A quick word
Maybe the Defence Force can select a commercial contractor to manage its planes? Or better, our PM always uses commercial services, as he once prophesied, especially Air NZ, as he may have lifetime free flights as a parting perk of being a former CEO? If so that would be a generous reduction in government expenditure, compared to running a 757 gas-guzzler from Wellington to Melbourne, which is a far more expensive cost, to taxpayers and in climate emissions. Rob Buchanan, Kerikeri.
Law and order was a big issue in the election last year. Much of the focus was on smash-and-grab raids and violent burglaries. When the now Government promised to “crack down on crime”, voters probably assumed that they had a plan. It seems that the plan is still in the pipeline. Banning gang patches will not stop smash-and-grab raids of course. Greg Cave, Sunnyvale.
It would be more appropriate to refer to the Coalition’s 100-day plan as their “undo” list. Don’t they realise the negative impression they are creating, particularly when it is not balanced by any positive plans? Jeanette Grant, Mt Eden.
I would have thought
Shortland Street would have been the first programme to be axed, so that the millions spent producing it could be transferred to improving the lives of real people in real and under-funded hospitals. Gavin Baker, Glendowie.
News that TV3’s news hour will be no more means advertisers now only have one channel to place their advertising, namely with TVNZ, then TVNZ’s advertising forecasts will have just enjoyed a healthy boost. Why then are they proposing to slash their own channel’s output? Jeremy Hall, Hauraki.
The removal of rubbish bins is just another case of Auckland Council abrogating another of their core responsibilities. There is nothing more core for a council than rubbish. This will result in more untidiness while the council indulges in noncore and unnecessary wasteful spending. Ken Graham, Greenlane.
All of the manufactured hullabaloo over the Hurricanes haka has, perhaps deliberately, papered over the real existential threat to women’s rugby. Did anyone notice the size of the crowd?
Adrian McCormack, Sandringham.
If the reverse had happened and the 71-year-old woman had bashed the 21-year-old man three times in the face, would she have got off with permanent name suppression and no conviction?
Wendy Tighe-Umbers, Parnell.
$30 million on a Premier House reno. You must be joking. Demolish the 160-year-old leaky eyesore and build a new, fit for purpose $20 million house that NZ is proud of. And spend the remaining $10 million on early childhood education. Mark van Praagh, Hobsonville Point.
Lunches in schools, Therapeutic Products Act, gun control, Auckland light rail, Three Waters, the Treaty, antismoking bill, Maori Health Authority: All either scrapped or at least under threat. What’s next? Rights to abortion and gay marriage? Rufus Carey,
Grey Lynn.
So Government ministers will now be allowed to fast-track approval of very lucrative projects, regardless of expert opinion and environmental concerns. A one-stop approval process puts enormous power in a few hands rather than a broad panel, with huge amounts of money involved. Gee, what can possibly go wrong?
Jeff Hayward, Auckland CBD.