Abuse statistics reflect NZ’s reality of toxic masculinity

I take issue with Pieter van Dongen’s assertion that child abuse is ‘‘not who we are’’ (Letters, March 1).

This is surely a rose-tinted view of our spectacularly bad domestic-abuse statistics. In too many homes this is a dangerous country to be a child or spouse. This is a country in many ways defined by toxic male violence.

Look at the position rugby holds in our national consciousness. Look at the haka. Both of these icons of New Zealand glorify in violence, in aggression.

Look at the way many New Zealand men drive their cars, as macho extensions of their frail egos. Look at our male suicide rates, some of the highest in the Western world. Add to that our addiction to meth and rising rates of wealth differentiation and you have an angry, toxic mess.

Our abuse statistics, while shameful, are an accurate picture of ‘‘who we are’’. Only by confronting the awkward reality of modern New Zealand can we hope to make positive changes in the future.

Patrick Houlahan, Auckland

Smell the ko¯whai

Who could dispute Carol Brown’s objections to having ‘‘others’ ideas of virtue and worthiness forced upon them’’, in relation to their native tongue (Letters, March 1)?

Certainly not those Ma¯ ori who, for at least the past 160 years, have been resisting the negative effects of colonisation: land loss, depopulation, language loss, overt and hidden racism, the whole nine yards.

Then look what happens when, since the stirrings of the 1970s, recovery starts taking hold, empowerment kicks in,

Pa¯ keha¯ slowly wake up and realise they are living in a world with a different story – and language – to the one that they’ve been told.

Kua tai mai te wa¯ : e oho, e hoa ma¯ , kia rongo ki te ko¯ whai – time to wake up my friends, and smell the ko¯ whai.

Jeffrey Paparoa Holman, O¯ tautahi

Biases in healthcare

Tom Stephens (Letters, March 1) needs to understand that every human behaves with inherent bias including those within the medical fraternity.

A succession of young doctors were adamant that my pain and restriction of movement following a mountain-biking crash were due to my middle age.

Apparently the information, documented and verbal, that I had always been physically active, always recovered quickly from injury, and had a high tolerance of pain, did little to dissuade them that I was anything other than a middleaged weekend warrior. After two years of argument a scan finally confirmed a series of cracked spinal discs.

As a member of an ethnic group with the highest mortality rate I have also seen the racial biases at play in healthcare. All I ask is that the medical fraternity treat me and mine with the same consideration that they would give to their own ethnic group. Artie Goad, Nelson

Surely the biggest measuring stick for our medical fraternity would be the health of the community.

Yes, maybe the message isn’t being heard or, as Stephens says, not listened to. The doctors from ethnic minorities are here – some are driving Ubers, taxis, and buses. Yes, racism happens in all forms, even in the medical fraternity.

Robbie Timo, Christchurch

CV indifference

It’s not only the older job applicants who don’t get responses from potential employers.

On behalf of a current Harvard undergraduate already achieving very interesting work in robotics, I wrote to eight companies in the field asking if they were interested in his availability in New Zealand in 2020 and enclosing a CV. None replied.

Tony Marks, Omaha Beach

Work, work, work

Damien Grant (Focus, March 1) expresses concern over the corrosive effect of an oppressive tax burden.

He will be pleased to hear New Zealand probably doesn’t fall into that category – New Zealand personal income tax rate is about average, significantly lower than that of many European nations and much lower than Australia’s (from a recent KPMG report).

Grant (and Paul Goldsmith) also seemed concerned that the tax system causes people to choose leisure over work.

Goodness, have they heard of work-life balance or do they work seven days a week? I applaud the people who, once they have sufficient income for their needs, choose to spend less time at paid work and more with family and in the community.

And my concern is for those for who would love to be in a position (sufficient income) to make such a choice.

Koa Saxby, Marahau