Idea NZ
What is New Zealand? It’s not a collection of islands near the lower part of the Pacific Ocean.
It’s not a collection of people from many cultural and ethnic backgrounds.
It’s not an agricultural economy that provides food for the starving world.
It’s not fertile land with mountain lakes and rivers.
It is an idea.
It’s an idea that says we’re all equal under the creator God, that opportunity for personal happiness is an open door and justice is a universal right as is freedom of speech.
When the Treaty of Waitangi was signed by both 550 Maori chiefs and representatives of the British Crown and its settlers, William Hobson declared that “we are now one people”.
We all accepted the Queen [Victoria] as sovereign, and that Westminster law was to guide and govern all our people.
When we lose sight of this idea, we have lost what NZ means.
It’s a free country, a country where expression of divergent views is part of the democratic process.
Debate is always welcomed in our continuing journey to expose the truth.
Ian George, Howick
Faster speeds, greater impact
The impression given off by proposals to increase speed limits is that doing so will enable a much faster journey.
In reality, the time “saved” is just not that much.
For example, the Orewa to Warkworth section of highway is around 25 kilometres, so at 100kph it would take 15 minutes to drive the entire distance.
With a speed limit of 110kph there’s a time saving of about a minute 20 seconds.
That’s not nothing but it’s pretty insignificant across the full length of a journey.
You could easily spend more time than that sitting at a single traffic light.
But imagine the impact in a collision at that extra speed?
Are we really in that much of a hurry to die? I, for one am not.
Bob Wichman, Botany
Tax cuts?
As a single mum, working 32 hours per week, (with a degree) earning just over the minimum wage in a medical clinic, I waited, optimistically for my promised tax cut to affect my weekly pay.
Finally, recently, I received an extra $2.15.
Financially I’d be better off on a benefit with a “side hustle”!
How can this be? I’m very frugal, no smoking, no takeaways, no Ubers, and grow my own veggies.
Hard working in Highland Park
