Airport contamination

Cross-contamination from country to country at Auckland and Christchurch airports has created another excuse to dawdle decisions at the borders.

A positive, easy step to overcome the problem at least with Australia is make Wellington Airport the only connection with Australian airports, and all other overseas flights, barring emergencies, fly only to Auckland and Christchurch.

Such a plan can virtually start tomorrow at no extra cost, and with so many available planes the capacity per aircraft is a non-event.

Sixty-six per cent of New Zealanders going overseas have had to transit internally for years so that is also a non-event.

Such an approach can be initiated by Wellington Airport to Qantas, Jetstar, Virgin and even Air New Zealand if they are prepared to think beyond the Bombay Hills.

Graeme MacFarlane, Raumati Beach in housing affordability

Thomas Coughlan’s Many of richest on lower tax rates than most workers (both Feb 25) have a significant co-relation – ie, housing affordability and low or no-taxed income.

There is a desperate need to increase the supply of houses. Only the Government can rack up the supply of affordable houses. How it will do this has yet to be made known.

As regards housing affordability, the taxing of all income no matter how it is earned will make a contribution to stabilising house prices. Wellington house prices increased 70 per cent since 2010. Further, Bell’s article states that housing affordability worsened quite appreciably in the last three months of 2020.

There is a desperate need to stabilise house prices and every possible action needs to be taken now.

Ron Cormack, Lower Hutt