Less pay for MPs, more for nurses

Teachers and nurses deserve more money but the Government has no more to offer. What is to be done? Remember the Higher Salaries Commission, now called the Remuneration Authority? It operates under criteria for determining the pay of highly paid government officials including MPs and judges.

The statute that controls the authority must be amended to force the authority to narrow the wealth gap that’s developed.

It is not that the Government is out of money, the money is going to the wrong people. John Caldwell, Howick.

Pay claims

Every time I see demands for seriously increased pay for public servants two things come to mind. First, the supporters’ apparent total lack of understanding of the consequences. Nurses undoubtedly deserve better, although how much better than a nearly 10 per cent rise is uncertain. So do teachers, fire fighters, police, almost anyone you can think of.

And yes, they are all disgracefully underpaid by comparison with those in Oz. But have you considered how much extra tax you as (mainly underpaid) privately employed citizens will have to pay so they can all get their just rewards?

Second, New Zealand is a seriously low wage economy attempting to pretend it is really first world. We do not have the economic capacity to match other OECD countries with the overwhelming infrastructure and other needs we have. Can we please get just a little bit real.

Alan Hay, St Heliers.

Charge for the food

I notice none of your correspondents has raised the issue of “user pays” in the various arguments about the nursing pay rises. Why should the taxpayer be saddled with the total costs of hospitalisation? If the patients were asked to pay for at least the costs of their food and drink while they stayed in hospital, or if pensioners had their state pensions suspended while in hospital, there would be more than sufficient to meet any pay increases. No doubt this suggestion will be met with deafening silence by those who expect something for nothing.

Bruce Woodley, Birkenhead.

Poor play

I agree with your reviewer Paul SimeiBarton that the Auckland Theatre Company’s rewriting of Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard was a failure.

How he could then go on to praise the production is baffling.

Others around us confirmed that much of the dialogue from the female actors was inaudible. Clearly they have never learned to project their voices.

There was no clear storyline nor any sense of passion or emotion, and the attempted humour fell flat. In fact there was no real laughter from the audience, only a few nervous titters. Neither the dog nor the pot smoking served any artistic purpose. The result was a dismal and pathetic interpretation of a classic piece of theatre. Janie Weir, Newmarket.

Kidsline support

John Roughan says my unexpected longevity in Dancing with the Stars makes a Kiwi parallel to Americans electing Donald Trump. This is fantastically mischievous and had me tittering away.

Then he got into some less amusing mischief when he said my fundraising for Kidsline on the show “seems like a political choice” and is somehow designed to provide political cover for my End of Life Choice Bill.

I signed up as a Kidsline volunteer in 1999, aged 16. The idea I did this in preparation for introducing the End of Life Choice Bill in 2015 would pique even the most gullible conspiracy theorist’s radar. It also ignores last year’s health select committee report which said legalised assisted dying is not linked with increased youth suicide. Even if I was as farsighted as Roughan claims, there is no connection.

More importantly, Roughan has carelessly trivialised the wonderful work Kidsline and its volunteers do for thousands of children every year. I am proud to support that work with every ounce of my dancing ability.

David Seymour, MP for Epsom.

Right to refuse

David Seymour says he is open to changing his End of Life Choice Bill to stop objecting doctors being punished.

Currently, his proposed bill gives both patients and doctors ethical choices. If a doctor chooses to tell a terminally ill person that they will not provide medical assistance in dying but then refuses to give them the contact details of a panel of doctors who are willing to consider such a request, they would be denying that person their legal rights. Don’t punish the doctor, just make sure the person needing help can be told where to find it.

Mary Panko, Beach Haven.

Elderly need visits

Congratulations to Sam Johnson for his caring comments regarding the elderly and the need for interaction with others. How wonderful to read how a young man cares for others. So many older folk are living as singles, widows and widowers, in rest homes and retirement villages especially, and are often forgotten. Families move overseas or immigrants leave the old folk behind. For many younger people the family relationships have disappeared. How many elderly get visits from the family they created in the first instance? We need our young to care for and respect the lonely oldies.

The book Being Mortal by Atul Gawande promotes the interaction of young and old by opening up villages for the elderly at special times for young mothers to bring in babies and children to visit, meet and form friendships where all can benefit. Even possibly the pet dog.

I have recently suggested this to NZ First MP Tracey Martin, Minister for Seniors, hoping she might encourage the idea as it is already in the UK and US where it is successful. When I was a district health board member the “ageing in place” policy was introduced by Annette King, but surely not if the place is a lonely prison.

Jill Jeffs, Orewa.

Chamberlain Park

In the days of proportional representation and continuous consultation with every special interest group under the sun, it is amazing Peter Haynes and his Albert- Eden Local Board, by virtue of a one-vote majority, wield unbridled executive power the late Rob Muldoon might envy. Equally amazing that this parochial clique has the power of life and death over a regionally significant recreational facility.

One can only hope the Auckland Council resists the coming calls from Dr Haynes and co to spend millions “developing” an asset that currently pays its way in order to create another trough that will no doubt require frequent replenishment from the ratepayer.

John Redwood, Castor Bay.

Playing for cards

Both spectators and players are milking rugby’s current weakness. Now for even minor offences players are staying down until the maximum scrutiny has been achieved, encouraged by partisan crowds apparently taking huge satisfaction from seeing a player sent off, as if it’s a legitimate way to win a game. Wrong. It’s killing it.

David Hill, Freeman’s Bay.

AT’s surveys

Once again a section of the Auckland Council, namely Auckland Transport, has published its latest survey which you describe as “loaded”. The results come out in the same way many other surveys, including those of the People’s Panel, are written. These surveys have been done for several years for the council and AT by council contractors formerly known as Ubiquity Engage which has become part of Qrious which is a part of Spark.

Today I was invited, as a member of the People’s Panel, to do a survey “about the People’s Panel itself” and “you’ll go into the draw to win 1 of 10 $50 vouchers”. My responses were negative and judging from past surveys completed, will be disregarded as being outside the margin of error or irrelevant because of my age.

The editorial well sums up my opinions on such surveys which only go to bolster the public relations exercises of the council bureaucracy and not responding to the needs of the local communities.

Roger Bryant, Surfdale.

Track charges

When I see letters such as the one from Ericson List, I can only assume the writers haven’t travelled much. Many countries impose charges for access to reserves and use differential pricing, cheaper for locals. We have a very small population in relation to our land mass which means an even smaller group of tax payers. Adding a charge at the border makes sense and is minimal in relation to the cost of getting here for most tourists.

The alternative is to instigate entry fees for many of our national parks and reserves. Jacqui Ross, Massey.