Loose claims of ‘fleecing’ don’t hold up

I refer to a letter to the editor, dated March 7, in which Mr Jim Fish talks about rental upgrades and electricity costs. We understand his viewpoint. We also respect Grey Power’s work advocating for older New Zealanders.

But simplifying things down to an attack on power prices does a disservice to broader issues and also the important contribution of New Zealand’s electricity system to our lives.

The Government’s Electricity Price Review’s findings do not support loose claims of systemic ‘‘fleecing’’, as Mr Fish suggests.

Instead, there’s acknowledgment that New Zealand is well served, especially in comparison to other parts of the world – balancing reliability, sustainability and equity.

It is extremely competitive, and choice abounds. Our electricity generation is largely from renewable sources (around 85 per cent).

But generating electricity is not free.

It takes considerable financial capital and human input to ensure New Zealand’s electricity supply remains stable and largely renewable, meeting shifting demand patterns.

Mercury’s $75 million refurbishment of the Karapiro hydro station is a case in point. Such assets represent critical infrastructure that cannot be left to deteriorate.

So, where does that leave us? Electricity usage is one area for focus: how can homes be made warmer and drier so electricity used isn’t wasted (and hard-earned money isn’t wasted)? Another factor is a household’s overall income and expenditure.

To find a sustainable solution we need to consider wider social issues of living costs and income equity. Otherwise, the slightly energy related analogy that comes to mind is Cervantes’ ‘‘tilting at windmills’’: perceiving them to be monsters when their efficient operation is actually a great advantage.

Finally, Mr Fish noted Mercury’s ‘‘increase of profit to over $8 million’’. Our interim net profit after tax was actually down $27 million. There were complex reasons for that, but we feel Mr Fish’s statement warrants correction.

Us and them

Southland has 3 per cent of the population and produces 23 per cent of the exports.

Auckland has 30 per cent of the population and produces 8 per cent of the exports.

Yet Auckland governs New Zealand.

We should go back to provincial government (1850-1875).

That would cut Auckland’s money off.

We could watch the Orclanders fall over like dead flies.

Next show day we could make a cardboard replica of the North Island, put a rope on each corner, and then pull it apart with four tractors. Then we could push it back into a heap and toss in a match.

The replica could be made while we are waiting for it to get daylight in the mornings.

We need leaders. Not pimps and wimps.

With provincial government we could locally develop the gas and oil.

And get an international airport.

Open up Doubtful Sound. too. Eugenie Sage has closed down the West Coast from the mountains to the sea.

They would certainly follow a southern initiative.

Brian Jackson

Taxation

Your opinion page correspondent Mervyn Cave brought up a classic argument about taxation that flies in the face of reason and seems to equate hard work with wealth.

Clearly that is a joke because a large percentage of our wealthiest people almost always are not doing any useful work but only became rich by being in the right place at the right time with the right people.

Tax is for the less fortunate who through no fault of their own are born into a dog-eat-dog world and need a form of insurance that is an investment in order and justice and a safety net to protect one from bad luck.

That is what tax is really meant for, not to be leeched by the greedy and entitled.

It is wise not to punch downward lest one day you, too, fall on hard luck.

Nearly all pundits say we are heading into dark economic waters and past luck might not be enough . Aaron Nicholson

Iam sure you would have heard about Star, the miniature horse that was attacked last month by some lunatic or lunatics near Waitati and later died of its injuries.

Everyone who heard was shocked and appalled at what happened, but the event was a bit closer to home for me as the young owner of the horse was the daughter of a long-time friend of mine.

Hearing first-hand of how distressed she, her brother, and all concerned were, brought home to me the horror of the situation even more strongly.

My friend headed his Facebook post with the words ‘‘something is wrong in our world’’.

It is hard at first glance not to agree, although I think it is truer to say ‘‘someone is wrong in our world’’.

It is easy to let things like what happened to Star let us lose our faith in humanity as a whole rather than realising that, with 4.8 million of us now in this country, there will be a certain number of individuals who – whether it’s from the environment they were raised in, or the genes they were born with, or both – act in ways outside anything that may be considered human or humane.

However, a really enjoyable morning around that time rekindled my hope for humanity.

I was invited to spend time at the Riding for the Disabled centre near Alexandra and what an utterly uplifting visit that was.

At a simple level, RDA involves physically and/or mentally challenged people, mostly but not always children, riding around an arena and then through the pines on a horse, with three volunteers assisting.

That simple description does not, however, paint the picture of the something almost magical that I saw.

One young man who came in appeared to my uneducated eye to be badly autistic. He had to be constantly guided by his caregiver and I sensed that there would be times when that guiding may be very physically challenging.

He was a solid teenager, very much in his own world, and seemingly on edge toward the world around him.

All that changed in a – I’ll use the word again – magical way when he got on the horse.

I was transfixed as he rode around the arena for probably 20 minutes; still, upright and calm on the horse.

He was a different young man and every so often a flicker of a smile crossed his face.

Other kids rode high in the saddle with pure joy on their faces.

I can’t pretend to walk in their shoes, but their lives must be tough at times and here they are up high doing something the other kids back at school are not. And probably wish they were.

I also learnt that it is not just the emotional attachment to the horse that works the magic but the physical challenge of sitting up and riding that works wonders too.

That and the patience and love of the volunteers as they quietly walk around giving these kids such an opportunity. I had a truly beautiful experience.

On an unrelated note; emotions are certainly running high in and around Clyde with confirmation that the Dunstan Hotel has sold.

While we know that the pub has been sold, we do not know yet what the end result of the sale will be, although the rumour mill has some fairly dire predictions.

Let me say right here that I will be utterly gutted if the pub shuts its doors.

It is my local.

I have made and lost friends there, I have laughed, sang, danced and talked into the wee small hours on many occasions.

I have cried there (when we finally won back the World Cup in 2011) and have even been robbed of all my clothes there (my stag do in 2003. Not my fault!).

However, while I will be upset if the rumoured closure comes to pass, some people have really let themselves down with what they have written on Facebook about the sale.

Personal attacks on the current owners, the new owners and even the real estate agent involved won’t change anything.

Without seeing the financials, claims of greed are without foundation and without knowing for sure the plans of the new owners, abuse is hardly going to make them warm to the idea of keeping at least part of the pub open.

It is a real shame that some people have let the emotion of sadness be over-ridden by the emotion of anger.