Report exposes disingenuity among Army leadership at last
It has taken the best part of two decades for the report on Operation Burnham to expose the leadership disingenuity of a number of New Zealand Army officers.
The “A Team” were those who aided and abetted Helen Clark’s programme to neuter the armed forces at the expense of the RNZAF Strike Wing and the RNZN in general.
Her use of the State Services Commissioner to select replacement heads of service was said by her to be at “arms-length”. Very short arms indeed, as it allowed the Government to write job specifications that excluded anyone with real strike training.
Instead, Defence and the RNZAF got to be led by helicopter pilots (while most of our expensively trained strike pilots were gratefully absorbed into the air forces of our allies).
The budget was blown on very costly, but useless NZLAVs and even more expensive untested NH90 helicopters for the RNZAF. Most of these LAVs have been placed into storage because they do not meet our needs. The road to (limited) operational use of the NH90s was years long.
Hugh Webb, Huntington
Lack of care for nurses
Victorian hospital ICU beds may “max out” within a few weeks, according to a respected Australian epidemiologist. This shows how rapidly Covid can take advantage of a border bungle in managed isolation.
Eighty per cent of Covid deaths in New Zealand were in aged-care facilities. These were overwhelmed, causing nurses to refuse to work in these potentially lethal facilities. Why would aged-care nurses sacrifice their future and that of their dependants while this Government stands by watching, doing nothing while they are paid 10 per cent less than their hospital counterparts?
This is also true for nurses working for your doctor, called primary health care nurses. There is no rule book for Covid. You are expendable in a pandemic, is the unwritten, unspoken truth no politician dares to mention.
PHC health nurses are resigning in Auckland, making it difficult to recruit replacements. Covid cares little about nurses, infecting then despite PPE, and apparently politicians are oblivious to their importance.
Mental health, the trendy buzz word, is more important, getting all the funding. True, that’s just why nurses will strike for pay equality. At least they will “feel” better.
Steve Russell, Hillcrest
Solid plans on right
Whether it is a red/green or red alone Government, New Zealand deserves better. Do we want another three years of indecision, inexperience and committees and no empathy for the business and farming sectors?
On the other hand, National and Act do understand business and finance and have solid long-term plans for economic recovery and growth.
Andy Petersen, Kawerau
NZ First a useful excuse
New Zealand First’s wagging tail has proven a useful body part for the Labour dog, in flicking away some painfully itch-inducing pests: Undeliverable 2017 promises that threatened to come back to bite its 2020 hide.
J.M. Livingstone, O¯ ra¯ kei
Five Eyes burden
I find it hard to see any advantage for us to be part of the Five Eyes coalition.
It means that at any time soon we will be told, not asked, to forgo the use of Huawei, the most advanced 5G system available. For the United States to quote national security is a complete fabrication. It is just further insult to our biggest trading partner. We will never have a free trade agreement with the US and to upset China on instructions from Mr Trump on a trumped up argument is courting a major backlash.
Vince West, Milford
Gatland’s influence
About the only influence I can see Warren Gatland has had on the Chiefs has been their whingeing and bleating about the referees.
It was, after all, a speciality of his during all those years in Wales.
Phil Chitty, Albany