A quick word

I read the article about Jim Wetere (Weekend Herald, Jan 20). If some 350 people are going to the emergency department each day, is there any record of why? Do many not really need ED treatment, thus holding up those who do? Alan Milton, Cambridge. $400,000 for a crossing, while you can buy a completed, new 3-bedroom house (excluding land) for less than that. How is that even possible?

Susan Grimsdell, Auckland Central.

I find it bizarre that Auckland Transport spends hundreds of thousands of dollars on a single raised pedestrian crossing, then pleads poverty as an excuse to raise the cost of public transport. PK Ellwood, Beach Haven.

Auckland: It used to be the City of Sails. Now it’s the City of Speed Bumps. Lucas Bonn, Unsworth Heights. “I don’t mind the provocation,” claims Christopher Luxon — presumably directed at tangata whenua concerned about his coalition’s signals around the Treaty. Odd that — when the initial provocation has come from his cringe-worthy coalition partners. Peter Beyer, Sandringham.

There is no need to redefine the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi. What is required is a written constitution that clearly defines the principles of egalitarianism and liberal democracy that is enshrined as precedence in law. Lloyd McIntosh, West Harbour.

So Chris Hipkins says he feels guilt for not doing enough for M¯aori. Or is it guilt for not doing enough by stealth?

Andrew Fleming, Epsom.

Good advice from King T¯uheitia to just be yourself, be M¯aori. While on the sideline, the jester Jones entertains himself by inventing words and magpieing irrelevant references. Helter skelter, in the summer swelter.

Stephen Symes, Eastern Beach.

I thought James Shaw was joint leader of the Green Party. So why does he stand there like a stuffed dummy with Marama Davidson always doing the talking? What is this telling us? Colin Nicholls,

Mt Eden.

I can find no recent report on the Baby Ru death investigation, just another Kiwi child who is killed and nothing is done. What a very sad comment on our country. Jeni Peterson, Onehunga.

Hopefully, the Warriors management team will be better at running pubs than managing an NRL team. Stick to the knitting. Graham Fleetwood, Botany Downs.

South African cricket’s excuses for sending a second or third XI here for a test match series are unconvincing. Money talks and their top players have walked. To suggest otherwise is an insult to our collective intelligence.

Larry Mitchell, Rothesay Bay.

Bruce Cotterill (Weekend Herald, Jan 20) wrote of the large number of road deaths every holiday season. Perhaps the Government would consider placing some of the innovative road signs I saw on a recent visit to Canberra across this country: “Text it. Cop it”, “Alcohol and Speed DEAD ahead”, “If you drive hammered, you will get nailed”, “Driving on drugs is driving drunk”. Sarah Beck, Devonport.

So Prince is the most frequently declined baby name. I guess being a single masculine noun makes it too easy.

John Aplin, Paparoa.