Change law to put sanctions on Russia

I was profoundly disappointed in the Prime Minister’s statement that New Zealand “can’t unilaterally put sanctions on Russia — our law does not allow that”.

This may be technically correct but governments are elected to change laws when required, and his statement is nothing more than a cop-out.

I hope whoever is in government in a few weeks will take immediate action to implement a change that will allow this country to support the people of Ukraine and other countries in condemning in a practical way the behaviour of Russia.

Such a change should have universal backing from all parties. This country should not benefit because of moral actions from trading partners such as Australia. Two things stood out in the article headlined “On shaky ground”. The first was the very low level of seismicity in Auckland, as determined by the experts.

The second was the scepticism of the Minister of Building and Construction, who asked: “How do you make a judgment [on this matter] when the seismic record is quite short?”

The answer is that you get a group of experts to produce robust seismic models based on national and international best practice. Experts at GNS Science and the universities have done this, and the minister should trust these models when setting the limits for seismic strengthening nationwide.

For Auckland and north, they show very clearly that only unreinforced masonry buildings with unsecured parapets or where connections between walls and floors have greatly deteriorated need consideration. Remedial work should be limited to fixing these issues.

And to answer the AllChurches Bureau chairman, engineers and other experts working on these models do feel a strong sense of moral responsibility to “get things right”. The ratepayers of Rodney feel aggrieved about their 3.89 per cent rate increase without getting much in return.

But property owners in Mangawhai have faced increases of more than 100 per cent after irresponsible and illegal decisions made by the Kaipara Council over a wastewater scheme.

The council doubled the scheme’s size without consulting, and borrowed recklessly. The banks lent to it without due diligence. The Auditor-General’s staff failed in their duty to check the council’s books. Mangawhai ratepayers raised funds to take the council to court.

Councillors resigned en masse because they saw no way to pay off debts totalling more than $100 million.

The Government installed commissioners to take over the council’s duties. They arranged for the Northland MP to take legislation to Parliament to revalidate the invalid rates. This was passed promptly last December before the court could hear the ratepayers’ case.

The court ruled eventually that the ratepayers’ complaint was justified, but it was unable to give relief because of the intervening legislation.

It seems everyone was at fault except the ratepayers. They are expected to pay for the sins of the council, the banks, the Auditor-General and the Government. Many will have to sell up. Is there no justice? The disgraceful saga that is the James Takamore body-snatching case has dragged on for seven years and, appallingly, more court involvement seems imminent.

To start with, a group of people snatched the body without legal justification and no one has ever been held accountable. Now, the same group is denying attempts by those with legal justification to uphold a Supreme Court decision.

Had these scandalous acts been performed by a bunch of Pakeha, the reaction from the police and the judiciary would have been stern and swift. interviewee will espouse the views taken straight from the Green Party agenda, almost word for word. News items that put the Greens or Labour in a bad light, such as the Greens’ policy to scrap all new highway building and most road maintenance, do not get broadcast. There was little or no reporting of the disgraceful Dotcom rallies.

I have no issue with news presentation being seemingly biased, such as with John Campbell. TV3 is a private company. National Radio is, however, paid for by the taxpayers. They not only deserve but should get fair and balanced news reporting. Every time I see the National Party billboard proclaiming Working for New Zealand I wonder to whom it refers. Which group of people or particular area is the recipient of its efforts?

Is it just the cities that are the beneficiaries because many smaller centres are atrophying? Each week, businesses in the regions close or downsize, with the resulting redundancies causing financial and emotional pain.

The unemployment rate in Northland is 8 per cent, a disgraceful statistic considering National trumpets New Zealand’s rock-star economy. While your correspondent Caroline Mabry’s tips on detecting egg freshness are tried and true, not every egg floats because it is rotten. As an egg ages, its internal air sac expands, making the egg more buoyant.

In contrast with Ms Mabry’s allegation about bacterial growth and sickness, New Zealand eggs have a remarkable record for healthiness.

Salmonella has never been detected inside an egg — a tribute to the farming skills of our egg producers.

Other good practices for ensuring the freshness of the eggs include paying attention to the best-before dates (which are mandatory for all eggs sold via retail), and storing eggs after purchase in the refrigerator or in a cool place.