Look with care at the world

Correspondents in Monday’s newspaper (NZ Herald, October 14) are right to make connections between present US foreign policy towards the Kurds, abandonment of former allies, and blind-eyeing of human rights infringements.

Julie Webb-Pullman, the New Zealand human rights investigator presently touring the country, also points to the deliberate and precedent-setting targeting of hospitals begun in 2014 during Operation Protective Edge. Gaza-based for eight years, Pullman is raising funds to document these breaches of the fourth Geneva Convention. Her team maintains these have become, for lack of world condemnation and enforcement, one of many in Syria also.

For further evidence of the need to protest the treaty breaches or summary abandonment of allies for vulnerable minorities, readers could attend tomorrow evening’s talk at Auckland University by renowned Palestinian academic, Dr Abu Sitta.

No longer can smaller countries say we can do nothing — or should look only to their own backyard. March’s massacre and subsequent “Christchurch call” taught us we are not immune and can have worldwide influence.

With high moral ground abandoned by others, our liberal democracy — with its Waitangi Treaty process and currently rare reformist Government — could shine a bolder light on human rights breaches and settler colonial displacements.

Steve Liddle, Napier.

CCO bonuses

Auckland council-controlled organisations paid $1m in bonuses to senior executives (NZ Herald, October 15).

Auckland Council has no control over these organisations. Phil Goff says he is going to stamp out the payment of bonuses. Good luck to him, he’s been saying this for the past three years. Appointing Chris Darby to the AT board may see something happening but, at the moment, these organisations are totally un-controlled.

If these jokers, the so-called senior executives, receive all this money, how do they gain the respect of all their employees who probably do all the work?

John Mead, Waiheke.

Wasted vote

I walked to the dairy to post my ballot but the postbox had gone so I threw my papers into the rubbish bin. Both systems — the post office and the council — have in common that we pay more and more for them and get less and less.

I’m not going to vote again. I’m not apathetic, I’m just not showing support for something that is broken. By the way, a 3.5 per cent annual increase in rates compounds to 10.9 per cent, not 10.5 per cent as people have stated.

Tony Cooper, Mt Albert.

Wasted energy

I was reading a clipping from the letters page of the Herald of June 12, 2018, with the heading “Burn rubbish for power”. It spoke of a plan, now 19 years ago, to build a rubbish-to-electricity plant in Meremere. It was shelved due to (spurious) resource consent issues.

The Chinese company which owns Waste Management is planning a massive landfill in Dome Valley for Auckland’s rubbish while it currently operates 40 such waste-to-electricity plants in China.

The Meremere facility is currently standing idle with a railway line running alongside it. Need I say more?

Karl van de Water, Northland.

Sports minnows

Your correspondent Kent Millar (NZ Herald, October 14) draws a comparison between the minnows of the Rugby World Cup and the New Zealand Football team’s inclusion as minnows at the Fifa World Cup.

In the 2010 World Cup, NZ drew 0-0 against Paraguay who have been in the finals eight times, and drew 1-1 against Slovakia, another strong footballing nation.

I would hardly call their performance as that of minnows “making up the numbers”. The All Whites were as competitive as their opposition on the day, as the results confirm, which can hardly be said of the lower-ranked teams in the Rugby World Cup.

L Braithwaite, Coatesville.

Vege doomsday

Chicken Little is hit on the head by an acorn and alarms the whole town that the sky is falling. Apparently, Deloitte (who were commission to do research) and Horticulture New Zealand’s chief executive Mike Chapman have been hit on the head by a falling carrot — such is their alarm about vegetable growing and prices in the years to come. What absolute compost.

Following the lead of such groups as Extinction Rebellion and others who see the “end of days” in various cabbage leaves, Horticulture NZ also seems to feel the roots of calamity and has served up the fear and anxiety.

Of all people, Mark should be aware of the huge potential of “vertical farming” which uses 90 per cent less water, no soil, less energy, has a smaller footprint and can have over thrice the productivity of current horticultural practices.

New Zealand horticulture is threatened not by “competition for highly productive land, access to freshwater, climate change mitigation and increasing government and council regulation”, but by a lack of imagination. The world is not going to starve, and the price of fresh vegetables is not going to skyrocket — particularly “rocket”, which is easily grown in vertical farms.

In a world that seemingly awakes to a new crisis every day, we to need cultivate more measured responses to perceived issues.

Dr Mike Schmidt, Dunedin.

Medical insurance

This nonsense of “visitors” not having medical insurance before being allowed to enter our country should have been sorted out years ago. Furthermore, if they cancel said insurance (the government should be notified by the insurance company) then they are deported forthwith.

I waited five years and lost my job waiting for a hip operation because our hospital beds and theatres were being used by these “visitors” who don’t pay. It’s time to wake up, New Zealand.

Cliff Ginders Ota¯ ¯ huhu.

Sworn oath

Attending jury selection today and start of the court case I saw the swearing-in of jurors, most attesting with hand on The Bible and saying “so help me God”.

I wondered why this quaint anachronism was still in use in a modern, secular New Zealand.

I would prefer to say “so help me Jacinda or Winston”, “so help me wise ancestors”, or “so help me inner sense of fairness”.

Focusing on the “higher powers” is a lofty, noble ideology of law courts to ensure team honesty and transparency, in their dispensing of justice. But, after 70 years of earthly existence, I am sadly still not sure if God is up there, down there, everywhere, benevolent or simply playing endless mind games with us.

Rob Buchanan, Kerikeri.

Gender politics

Sue Rawson’s letter (NZ Herald, October 14) needs support. Women have had to fight for their place at the table for centuries.

The Labour Government seem to recognise merit regardless of gender and as a result we have had two worthy leaders in Helen Clark and now Jacinda Ardern.

Unfortunately a female manager, chief executive or Prime Minister doesn’t sit well with many and, as a result, they are criticised even for the smallest of lapses or errors.

Ardern has a difficult job as a leader of a coalition but seems to have the respect of her partners.

Ardern has built up strong relations with overseas leaders and she should be recognised for this.

Despite what many think, this Government is making progress on many fronts. Our Prime Minister is building a strong team and deserves respect regardless of her gender.

Reg Dempster, Albany.

Avowed celibacy

Once again we read the popular misconception of priestly vows. A vow of celibacy means only a promise not to marry.

While the assumption is widespread that that means they will totally abstain from all sexual intercourse, in reality they would have had to take a vow of chastity for that to apply.

It is possible to argue that, in following the letter — rather than the spirit — of their vows, they have not broken them at all.

Jeanette Grant, Mt Eden.