Unhealthy focus Origin rugby

While I may not be quite as anatomically explicit as Grant Dalton ( Weekend Herald, October 3) in declining a meeting with Health & Safety consultants, I do have a great deal of sympathy.

My response would have been far less colourful —“no thanks — can you take care of it?” This is not to say we don’t take H& S seriously. But recently we ran up against a H& S decision by consultants, that ultimately cost us a sports contract we had held for years. It added almost $ 100,000 to our costs.

Each year we employ a half dozen contractors for this contract — those jobs have now gone to an overseas company.

When H& S consultants’ sole purpose seems to be to cover every remote possibility, no matter what the cost, they place people’s jobs at risk as well. That surely is a Health & Safety issue of its own.

Ian Taylor, managing director, Animation Research Ltd.

There is scope for the NZ Rugby Union to develop a new competition that involves the Pacific. Five teams representing ethnic origin would be drawn from players the Pacific ( and Australia); Tonga, Samoa, Ma ¯ ori, Fiji, and European that would play four round- robin matches with a play- off final.

Remembering the popularity of the Tongan rugby league team that won in Hamilton, much interest will be generated within communities and good competitive matches assured. Grant Lilly, Waiheke Island