Principal’s daily realities a lesson for Government
I hope Chris Hipkins and the bosses at the Ministry of Education read the article by the Waikato principal and what she has to deal with on a daily basis (News, November 25).
I am sure hers is not an isolated case and she certainly deserves the pay that she and her colleagues are asking for. They should not have to strike to get fair treatment from this Government after the election promises it made.
Trevor Sennitt, Christchurch
A visitor writes
New Zealand is green everywhere. Green grass, plants and trees let me keep grinning. Sheep, horses and cows grazing on borderless green grass made me willing to stroll with them. The short stay on the top of Christchurch’s gondola hill was a jaw-dropping moment. The kayaking along the Avon River let me feel like becoming a Kiwi.
I believe Kiwis are also green since they are nature-friendly, hospitable, generous and peaceful just as green nature welcomes us whenever we visit, gives us whatever we need and offers us rest and relaxation. Although the streets of Christchurch were filled with plenty of visitors, the local Kiwis were kind enough to stop and give me directions.
I visited Christchurch Adventist School and Casebrook Intermediate School as a Korean visiting teacher. The welcome and farewell ceremony with Ma¯ ori songs were touching enough to give me goose bumps. The teachers in both schools are trying their best to help their students grow up as a whole being.
I could see Kiwi students growing up well not just in an academic aspect, but also in physical, mental and spiritual aspects.
The period I stayed in New Zealand was short, yet the impact will last long.
Jung Soo Ki, Christchurch
My right to die
In response to Tracy ten Hove (Letters, November 25). It is interesting to note that South Africa does not have an assisted dying law, so this is what happens when there is no compassionate law to help those who are suffering.
These people have no option but to commit suicide or ask for someone to help them. New Zealand does not break down suicide figures as to why, but Queensland does and they show that one or two people per week are committing suicide due to suffering from a terminal or irremedial condition.
Having the End of Life Choice Bill passed into legislation would mean that these suicides and the kind of ‘‘murders’’ Sean Davison is accused of would no longer be necessary.
I’m sorry that ten Hove doesn’t believe that an individual should have the right to choose, but then has she been told she has a terminal condition? I have, and I want the choice as to whether I am forced to suffer before my end.
Esther Richards, Tauranga
Ten Hove may be surprised to know that Davison has been publicly speaking about the death of his friend, medical doctor Anrich Burger, citing it as yet another reason to allow medical aid in dying in South Africa since 2013.
The South African authorities were fully aware of Davison’s presence at the deathbed of Dr Burger and made no move against him for five years. It was only after the September meeting of the World Federation of Right to Die Societies in Cape Town, which I attended, that they decided to take action. Mary Panko, Auckland
Original ‘Eleanor’
The report of the burglary of classic cars from a Christchurch panelbeater (News, November 25) refers to the police recovery operation named ‘‘Eleanor’’ from the 2000 movie Gone in 60 Seconds. That movie was a remake of the original Gone in 60 Seconds, which was released in 1974, featuring a 1971 Ford Mustang Mach 1, which left the 2000 remake in its dust.
Norman Booker, Auckland
Migration mystery
There’s been much talk about our current immigration policies, so I thought I’d share my own experiences.
Thirty-four years ago, we came here under the following conditions.–
I had to have a job to come to, one on the preferred list.
Next, I had to be able to speak English. Then pay for a medical for myself and family.
From here, I had to sign a document that if I committed an offence within three years I’d pay for us to return.
Finally, we had to prove we could contribute financially and socially to the future of the nation.
The majority of new immigrants do just that, but how on earth do they let the number of those who don’t contribute slip through the net?
Can someone tell me what’s happened? Coming to New Zealand is a privilege not a right. Robert Bicker, Gulf Harbour