TO THE POINT

It seems Gerry Brownlee is having trouble with his new defence portfolio (December 18) because of the acronyms used by his officials. Rather than learning to use a glossary, he wants things written out in full to aid his reading of briefing papers. Fair enough, but there’s probably one he can relate to: the KISS principle. MIKE JARVIS, Woodridge Judging by the article from Meteria Turei (December 17), it would seem that the poor in NZ, distressed by the widening income gap, are daily sinking deeper into poverty and despair. Yet our average life expectancy, surely the most accurate measure of improved living conditions across all social levels, has increased by 5.3 years since 1990. How do the liberal doomsayers explain that? JOHN DENTON, Napier A very big thank you to Trace for the cartoon (December 22) reminding people not to forget about their pets over the Christmas/New Year period. The cartoon was beautifully illustrated, depicting very happy, well-fed animals. Please bear in mind that they rely on us, their human family. JEANETTE SULLIVAN, Otaki Congratulations to the Government cracking down on double-dipping pensioners. People who have lived in two countries should not get two pensions. This disadvantages all of us who have spent their whole life and work commitments in New Zealand. I was disappointed that your article (December 22) was so sympathetic to those greedy people. KERRY FARMER, Otaki I remain unconvinced of the advantages of one super-city. I was in Wairarapa recently and no one I met there was interested in being part of a Wellington super-city. Similarly most of my friends and associates in Wellington show no enthusiasm for change. ALEX GRAY, Brooklyn [abridged]