Someone must bear the blame

Like the rest of New Zealand, I am extremely concerned about the latest two cases of Covid-19. I am sure that the team of five million understand what quarantine means. Fourteen days in isolation and if you require a dispensation you must be tested.

In the latest case, some individual or individuals did not carry out the requirements of their job. They must be held accountable.

Criminal act

Can the person responsible for reintroducing Covid-19 into our country be charged with criminal negligence?

How that person allowed two people from Covid-stricken England to travel across our country defies every level of belief. To do so when one of them was showing symptoms is beyond the height of unbelievable. It wasn’t “failing to meet expectations”, it was downright criminal.

What was the point of destroying so many businesses and putting so many people out of work, just so some utterly incompetent idiot can send us back to square one?

Kent Millar, Blockhouse Bay.

Better than a cure

So the Prime Minister, in response to the debacle of the two recent Covid arrivals, says that it’s her job to ensure this does not happen again. The same reaction came from the Minister of Health.

Sorry, no. After the event, even I could fix it. You are paid the big money to ensure it doesn’t happen in the first place.

Clive Evans, Albany.

Opposition role

Greg Cave, Sunnyvale.

The isolation for some potential carriers of Covid-19 leaves a lot to be desired, and hopefully the army can bring some discipline to this problem.

I have to ask what role Michael Woodhouse played in politicising a potential life or death situation. Yes, it is the role of the Opposition to hold the Government to account, but to sit on the information for a number of hours while he conferred with Todd Muller as to how much political capital they could make out of this situation speaks volumes about where their true sense of loyalty lies, and it doesn’t sound like it’s to their fellow countrymen.

John Capener, Kawerau.

Shameless critics

The political critics piling in on the Prime Minister and director general of health Ashley Bloomfield over the two new Covid-19 cases are shameless hypocrites.

They are the same ones who are calling for us to open our borders wide and have decried the lockdown from the outset.

Let’s be honest: If National had been the government in March, we would not have gone into full lockdown. New Zealand would now be like the UK and the US, battling a full-on Covid epidemic. Jeff Hayward, Auckland Central.

For the record

Now we know that this Government: Can conduct reviews and not take action; Can’t build houses; Can throw money out the door my grand-children will have to pay back; Can’t build light rail; Can claim to have the tightest border restrictions in the world against Covid, when it actually has more holes than Jacinda Ardern and David Clark’s excuses for multiple failures.

Fred Wilson, Devonport.

Impressive feat

On behalf of many, many women in New Zealand, I would like to know how the two women involved in the drive from Auckland to Wellington managed to do it without stopping to use a toilet. This information would greatly appreciated.

Lorraine Kidd, Warkworth

Pathways to law

In response to Ann David ( NZ Herald, 17 June), our Westminster legal system arises not just from Parliament but also common law. Via common law, courts interpret existing legislation and create new rules, and both these paths create legal precedents of equal force to enacted legislation.

The Attorney-General has already declared the End of Life Choice Act to be in conflict with the Bill of Rights in the matter of age restriction.

Furthermore, it’s incorrect to state that “any subsequent amendment will have to go through the entire process again”, as there is no obligation on Parliament to widely consult the public about a future amendment to any law. Parliament amends scores of laws every year.

The upcoming government information campaign about the referendum will do nothing to change reality: in many of the countries that have legalised euthanasia, their laws have over time been extended to allow euthanasia in an increasing range of circumstances, including disability, children, and mental illness. We need to take the longer-term consequences into account when voting.

Alan Jenner, Mairangi Bay.

Austerity needed

Aucklanders are by and large capable of simple arithmetic, so will understand exactly why the Auckland Council needs to raise the rates. However, if the council is to retain credibility it must demonstrate that rates will not be frittered away just simply to create jobs.

Few would resent expenditure on council’s core services and would accept also that waste management and upgrading the city’s water supply require significant investment.

However they may be less than impressed when they realise that the idiotic “Skywalk” project is still on the books — and some ratepayers will lose their homes to accommodate it. This project is useless, expensive “busy work”. which will benefit very few — we do not need it.

The America’s Cup should also be cancelled, thus saving $49 million. We cannot open our borders in the foreseeable future, so any projected economic returns are dubious at best.

Geraldine Taylor, Remuera.

Yes we cannabis

SayNopetoDope takes out whole page ads, claiming that we can’t legalise dope and promote mental health; it’s one or the other. This is stupid.

Cigarettes are legal, so the government has been able to force cigarette companies to display graphic health warnings on the packaging. The same can’t be done with cannabis because it’s illegal. If it were sold legally, it’s packaging could include health warnings.

We can continue with the status quo, where gangs get rich while Pharmac is underfunded, and our tax is spent waging an unwinnable battle.

Or we can let people buy cannabis legally and channel the tax and profits to drug education, and to tackling the social problems that lead to drug abuse.

Chris Elias, Mission Bay.

Words fade

Fifty years ago, Tim Shadbolt was arrested for saying “bullsh*t” in public. Thirty-five years ago, Toyota faced censure for the “bugger” advert. “Garboil” (disorderly outburst) has fallen from use. Words come and go — sometimes for good reason.

Their use as ethnic slurs is a very good reason, and our Race Relations Commissioner is right ( NZ Herald, June 18) to back the student who called it out. Trouble is, Meng Foon then went on to advocate rewriting books, prompting the question “Where do we stop?”

There are words that we need to be aware of and choose not to use. That agreement of choice is what removes them from the language, not expunging from books. Last year, he said we need to learn from our own stories. To do that well, we need to confront and understand their challenges — then choose how we interpret them.

Mike Diggins, Royal Oak.

Beyond racism

Any racially diverse population is likely to harbour some degree of racism. But we can and do grow out of it; we can unlearn racism.

Through international trade and tourism, films, music and sport, through moral teaching and talking with the guy at the dairy we learn that “they” are just like “us” and have the same aspirations, appetites, talents and failings.

Be reassured by our tamariki in the school playground and the youth leaders of protest. We are the same at heart, and the young really understand this — unless taught to discriminate.

We certainly must continue to fight institutional racism and even mild or unconscious bias, by aligning our laws, our police, our courts and our minds, to ensure justice and equality for all.

B Darragh, Auckland Central.