A quick word

We are told we are in a cost of living crisis so how important should it be to waste our money by buying fireworks to celebrate Guy Fawkes? Dick Ayres, Auckland Central

Sidebar on the front of the Herald “How Taylor Swift Became a Billionaire.” Ummm, at a guess, because she sold lots and lots of records? John Capener, Kawerau.

Celebrating Guy Fawkes night can only be likened to the TMO — Time to Move On — and be done with both.

Ian Doube, Rotorua.

I think the term is “deflection” when your front page news blames Oranga Tamariki for this beautiful little boy’s death. Whilst I am sure they fell short, the real question is who actually submitted him to blunt force trauma and why. One we accept this we can try and stop these deaths happening.

Jeni Peterson, Onehunga.

I urge the Green Party to step forward and talk to Christopher Luxon to suggest a coalition. Put social ideology aside. We need a relentless voice for the environment in Government now. K. Taylor, Epsom.

The best education ever was to sit in class reciting out loud, all the times-tables and teaching us all to do maths in our heads. It is such a shame that for many years a calculator has been used for adding two totals together. Many times I have witnessed shop assistants getting a calculator out for a simple maths sum, when instantly I have worked it out in my head. In English it was the norm to be given a list of words to learn every night, how to spell and what they mean. These methods stand one in good stead throughout life. If technology tries to guess what you are saying and too much reliability is put in this system, then there will always be errors in what is learned and accepted. Margaret Dyer, Taupo¯.

Rod McIntyre (NZ Herald letters) feels we can’t influence the big players on climate change. We could say the same about our nuclear-free stance, our Covid response, universal suffrage, the 40-hour week and many other issues. We don’t know what that influence might be — but that is no reason not to try. Mike Diggins, Royal Oak.

I find it quite ironic that council controlled organisations were set up to be more businesslike in their operations. Yet Auckland Transport would not be permitted in a commercial environment because it is not only a monopoly, it also controls all the competing entities: roads and as a result private transport, public transport, pedestrian transport and ferries and presumably road safety. At has far too much power and for a start it should be broken up.

C Johnstone,

Grey Lynn.