Poorer kids let down far too long

Middle class advantage rules when it comes to schools and their communities accessing NCEA assistance for students with learning difficulties. Those who know the game, understand the system, speak English as a first language, can write the letters, fill out the forms, and have the school resources to build up an evidence bank for each student, clearly benefit.

While I can’t decry any parent or school wanting the best for their students, I feel ashamed of an education and political system that for so long has ignored statistics and evidence which shows so many economically poorer students and schools are missing out. It is the role of the state, in this case the Ministry of Education, and policy makers to measure and find a way to balance such inequities.

There has been abysmal failure for decades. For we who care about all students, not just the comfortable and wealthy, so much hope is vested in the review of Tomorrow’s Schools.

Vicki Carpenter, Grey Lynn. Teacher aids

Simon Collins quotes psychologist Peter Coleman as suggesting academic achievement is worse in British schools because teacher aids prompt or complete students’ work. Other studies of intervention with individual students are said to show reduced interaction with classmates. What these comments overlook is that, in New Zealand at least, a key role of teacher aids is to help students develop social skills so they can cope with school and fit into general classrooms. But teacher aids have no organised training schemes and are managed by individual schools, so could probably become more effective if a training scheme were introduced.

Marshall Piercy, Devonport. Forestry blunder

I am sure if Shane Jones was putting his hand in his own pocket, like those of us who actually generate the funds he describes as a “speed bump”, having it mulched and then listening to some smart-mouth politician arrogantly dismiss it as though $160,000 is a pittance not worthy of his current station, he would be climbing off his plastic turtle, easing the chewy part of his Tommee Tippee cup out of his self-proclaimed eloquent mouth and making a clever quip like, “Speed bumps don’t cost $160k”.

This Government seems to spend a lot of taxpayer money smashing into major roadblocks. And we all hope he never sees another backbencher’s salary or any other salary paid by the taxpayer because he clearly isn’t worth it.

Craig Dalton, East Tamaki. Infrastructure finance

Interesting that ACC can provide a fixed rate loan of $49.9 million for the Milldale subdivision while proposing a levy increase. The 2019 to 2021 levy proposal would see an increase on the earners’ levy of 2.5 per cent and an increase on the

motor vehicle levy from $113.94 to $127.68, which includes a 1.9c rise in the cost of a litre of fuel, a total increase of 12.1 per cent. Brian J. Edwards, Henderson. Men’s health

I am not surprised men are “not talking” if the patronising survey in your paper by the Movember Foundation is anything to go by.

Apparently we Kiwi males are incapable of filling out a survey on mental health unless it is full of joke questions, frequently refers to sport and talks in the language of a 16-year-old. Such stereotyping is why a lot of men aren’t talking.

Duncan Pardon, Beachlands. Bikeway busy

I'm always amazed you give Mike Hosking such a prominent platform for his views. In response to his criticism that cycleways are a waste of money, as a journalist he should know that observing traffic volumes on a single cycleway on a single day at a single point in time does not constitute evidence of under-use.

I suggest he spends a few evenings on the northwestern cycleway at peak traffic and watch hundreds of cyclists flying past their fossil-fuelled counterparts backed up on the adjacent motorway.

H. Brown, Blockhouse Bay. Case reviewed

Please accept my gratitude for your journalist Nicholas Jones taking on my story and following it through with the Taranaki DHB. I had been rejected by the DHB for testing of a possible cancer lump. As a result of Nicholas’ intervention, I was accepted for review, then slotted in quickly to a “cancellation” slot to see the specialist. Now I have an appointment for a CT scan and follow-up.

The Herald has allowed me to use the public system I pay for and get the required medical support. I am sure the article has opened up further cases of rejection and it is time the DHB was held to account. Darryn Sunnex, Hawera. Health waiting times

The fact that the Auckland woman to whom you refer in your editorial cannot access prompt treatment within the public system is truly regretful but the private surgical hospital sector is not the cause, nor are those doctors and specialists who choose to work privately.

The private sector is willing and able to help DHBs provide the extra capacity they need. We have surgical capacity DHBs can make use of and our members have long called for a strategic partnership between the public and private sectors to ensure public hospitals can make good use of its capacity.

DHBs typically have a number of significant other pressures that constrain their ability to deliver services. What our sector doesn’t do is impact on the set financial and clinical access thresholds by which patients are “screened” for accessing public sector services.

It is useful to note, however, that where specialists have the ability to work in both the private and public sectors, this ultimately aids the recruitment and retention of the specialist workforce for the benefit of the public sector.

Richard Whitney, President, NZ Private Surgical Hospitals Assn. Missing pair

The 100th anniversary of the signing of

the armistice is a step to preventing further such events. As part of the remembrance, leaders took a symbolic walk in rain down the Champs-Elysees. But Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin were missing. The concern is that despite now “playing nice”, theirs are two of the countries most likely to start fighting.

Symbolism is important and unless Trump and Putin are willing to be leaders, not only of their countries, but of this walk and the search for peace, they should recognise their failings and resign.

Dennis Fitzgerald, Melbourne. Gas needed

Jeannette Fitzsimons is out of date on climate science. The global warming potential of methane is, says Niwa, 24, not 86, and it doesn’t last long in the atmosphere. The US Environmental Protection Agency says methane leakage from drilling, etc is less than 1 per cent.

Carbon capture and storage always was impractical and a waste of money. But why try to reduce quantities of a harmless gas whose only effect is to promote plant growth?

Given environmentalists' hostility to storing hydropower, we have no option but to continue burning coal and gas. The restrictions on gas exploration will mean that we burn more coal.

Terry Dunleavy MBE, Hauraki. No dogs on fields

Josephine Stanton is naive if she thinks allowing dog walkers to use sports fields will not create a huge health problem for those playing sport, especially children. She correctly identifies dog poo as the main problem, but claims owners pick up after their dogs. That is not always true, resulting in health hazards. The only solution is to prohibit dog walkers from using sports fields. David Mairs, Glendowie. UN migration pact

Next month in Morocco, the UN migration compact is expected to be adopted. Its purpose is unclear. The US withdrew in 2017, suggesting the compact would undermine US sovereignty. Australia did the same in August this year. Hungary, Croatia, Austria, Poland and the Czech Republic may also reject it. Austria suggested it would “lead to a human right to migration”. The Czechs suggested the pact was blurring the difference between legal and illegal migration.

If our traditional allies are suggesting the compact undermines national sovereignty in respect of migration control, why would New Zealand look to hand over our migration policy development to an international body?

Ross Jamieson, Wellington.