harper, Kohimarama.

I recently contacted Auckland Transport to suggest they install a give-way sign at a busy local intersection and also request they rectify incorrect lane markings. Both problems could be easily fixed with a tin of white paint, a sign and a can of black paint for the incorrect lane marking. Their reply was that as there had been no traffic accidents reported at either spot in the past five years they would not be taking any further action. Strange however that they can spend $300,000-plus installing raised pedestrian crossings where there have also been no reported accidents.

Richard Murray, Henderson.

The All Blacks have an astounding entourage of 21 people. Is it possible with numbers of that magnitude they could come to an arrangement with the Prime Minister and go 50:50 in sharing the cost of a new plane to get them around?

Bary Williams, Sunnyhills.

Friends are good to have; good friends are even better, but nothing beats a good neighbour - they are a blessing. Merry Christmas to the good neighbours.

Renton Brown, Pukekohe.

The proposal that speed bumps improve road safety is very subjective. What is certain is that they increase fuel consumption and emissions. The only useful place for them is at school crossings/zones where reduced speed is a requirement anyway.

Derek Paterson, Sunnyhills.

Once again the UN "Security" Council demonstrates its utter irrelevance by taking 10 days of arguing to produce yet another resolution that pleases only some diplomats, will be completely ignored by all warring parties, and does absolutely nothing for the security of civilians and other non-combatants caught in the crossfire. It is time that this post-WWII anachronism is abolished in its current form, as it no longer serves the interests of anyone other than the veto-holding nations and their geopolitical ambitions.

E.J. Bax, Auckland

Increasingly, China regards New Zealand as one of its economic colonies, part of its Belt and Road Initiative, and Don Brash (Weekend Herald, December 23) appears to be fairly comfortable with this. China certainly seems to be better at capitalism these days than the United States (that "flawed" democracy), but should we really be cosying up to a totalitarian, surveillance regime?

Arch Thomson, Mt Wellington.