A final plea for ‘blessed peace’

If only my mum had access to assisted dying, her death needn’t have been full of pain and terror.

Mum nursed my stepfather through several crippling strokes. He begged to be allowed to die from pneumonia, but his wishes were disregarded. They pumped him full of antibiotics. He survived several years longer, incontinent and spoon-fed. Mum was his devoted carer.

At age 88, she was diagnosed with stomach cancer. When all pain medications became ineffective, she resorted to sourcing cannabis on the black market.

But, ever a law-abiding woman, she later became terrified that she’d be caught breaking the law, so she stopped.

The last time we were together she made it clear that she wanted to die because she could no longer bear either the unrelieved suffering or the the terror of envisaging what was in store for her.

I’ve hesitated to speak out because my mum’s story is so personal and raw. However, when I read some of the ‘‘fake fearmongering’’ published about assisted dying, I feel obliged to say something.

Not only would assisted dying bring relief from suffering, but just knowing it was there as a last resort would bring a blessed peace of mind.

Irene Rutter, Lower Hutt

Reining in the wolves

Now is not a good time to be working for an Australian bank in New Zealand or Australia. When your leaders are behaving in such a fast and loose manner resembling The Wolf of Wall Street with client assets, it raises questions over whose money is it?

The lack of senior bank executive accountability over the GFC, when no senior bank executives were sent to jail and personal assets sequestered in the US, the UK, and no doubt, had it carried on longer, Australia, begs the question over regulatory ‘‘teeth’’.

Hiding behind system failures, digital delivery platform weaknesses is no longer an acceptable excuse.

The downside of digital financial services is that provider accountability is severely diminished. Past statutes that were key gateposts to prevent a financial rort of mum and dad banking customers by their investment banking units have been rolled back by politicians, some of whom were ‘‘hand in glove’’ with the banks. It is time for the ‘‘mother of all enforcement actions’’ against such banks found to be nothing more than indulging in theft. Whilst we no longer have the stocks on Lambton Quay we expect CEOs of Kiwi-owned Australian banks to do the honourable thing.

Guy Dobson, Levin

A working-class sham

On Tuesday, February 5, some group set up a stage in the Hutt Recreation Ground and from 10am until 9.30pm produced the most hideous sounds imaginable at a volume that made thinking, reading or any normal activity almost impossible.

Our house literally shook from the appalling racket emanating from little more than 200 metres away. I later found it was some person called Jimmy Barnes who was responsible, although he probably had others to help him produce what he fondly imagined was music. I originally thought it was a combination of artillery and strangled cats producing the sounds.

I am incensed that the Hutt City Council should allow such a public nuisance. If any citizen made such a row at that volume for that length of time the noise control officers would be around in a flash.

The very least the council could do for ratepayers is issue earplugs or pay the cost of a room in a hotel in Wellington, well away from such extreme noise pollution.

I suppose whatever kickback the council got from this farce more than outweighed any concerns they have of annoying residents and losing votes. Allen Heath, Woburn

Words and a whine

In his inimitable way, Joe Bennett discusses corporate language (A masterpiece from the jungle, Feb 6).

In the same issue a recruitment agency, acting on behalf of a government department, is looking for people, such as those who are ‘‘influencers’’, or those who can ‘‘provide system thought leadership’’, or those who have ‘‘innovative ideas that can be operationalised’’.

This is tosh that rivals wine critics’ description of wine, such as (and I quote): ‘‘generous ripe cherry, plum and spice flavours and shows excellent complexity and gentle tannins. Elegant, rather than super-charged’’ . . . etc, etc.

Isn’t it about time we cut through this sort of marketing gobbledygook? Really and truly, to coin a phrase from my day: ‘‘It’s all a bit of a dag.’’

Garry Whincop, Napier

How to retain teachers

So, according to Sue Allen (Feb 5) it is rebranding that’s going to fix the teacher shortage. Just emphasise the idealistic and society-changing aspects of the curriculum and the best and brightest will flock to the profession.

As a former secondary school principal, I can confirm that recruiting competent teachers has always been historically difficult, and the present fraught situation merely a continuation of those times. New branding, more money, less contact time may induce more new graduates and overseas teachers to apply, but if the present appalling attrition rate of 17 per cent in the first five years continues, the longterm situation will not improve.

Teaching is a much harder and more complex profession than most people acknowledge and those gifted practitioners are soon pirated by more attractive occupations. The more you widen the objectives of teaching the less attractive it will be.

It’s not money, status, holidays or a wish to change society, it’s job satisfaction, a sense of creativity and an opportunity to grow intellectually, through teaching one’s speciality subject. Paul Wah, Lower Hutt