Brooke van Velden’s plan to overhaul New Zealand’s pay equity regime was always going to be controversial and the pushback against it by Labour and the Greens was predictable. It is good that they see this plan “as taking the women’s movement backwards” as both parties have always been good advocates for women’s rights.

However, Hipkins, the leader of the Labour Party, has in the past given a rather vague analysis of who a woman is, such as, “I think people define their gender for themselves.” This rather obscure definition of self-identifying would appear to trump biological criteria. If this is the case then, in this fight against the overhaul of New Zealand’s pay equity scheme, will Hipkins stand by those who identify as women but are in fact biological men? Or will he just regard this as a “distraction” as he does Winston Peters’ Member’s Bill to define a woman and a man in law?

Bernard Walker, Mt Maunganui.

Privileges Committee

Te Pati Māori once again show their total disregard for parliamentary procedures after a leak. Co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said: “We were aware that an Instagram put up last night created a little bit of tension for the chair of the Privileges Committee.” She said: “No MP, including the co-leaders, were responsible for that.”

At what stage does the committee finally say enough is enough and create an appropriate punishment? You can guarantee there will continue to be outbursts with no apparent consequences. No, the committee is not racist and biased it is just supposed to do its job of maintaining standards (no matter how low) of our parliamentary systems. Do you think this sort of behaviour is going to encourage people to take what they say seriously?

Ian MacGregor, Auckland.

CRL

Once again we have claims that John Key started the CRL in 2016. In fact his announcement that Government would share funding of the CRL with Auckland Council came with the caveat that patronage on the Auckland rail network would first have to grow to over 20 million passenger-trips per year. While such a level of patronage will easily be achievable once CRL is open, it will be very hard before it is built. So this was a clever political move – giving the appearance of funding but subject to an almost impossible condition.

Eventually, Council was able to persuade the Government to allow work to start before reaching the 20 million target, on the basis that it had already reached 18 million after very strong growth in patronage following electrification of the network in 2014-15.

Graeme Easte, Mt Albert.

David Parker

What a great loss David Parker will be to Parliament, and the Labour Party. It was a great shame Hipkins didn’t take up the thoughtful Parker’s sound tax proposals in 2023, possibly costing Labour the election. A tax on capital income (wealth) and gains and a tax-free threshold on the first $10,000 would have been a real step towards making tax more equitable. It would also have provided funding to boost investment in public services. Unfortunately, Parker couldn’t get Labour to adopt this, which proved a sad own goal. Parker’s grasp of detail and policy allied to his political boldness will be sorely missed. He could step outside the cautious centre and see a bigger picture, which is what we plainly need.

Jeff Hayward, Auckland.

Military threat?

In his recent letter to the NZ Herald, Paul Hamilton has intimated that Helen Clark is living in “Cloud Cuckoo Land”. Responding to the phrase, “NZ faces no direct military threat”, he asks “how exactly does she know this?”. So I would like to turn the question around. How does your letter writer know that NZ does face a direct military threat? Instead of spending massive amounts on weapons NZ should be building creches, houses, schools, libraries and hospitals. Let the large countries contribute to the huge and obscene profits being earned by the major arms companies. Let NZ focus on fixing all the problems that we face with an aging population and broken infrastructure.

Johann Nordberg, Paeroa.

State houses

Technically speaking, state houses are bought and paid for and therefore owned for by the taxpayer. In which case taxpayers should have a say whether they should be sold or not, with the National Party in true national tradition (without consultation to the taxpayer) flogging them off to the highest bidder – which of course being in Auckland’s premier suburbs would have raised premier rents to the benefit of taxpayers’ investment.

Nicola Willis’ coming garage sale of Auckland’s state houses would indicate that National’s fiscal hole is even bigger than that of the previous Labour Government. The gap between rich and poor as house prices get further and further from first-home buyers’ grasp, accelerating poverty in so doing, is guaranteed to become wider.

Gary Hollis, Mellons Bay.

Sentences must be tough

The recent arrests of gang members involved in disruptive behaviour at a Botany bar raise serious questions about the effectiveness of our justice system. If these offenders are simply handed fines instead of prison sentences, what message does that send?

To gangs flush with cash from illegal enterprises, a fine is nothing more than petty cash – a minor inconvenience, not a punishment. This approach is not just ineffective – it’s laughable. It does nothing to curb gang activity and, worse, signals that our legal system lacks the resolve to deal with organised crime. It’s time to stop pretending that soft penalties are enough. If we are serious about law and order, sentences must be tough, meaningful, and make one thing absolutely clear: crime will cost you dearly. Until then, gangs will continue to operate with impunity – and the public will continue to pay the price.

Alan Walker, St Heliers.

A quick word

Whenever we think our economy or our lifestyles are bad it is necessary to remember a few clear points. We are not at war. We don’t need to walk miles for water. Flushing a toilet is never given a moment’s thought; when we are sick care is free for all when required. Children go to school, and we live a democracy not a dictatorship. Sometimes reflecting on what we have, rather than what we don’t can balance our view on the world, and how Kiwis actually live. It’s not bad, really.

John Ford, Taradale.

It appears that a suspected dog abuser is worthy of more public effort to locate them than the escalating senseless violent offenders prolific in our largest city. Look at the media coverage it is receiving. It may be that the dog was attacking an individual. Let’s get our priorities right.

Keith Moran, Stonefields.

With the injury to their standout player Steph Curry, the presumptive winner of the 2025 finals, The Golden State Warriors, is no longer “a gimme”.

Larry Mitchell, Rothesay Bay.

As the City Rail Link nears completion, predictably politicians are now vying for the credit in getting it going. And leading the push for that it seems is Sir John Key, who just loves the limelight when all goes well. Would he have “spilled the beans” though if it had flopped, I very much doubt it. Such a contrast to someone such as Sir David Attenborough, who has done such an amazing job globally yet never seeks the glory which in his case would be so well deserved.

Paul Beck, West Harbour.

It is great to see Transpower’s plans to upgrade the Cook Strait power cables. Planning to replace ageing structures and for future growth and demand is commendable. Sound familiar? Don’t tell Willis!

Richard Cole, Waipu.

Will we, the people who have to pay, ever get a credible statement from Luxon or Willis on what it has cost to cancel the ferries ordered in 2021? We are told the cancelled ships would have been running by next year. Is that true? Meanwhile, we have the extra costs of having to retire one of the truly clapped-out old boats early. Should anyone continue to have any faith in the economic competence of Luxon and Willis – or is that, much rather, of the Act-led government? I think not.

Stan Jones, Hamilton.

Many women are working long hours at caring/cleaning jobs that are vital, but at very low pay. Much of this is for the Government to sort out. But how can private companies pay a lesser salary to a woman who is doing exactly the same job as a man? Many women don’t have a man to support them but have the same expenses.

Rae Edgar, Mt Albert.