DoC goes too far with ivory grab

It was with bemusement that I read of DoC’s removal of ivory keys from an old piano being imported by an immigrant along with other household goods.

It hadn’t been newly purchased, just a normal importation of household goods but because the correct paperwork had not been completed, and because the keys of the instrument were ivory, DoC’s bureaucracy decided to have the ivory removed off the keys. Talk about bureaucracy going mad with power.

Most people these days deplore the extermination of animals for ivory, and there are rules and regulations, but this action seems like overkill.

I wonder how many people who have old pianos with keys of ivory, family heirlooms, would think to fill out the forms that bureaucracy require if they decided to sell said piano?

Patricia Guptill, Wattle Downs.

High speed trucks

Given that the speed limit for heavy vehicles here is 90km/h, how is it considerate for truck drivers to use the right-hand lane of a motorway at all?

Glenn Forsyth, Taupo.

Beware of Ivory Police

What an appalling indictment on DoC. To vandalise and virtually destroy a beautiful old instrument is inexcusable and unforgivable to say the least. Does this mean those of us who may own a piano with ivory keys could possibly receive a visit from the “Ivory Police”?

I send my heartfelt sympathy to Professor Julian Paton and his family for the mutilation of a treasured old piano. An instrument such as this is irreplaceable so please don’t judge us all by this one inconceivable act of vandalism.

Judith Bouwman, Torbay.

Stadium working fine

In the past week I have I had the pleasure of watching club rugby finals at Eden Park and North Harbour Stadium. I have also been to a Warriors game at Mount Smart.

I saw Auckland’s existing stadium infrastructure in action and I was more than happy with all three occasions.

Perhaps if Mayor Goff and his council cronies went to watch sport at any of these stadiums they too will see Auckland’s existing stadium infrastructure in action and that it is working perfectly fine.

I feel Auckland Council has far more important priorities than building a massive white elephant waterfront stadium or bullying poor old Penny Bright over her rates payments.

Rob Osborne, Glenfield.

Defending free speech

Lizzie Marvelly announces, “I suspect I may fall on the wrong side of the free speech argument, namely as someone whose right to free speech defenders of free speech wish they didn’t have to defend”, and shows that she doesn’t really understand what’s going on (“Good men flex their why chromosome” 28/7).

Some members of the Free Speech Coalition will like what Marvelly says, others won’t, but they’ll all defend her right to say it. Not because they “wish” to — how they feel has nothing to do with it — but as a matter of principle.

It’s the first time Left and Right have come together in a very long time, so it’s important. It’s a terrible mistake to think the only way we can get along is by agreeing. Gavan O’Farrell, Lower Hutt.

Going to bat for Bridges

Dear Mr Goodfellow, I really think Simon Bridges is old enough to look after himself without you having to go in and bat for him. My warm advice to Mr Bridges is that he remembers he’s not in court any more. Once he gets his head around that, and polishes his speech up a bit, he will be fine I think. Kiri Munro, Westmere.

Native forests best

Your article on the looming billion trees sets out yet another government stuff-up of monumental proportions. It is a completely unnecessary subsidy for the commercial pine forest sector.

Native forests can do a much better job of fixing carbon (including in the all important soils), habitat creation, being self- sustaining, conserving water and preventing soil erosion. In addition they can self-regenerate in many locations once grazing is removed and are thus much less costly. This whole idea has been captured by the commercial pine forest interests and rivals the debacle of the “think big” era. It will be a fiscal and environmental blunder of the first order.

Just look at the East Coast as a guide for the future. Surely we can do better then this in the 21st century.

Bill Carlin, Glendowie.

Equal pay solution

Once again equal pay for women has been in the headlines. There is a very easy solution to this — advertise the salary for the role, then all applicants (men or women) know exactly what they will be working for. Advertising the salary is done in Australia and great Britain, why is it so hard to do this in New Zealand? And advertising the salary stops a lot of time wasting. Peter Henson, Birkenhead.

Reasonable ROI on rents

I wonder if the Reserve Bank restricted the maximum residential rent chargeable by a landlord to less than 50 per cent (plus CPI) of the original purchase price we may see a seachange in accommodation costs.

Considering all associated expenses against the rental income were and are tax deductible, 50 per cent gross profit seems a reasonable annual return on an asset. I think most commercial rental/ leases are between 3 and 10 per cent gross.

Ian Wilson, Ngaruawahia.

Financial help for arts

I write in support of Dame Jenny Gibbs regarding financial help for the arts and the Auckland Art Gallery in particular.

There are those who say sport differs by attracting huge money-earning crowds. But they need only look at the remarkable achievements of Sir Peter Jackson with Lord of the Rings.

Our rugby puts us on the map internationally, but so can the arts, which can inspire young people.

Like sport, the arts can achieve income, but also can balance the world view of this talented country, which punches so much above its weight in many fields.

Dr Harold Coop, Remuera.

Drop the rents

Andrew King of NZ Property Investors’ Federation seems not to realise that if rents dropped, tenants would be able to afford a house using their normal income.

King says without the accommodation allowance people couldn’t afford to pay the rent. They would if the rents were lower. Rents have increased seven times as much as costs in the past few years.

People who own several rental houses seem to consider a house as a way to make money, but in real life, a house is a place to create a home life, not a commodity. If investors stopped using houses as a money-making investment, they would stop bidding for houses, we would see house prices, then rents drop.

The Government would be able to use the $2 billion a year spent on the accommodation supplement to provide help for school lunches, clothes and other necessities of life to those who need it.

Susan Grimsdell, Auckland Central.

Learn from history

I think DoC and Immigration have gone too far in removing ivory keys from an imported antique piano. Is it going to bring back the elephant tusk from 1895?

DoC should be putting their energy into preserving the hundreds of live species that are endangered and stop trying to fix history but learn from it instead.

Kauri dieback is a great place to start, and preserving endangered species on proposed mining areas plus ridding the country of pests. Immigration should concentrate their efforts into preventing harmful drugs, diseases and pests from entering our borders. Leave the past alone.

Marie Kaire, Whangarei.

National’s deprivation

The sense of deprivation at losing the election that National is experiencing during their annual conference is more than matched by the desperation and despair the Left felt at the prospect of a fourth term of their Government.

They now rail against “new” taxes and charter school restrictions but remained oblivious to public sector pay matters, public health infrastructure needs, mental health service shortfalls, and most of all the fact that increasingly Kiwis could not afford to rent or buy housing in main centres.

So many essential needs were ignored in the pursuit of tax cuts for people already housed and comfortable. While 46 per cent of voters wanted more of the same, 54 per cent didn’t, thank goodness.

B. Darragh, Auckland Central.

Retirees never had it so good

My contention is that pensioners have never had it so good as they do today.

Over the last 60 or so years the trend towards a better life for retirees has been consistently positive. This is likely to continue as KiwiSaver kicks in as an important complement to state pension.

A majority of New Zealanders own their own house — accumulated wealth which can be extracted. People need to plan for the future, participate in the labour market for as many years as possible, join KiwiSaver and try to put away some current income for old age.

But there is every indication that things are improving overall and there is no need to panic. Frank Olsson, Freemans Bay.