Local body law change heralded

An amendment to the Local Bodies Act at present before Parliament will make voting for the Auckland Council worthwhile.

The responsibility for the development of our city will be returned to our elected representatives. CCOs will be restricted to administering decisions, not to making them.

Building multi-storey parking buildings on the waterfront and reintroducing trams to our streets will be subject to citizens’ democratic opinions.

Auckland Transport will no longer be expected to “make a profit” by providing the cheapest daily parking at $11 for 12 hours; or hundreds of monthly leased spaces in the CBD; and new developments within a few metres of the terminus of trains, buses and ferries allowed to include several floors of parking for its workers — all making a considerable contribution to road congestion.

The new council will not have to take responsibility for connecting the country’s largest airport to the nation’s transport system. That is a state responsibility and should be by a fast and frequent electric rail connection to Newmarket.

John Billingsley, Parnell.

Climate denial

The big difficulty with pushing for acrossthe-board action to combat climate change is we’re being asked to make big changes now for the sake of future sustainability. But our consumer society is driven by gratification now, not planning for the future. All the talk is about economic growth and bigger and better not long-term sustainability.

Most people are like the cigarette smoker who won’t stop until they have lung cancer or an obese person who won’t stop overeating until their health collapses. We’re not going to ditch driving our fossil-fuelled vehicles or stop burning coal and oil for cheap electricity until dramatic climate consequences hit us in the face. Then, of course, it’s too late.

The protesters know this. But the socalled silent majority, even if they know what’s happening, simply don’t want to make the changes necessary. Hence the election of Morrison, Trump, Bolsonaro et al in the face of all scientific reason.

Imagine the howls of outrage if the Government introduced car-free days or a ban on selling any more fossil-fuelled vehicles or further oil and coal extraction? But that’s what we need and now.

Jeff Hayward, Auckland Central.

Gun buy-back

We currently have a pro-firearms group complaining about legislation, and saying that it will not affect illegal gun owners, and neither will registration.

These people conveniently ignore that the massacres in New Zealand were perpetrated by people who legally owned guns, from Stan Graham, the Aramoana killer and the alleged Christchurch killer.

The only way of preventing the recent massacres would be to ban MSSAs. It is insane that you can buy a pistol in New Zealand threaded for a silencer.

After the Aramoana massacre, the profirearms group lobbied very strongly and prevented any action and are consequently responsible for enabling the Christchurch event.

Neville Cameron, Coromandel.

Rockstar economy

Mike Hosking seems to spend an inordinate amount of time (NZ Herald, September 26) dusting and genuflecting to portraitures in his hallway of outdated economists such as John Maynard Keynes, born in the time that fire was started by rubbing sticks together and a tax haven was putting the odd pound note under the mattress.

Rather than his dreary view of New Zealand’s GDP, he could leave his hallway activities alone and delve more into the distorted GDP figures of the countries that are tax havens. (Ten to 15 of the top GDP per capita countries, excluding gas and oil producers, are tax havens).

Yep, Peter Lyons, wrote: “Our monetarist approach to managing the economy is severely flawed”. Yes we do need a “reboot”. But my tax haven door is open to any multinational company who wishes to allow me to store a few profits under my mattress.

Justine Adams, Ohope Beach.

Growth strategy

Mike Hosking’s obsession with growth numbers reveals that he does not understand how an economy works.

How much more growth would he like? For how many more years? Forever? And what is the point of growing and growing the New Zealand economy? Most of the rewards are going overseas anyway. His comparison with Greece is actually very appropriate. This country, like Greece, does not control its own destiny. Our external debt is $280 billion. And growing. We are debt slaves to our foreign owners. The basic economic problems of this country were analysed by this country’s greatest economist, Dr W.B. Sutch, 60 years ago. His books are in the library. There was a government 80 years ago able to build thousands of affordable homes. The problems are not the numbers. The problem is incompetence. All our politicians in Wellington are incompetent. Incompetence is the one quality you have to have to qualify for that job. This is a rich country with all the resources to look after each one of its citizens. If Mr Hosking walks around a supermarket for a while he might experience a revelation. Still not enough?

Hans Geese, Whangaparaoa.

Port carpark

Regarding the latest urban design travesty by Ports of Auckland on the City’s waterfront: People should not be surprised.

Councillors approved construction of this multi-storey car park building at a planning committee meeting in 2018. What they may have yet to realise, is that because Ports of Auckland reportedly intend reducing their dividend to the Auckland Council by tens of millions over the next two years, the ratepayers are effectively funding its construction.

Lindsay Mackie, Auckland Central.

Vaping surveys

Your story titled “Student vapers on the rise” (NZ Herald, September 23), based on a survey of 320 schools by the Cancer Society, does not reflect the findings of much more comprehensive research released by the Government in April.

In 2018 almost 29,000 Year 10 students were surveyed by Action for Smokefree 2025 (ASH). It revealed vaping isn’t an issue among early teens in New Zealand.

In fact, the research showed vaping by 14 and 15-year-olds remains low and is falling. It found just 1.8 per cent of students vaped each day, marking a slight drop from 1.9 per cent in 2017. While only 0.5 per cent of students who have never smoked vape daily — a drop from 0.8 per cent in 2017.

At the time Associate Health Minister Jenny Salesa said: “Year 10 vaping in New Zealand remains low, and largely among students who smoke. There is still no evidence to suggest vaping is a gateway to cigarette smoking.”

We strongly support an R18 policy when it comes to selling vaping products. We’re also looking forward to sound and sensible vaping legislation being introduced into Parliament that will get tough on youth marketing.

However, let’s not forget that vaping remains the most effective smoking cessation tool New Zealand has. That’s largely why we’re seeing fewer adult New Zealanders smoking cigarettes. Now that should please the Cancer Society.

Ben Pryor, director, Vapo and Alt NZ.

Flight risk

Your correspondent Warren Cossey (NZ Herald, September 26) makes a valid point about contagious illnesses on airline flights. I am always petrified when flying out on holiday at the thought I will be ill when arriving at my destination and having an expensive holiday ruined.

Mr Cossey may be surprised to know that we can blame the smokefree legislation for this constant threat. When smoking was allowed on airlines, the air was replaced every two minutes, clearing out all smoke and with it any airborne diseases. Today, airlines simply recirculate the diseased air throughout the journey. Kent Millar, Blockhouse Bay.

Democracy in action

The UK parliament’s impasse over Brexit, is a profound display of the undemocratic power of political consensus over the democratic core principle of voter consensus, whereby opposition parties will not agree to Brexit being the basis for the people to have a say in a general election before the end of October prior to the UK’s exit.

Here, MMP relies on political consensus that overrides voter consensus, which produced our Labour-led coalition from political horse-trading.

Kenneth Lees, Whanga¯ rei.