Back to normal

Young friends tell me ‘‘It will be great when life gets back to normal again,’’ but they don’t realise life has been abnormal for the past 50 or 60 years.

Back then we were taught in our life science classes that ecosystems maintained stable populations by feedback mechanisms, by developing great diversity, and having only limited contact between populations of the same species.

But people ignored these facts of life and built thousands of jetliners to keep increasing contact, they created a destructive and exponentially increasing monoculture of croplands, cow paddocks and cities, and they established ‘‘health’’ organisations devoted to stifling any feedbacks that would keep our human population at a healthy sustainable size of about 3 billion.

This pandemic restricting our populations from growing and mixing is a feedback control just like the ones we had when I was a child. Life is returning to normal again.

John Archer, Ohakune

Apart from our local MP, Grant Robertson, PM Jacinda Ardern relies heavily on a couple of NZ First members to hold down important portfolios.

She has nobody suitable in the diminutive ranks of Labour to replace even somebody as incompetent as Health Minister David Clark and, whilst Kris Faafoi’s label as Labour’s rising star has been recognised by his shooting up a place in the new cabinet rankings, he has unfortunately added to his record vis-a-vis Concert FM by failing to see the importance of magazines like Woman’s Weekly and the Listener.

It must surely therefore be time to consider a grand coalition as an alternative to the scheduled general election.

In considering this, the Government deserves credit for accepting the Opposition’s proposal that the chairmanship

and majority of the all-important Epidemic Response Committee be awarded to the party with easily the biggest number of MPs in Parliament, NZ National.

This committee could be the basis for a coalition cabinet. If a general election has to be delayed, that would solve two problems at once.

Michael Gibson, Wellington

On March 20 my daughter returned via the US and went into strict quarantine. As a doctor couple, aware of the highly infectious nature of Covid-19, we decided to divide our house into three physical ‘‘bubbles’’ for ourselves, and our daughters (medical student and trainee midwife).

To make this work, with frequent washing of multiple scrubs, we bought a new washing machine on the day before lockdown from Noel Leeming, unaware of its 2-star review rating.

The machine never worked. On phoning, Noel Leeming advised we would have to wait until after lockdown for repair. We advised this was unacceptable and, since this was a major fault, pointed out our rights under the consumer guarantees act to either have an identical replacement or refund. Noel Leeming refused to do either.

As an essential item they said they could deliver a second machine if we paid for one, but not to replace the faulty machine. We were prepared to accept either an identical machine (available locally), a different machine or even the floor model at Lyall Bay. They abjectly refused.

They have never apologised for supplying a faulty item and offered no remedy. We are left having to break our bubbles, risking passing Covid-19 within our family and so to our respective workplaces.

As frontline healthcare workers, frequently in PPE, it would be nice to know the country has our back. The economic fallout from Covid-19 will see some companies fail. With this appalling customer service Noel Leeming is one that should disappear. Use them at your peril. Dr Glen Smith, Seatoun

I’d like to help NZ Rugby with its scenario planning for the difficult times ahead, assuming the lockdown period will be for 12 weeks, to match the Government wage subsidy programme, and that borders will be closed until January 1, 2021.

My conclusions:

1. All Super Rugby be cancelled for the year, and Super franchises shed at least half of their staff.

2. All Black test matches be cancelled for 2020, as the borders will be closed.

3. NZ Rugby head office dispense with 120 jobs, as the organisation is top heavy.

4. NZ Rugby distribute its war chest of $95 million in financial reserves to the 26 stakeholder provincial unions on the understanding the money will be passed on to their constituent clubs, so that the local game can prosper. They can no longer survive on pokie machines, as this money has dried up because of the lockdown. Club rugby is the foundation upon which our great All Black teams of the last century were based.

5. The Mitre 10 provincial season start in mid-August and go through to mid-November. All Blacks should be available for all games.

6. All professional rugby players take a 35 per cent pay cut for the rest of the year, but they can secure work to top up their incomes.

7. NZR delegates who attend the next World Rugby meeting insist the northern unions come to a fairer arrangement on sharing the proceeds of tests played in the UK, where crowds of 100,000 are the norm. Otherwise, NZR will seek fresh markets in Asia, and boycott the Home Nations.

Rhys Barlow, Thorndon

Dr Ashley Bloomfield, from the Ministry of Health, says Covid-19 cases transmitted by returned travellers are recorded as if they were infections in an actual traveller.

This distorts the ‘‘recent overseas travel’’ category, and because returning travellers should be in quarantine/isolation, it conceals any failures of quarantine/ isolation procedures.

He also says all other transmissions traced back to a specific contact are being reported as ‘‘contact with known case’’ irrespective of whether the case was known to be infected at the time of transmission. If so they should have already been in isolation. This also conceals any failures in isolation procedures.

Infections transmitted by contacts not known to be infected at the time of transmission should be recorded as ‘‘community transmission’’.

If the lockdown is extended the public deserves to know whether it is because isolation/quarantine procedures have been ineffective, or because community transmission statistics demonstrate the lockdown has not worked.

Brent Frogley, Waikanae

I acknowledge and applaud the Wellington city councillors and team for taking a pay cut to donate to community services (April 9).

As a business owner, I am also finding ways to contribute and/or provide pro bono services to charities.

Here’s a thought, how about all MPs do the same – a 10 per cent donation. Help feed and support the thousands of Kiwis in financial strife right now (although I am sure some are already contributing).

One could go further and suggest a 20 per cent donation, thereby allowing MPs to experience how it is on 80 per cent of one’s normal pay, but that might feel too much for some.

Gai Foskett, Peka Peka

‘‘You’re going to the greatest country in the world,’’ said a family friend when we left the UK to live in NZ in the 50s. Growing up into adulthood I came to understand what he meant and appreciate this to be true, then around the 80s it started turning to custard.

Come 2020 and in adversity I experience a surge of optimism: we are turning the corner and on our way back.

Norman Smith, Houghton Valley

The Government should seriously consider allowing other food shops to open using the same protocols as dairies. This will alleviate the queues at supermarkets.

Bernie Proctor, Wainuiomata