They’re not commandos, they’re naughty kiddies

Alison Mau (Focus, May 1) has a point in discussing ram raids. The term has a Bonnie and Clyde ring, music to the ears of the shattering classes showing off in stolen cars.

But coming up with an alternative is a tough one and I give up. I always felt ‘‘coward punch’’ was a poor substitute for ‘‘king hit’’, sounding like it was designed by an earnest focus group enjoying tea and biscuits in a committee room.

‘‘Pain in the neck’’ gang sounds a bit contrived, rather like America’s Hole-in-the-wall gang, and most people would probably turn to the more vulgar usage anyway. But maybe the media could help by shunning adjectives such as ‘‘daring’’ and ‘‘brazen’’ in such cases. It makes these naughty kiddies sound like commandos.

Dean Donoghue, Papamoa Beach

Do your homework

National leader Christopher Luxon floated an idea, among others, on laws to tackle the problem of illegal guns in the hands of gangs. He might want to check out the Search and Surveillance Act 2012 which covers that very situation.

I guess that’s what happens when you get CEOs whose knowledge of the world starts and finishes with bouncing around weird and wonderful ideas while standing in front of a whiteboard in a ‘‘strategy meeting’’.

John Capener, Kawerau

Streets ahead

Shortland Street celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, and in that time has featured some fine New Zealand actors. Some have ventured overseas, and into the movies. Yet to me, Michael Galvin (Dr Chris Warner) stands out as a brilliant actor.

Many people thought Shortland Street (and Coronation Street) wouldn’t last very long. How wrong they were.

Maybe Taranaki could get its own series. We already have a Shortland St in New Plymouth. Tom Stephens, New Plymouth

Too pessimistic

Please could someone up Damien Grant’s antidepressants (‘‘Why the end of the world is inevitable’’, Focus, May 1)? Chris Brown, Tauranga

Mallard’s gaffe

Short of lowering the tone and finding ways to ridicule Trevor Mallard’s almost child-like behaviour of recent times, we may well have to look at how it is possible that a Speaker of the House has so much power, that he or she can trespass any New Zealander at all. The fact that he felt incapable of upholding five trespass notices and abandoned them simultaneously speaks volumes.

His excuse of initially claiming that five members of the public, including Winston Peters, were a threat, clearly shows how out of touch with modern society he is.

Rene´ Blezer, Taupo

True cost of travel

Brook Sabin (Editorial, Travel, May 1) writes: ‘‘Where should we take our next holiday? Should we head overseas, or continue to explore our backyard?’’

On a per capita basis, New Zealand has one of the highest carbon footprints in the industrialised world. Unlike the rest of the industrialised world we have no manufacturing. Our manufactured goods are mainly imported, and most of our carbon footprint comes from transport, i.e. burning fossil fuels.

So where do we go for our holidays? The ethical answer is, as far as we can walk or bike (and I don’t mean e-bike – there is a lot of embedded carbon in mining, refining, smelting, manufacturing and transporting the materials in the bike). You might object that the same is true for a push-bike. Yes, but the amount is less.

For some things in the modern world we have no choice about using fossil-fuel burning vehicles. When it comes to recreation, we have a much greater freedom of choice. Travel in itself is not necessary for a holiday experience, and certainly gives no guarantee that we return to ordinary life more relaxed. If Covid has taught us anything it is that there are advantages in working together for a common good.

A Williams, Napier

Boxing gladiators

Boxing – though not as theatrical as WWE or savage as MMA – is entertainment. The boxers who are brave enough to get in the ring and risk injury while entertaining the masses deserve fair reward. Dissing footy players who want to be boxers, and dissing those willing to pay for the event, displays great ignorance of gladiatorial sport (‘‘It’s sad to watch footy greats end up in the ring’’, Sport, May 1). Sonny Bill Williams would smash Jake Paul.

Richard Brough, Hastings

Troubled Waters

Stuart Crosby, president of Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) gives a masterclass in Orwellian doublespeak in his opinion piece on Three Waters reform (Focus, May 1).

‘‘Ownership’’ now means you can give something away

(‘‘transfer to an asset-owning entity’’), but somehow you still have ‘‘ownership’’, but you won’t be able to borrow money or get revenue from your asset. The entities will.

To say the Three Waters working group was influential and ‘‘today’s model bears little resemblance to what was first proposed . . . ’’ is laughable. We still have four asset-owning entities, co-governance, the same boundaries etc., but there is a new layer of bureaucracy.

Two key recommendations have not been approved by the Government. There is no mechanism for local and central government to determine priorities; and central government will not provide funds to fix disparities, and inequities, and support Three Waters investment.

The working group did not examine alternatives to the Government’s reform model that were provided by a coalition of councils. Clearly, options to address pressing concerns on Three Waters will not fall into the ‘‘too-hard’’ basket.

We need reform, but back to the drawing board please, before this impending fiasco is rammed through Parliament against better judgement and the will of the people.

Henry Hudson, Spokesperson on Three Waters Reform, Nelson Citizens Alliance