The proposed UK law includes a new duty of transparency and candour, also enforceable by prosecution. Ministers will be subject to all the new duties. If adopted here, I believe something like the new UK law would make a welcome difference to the way this country is governed.
Robert Morfee, Maraetai.
Lower cash rate
The lowering of the Official Cash Rate is no doubt good for some, but certainly not the elderly.
Regardless of what the experts think of how these people should be investing any savings, most stick to term deposits as they are safe. The average cost of living per month for a couple starts at $4600 and climbs steeply depending on location. Superannuation for a married couple per month is $3589, which is $1000 less than that required to live.
Considering paid interest attracts tax, a superannuitant couple today would need to have $400,000 invested to be on the same page as an ordinary couple. It is said older people can live more cheaply as they don’t have similar costs, but let’s not forget doctors’ visits and other health requirements soon erode any advantage.
Unfortunately, there are also many elderly who have few savings and are living hand-to-mouth.
Reg Dempster, Albany.
Political promises
The public are so often taken for a ride by the politicians but again and again they are fooled by them. Promises made by politicians are rarely met with approval by the majority and are usually only made to garner new votes in a general election.
The latest is the Labour Party’s support for the government mega-strikers, who are being encouraged by Chris Hipkins to strike so he can garner a few more votes next year. It’s a pity the vast majority of government workers can’t see through his political gambit.
Bruce Woodley, Birkenhead.
City Rail Link
With the opening of the much-vaunted, close to $7 billion City Rail Link now delayed yet again to late 2026, perhaps the tunnels could be repurposed, in the meantime, as a safe, warm and dry, very expensive, international geological, scientific and historical tourist attraction for use only by pedestrians, cyclists, horses and carts, scooters and jiggers for the elderly and disabled. And shelter for the homeless and endangered bats and glow-worms?
Bruce Tubb, Ngataringa Bay.
Critical infrastructure
Joanne Nordberg (Herald on Sunday letters Nov 23) was right: Minister Peters deserves full credit for rescuing a critical project that Minister Willis recklessly scrapped. That decision created chaos for New Zealand and dozens of companies who had already invested in the project.
Labour’s plan was costed at $1.5 billion. The reason the cost rose was a law change forcing expensive earthquake strengthening at Kaiwharawhara. KiwiRail tried to move to Kings Wharf, but CentrePort dug in its heels, prioritising hypothetical container growth over a functioning ferry terminal. With Kaiwharawhara forced back on to the table, the estimate hit $3b and Labour responsibly paused the project to pursue cost-reducing options –work cut short by the election.
Nordberg has implied Labour would have spent up to a Treasury-floated $4b figure. Labour would not have proceeded at those levels – alternative sites were still available. CentrePort should see rail ferries as part of its core business. It could have shifted container storage operations to Kaiwharawhara and allowed KiwiRail on to Kings Wharf, where it is close to the Wellington railway station
In truth, this time Minister Peters rescued National, not Labour.
It begs the question, though. Is the Kaiwharawhara site to be seismically strengthened now?
Niall Robertson, Balmoral.