A quick word

Buy up on food and water, including pet food; secure your properties; clear your drains and gutters; and batten down the hatches. Check your toilet paper stocks; torches and batteries; and portable gas cookers; or even get away on that South Island break today. There you go Wayne, that should cover it.

Glenn Forsyth, Taupo¯.

M¯aori who signed the Treaty of Waitangi expected shared authority. The English version states M¯aori ceded authority to the Crown. Until this fundamental misunderstanding is resolved, Treaty negotiations may continue forever without resolution.

Donald Macculloch, Remuera.

Christopher Luxon had to dispense with his learntby-rote parrot repertoire for the event and , in his first speech on Friday, referred to the Treaty of Waitangi as an “experiment”.

Peter Dodd, Chatswood.

Why doesn’t National follow Labour and appoint a new leader?

Jock Mac Vicar, Hauraki.

Has Labour really gone from woke to worker or is it smoke and mirrors?

Steve Dransfield, Karori.

The “Bonfire of the policies” is a very clever and appropriate allusion but probably lost on many of those not of Tom Wolfe’s generation. Bonfire of the Vanities is most apt.

Malcolm Grover, Epsom.

It has long seemed obvious that alcohol and cigarettes pose hazards for both consumers and vendors but who could have envisaged that stocking icecreams could incentivise violent crime?

J. Livingstone, Remuera.

In response to Auckland Property Investors’ president Kristin Sutherland’s comments that rents are likely to increase due to market forces following the severe flooding events: Just because you can increase rents, it doesn’t mean you have to. Please, landlords, show some compassion.

Richard Gerard, Whangateau.

Tom Reynolds (WH, Feb. 4) writes Wayne Brown was “elected by an enormous majority” when his majority was the lowest of any Super City mayoral winner ever and about half Phil Goff ’s majority in 2016.

Mark Nixon, Remuera.

How refreshing it was to read Bruce Cotterill’s (WH, Feb. 4) very article regarding the current political situation that has been bought to a head in Auckland by Wayne Brown’s supposed handling of the recent state of emergency declaration.

Ross Harvey, Remuera.

Thousands of residents have suffered considerable damage to their properties. The inquiry should establish whether or not the Mayor was treating the job as a full-time and responsible job.

Johann Nordberg, Paeroa.

I am a little puzzled about the difference between a Chinese balloon and satellites from the United States monitoring every country on the planet. Greg Cave, Sunnyvale.