Loss of refinery a factor in fuel price pain
I would like to address an omission from Saturday's story about the high fuel prices.
Terry Collins, from the AA, blamed the rising costs on a number of global supply issues, as did Finance Minister Grant Robertson. What they both omitted was the loss of our only refinery at Marsden Point.
Because oil is no longer being refined in New Zealand, the profits on refined fuel can no longer be capped.
Our oil is refined in large, dirty, overseas refineries where we no longer have any control over profits or quality.
Oil company profits have increased about five or six times since pre-Covid times despite a small increase in the cost of crude, and our country is paying the price. Not only are we paying more at the pump, the profits are going directly offshore.
At the same time, we have lost our main source of several byproducts.
We no longer have locally produced bitumen for our roads, sulphur for fertiliser, or carbon dioxide for food growing and storage. All these products are now in short supply and have to be bought from an international market at great expense.
While the refinery closure has already hit Whangarei incredibly hard, the effects will cripple our country.
This should be the front page of every newspaper in New Zealand. I don't know all the answers but we have to start by talking about this. It would be great if people could come and support the Dig In At Marsden team camped outside our nonrefinery, but at the very least, talk about this with your friends, visit the Dig In At Marsden website, be informed, and let your local MPs know how you feel.
J. Twyman Whangārei
Who names the nation?
Let’s get united behind the name of our country.
The increasing use of the name Aotearoa in your newspaper when referring to New Zealand is disturbing for many reasons. While the name appears to have no authenticity and in fact could well be a colonial fabrication, the main problem that many find with you using it is that no one has asked the people of New Zealand whether we want the name of our country changed.
John Key had a vision of changing our flag and he had the decency to ask the people in a referendum. The name of our country is even more important than our flag to our nation’s unity and sense of pride. Yet when it comes to changing our name, you do so with complete disregard to the wishes of the people of New Zealand. Let those who want to change the name of our country try to convince the people of New
Zealand and then let us all have our say. We can then be united behind one name, whichever it is, and not divided as we are now.
Robin Grieve
Whangārei
Health system stretched
I have been listening and watching the news reports on a health system on the verge of collapse. A contention the Health Minister consistently brushes off. I suppose while transitioning into a whole new management structure along with implementing co-governance, structures one would indicate that under the circumstances, everything was running, er, ah . . . smoothly. Definitely not on the brink of collapse.
About two months ago I had to go into ED. I was screened in a makeshift tent erected on the pavement outside the main hospital entrance, admitted, examined, medicated and sent home.
The next morning I had to go back, this time in an ambulance. Three days later I was put into isolation. After two operations in theatre several weeks later I was discharged.
Okay, I’m truly thankful. I would like to thank everyone up at Whāngarei Hospital who looked after me, they were everything you could wish for.
But they were under pressure. Under pressure. Of all the people I talked to, only two had not had Omicron. I was told that, “The public thinks Covid is over. But up here we know it is not over.” And yes they had been operating short staffed for months.
An Advocate reader recently wrote in and warned against a change of government that would nullify the advances that had been made by Labour. I am not sure I would agree with that. Health services are more than bureaucrats creating new layers of ideologically driven administration.
Think of that old saying.
“Give us the tools and we will do the job.”
G. M. Tinker
Whāngarei