Tent-gate and natural justice: Letters to the editor, June 20, 2026

Saturday, 20 June 2026

Labour reps were at Fieldays but didn’t have a tent. Pictured is Chris Hipkins talking with Dr John Roche, the Prime Minister’s chief science advisor.

Tent-gate

At the recent Fieldays, Labour was the only major Political party not represented by way of a booth/stand. Mr Hipkins brushed this off by saying 'we found the best engagement we got was when we were out and about walking around'.

Come on Mr Hipkins, this is an election year, and I don't believe your explanation for not having a stand/booth is a correct one.

And this is a party who wants to be the next Government.

Phillip Harvey, Ōwhango

People are sick of hearing nothing can be done about boy racers, David White says.

Want to share your thoughts? Email editor@waikatotimes.co.nz with your full name and (not for publication) address and phone number. Letters should be no longer than 250 words.

Natural justice

I am extremely late in complimenting Joe's article on the paintball firing father and Cicero.

Louise Upston isn’t the only MP to claim an accommodation allowance, Peter Pickett writes.

Spot on Joe, (if I'm allowed to express it that way), I can see legions of fathers and grandfathers taking similar action up and down the country when we tired of hearing, 'There's nothing we can do.'

David White, Matamata

Upston debate

My first awareness of the Russell Armitage self-importance halo occurred when he had a conniption some years ago over traffic jams caused by a rock concert, which meant he missed an international flight. His solution was not to arise an hour earlier, but to have the “wretched pop concert” cancelled. Surely he could not reach that level of hubris again?

But the vitriol in his recent letter to the Times attacking MP Louise Upston for claiming an accommodation allowance she is perfectly entitled to indeed achieved that and is even more egocentric.

Had he bothered to check the facts he would have found seven of his beloved Labour party are legitimately doing exactly the same. With that embarrassingly overlooked fact catapulting him to a crash landing from his High Horse, perhaps when consequently preening his plumage back to its customary magnificence, he should also spend time educating himself and Stuff on the rules all those MP’s are following?

It was tricky trying to use the Orbiter and connect with the Comet service, Raewyn Johnston writes.

To borrow some of his terminology, the letter’s “shabby disgraceful sick arrogant self-serving hypocrisy” probably meets the threshold of defamation. So rather than have that put to the test or have the Media Council investigate the blatant political bias in publishing his diatribe and adding a photo to reinforce it, he and Stuff should publish a suitably grovelling apology to Ms Upston? Accompanied of course by an appropriately generous donation to a charity of her choosing?

Peter Pickett, Leamington

Editor’s note: The letters to the editor column is for readers to share their opinions. We have no input into what they write. Recent reporting also covers other MPs claiming taxpayer-funded housing allowances on Wellington homes that they own.

Out of orbit

I am sorry to see the Orbiter bus service has ended. But I found a problem in using it to connect to the Comet (an excellent service!).

Winston Peters’ recent speech in Cambridge is a stark contrast with a winning speech from 18-year-old Amanjot Singh earlier this year, Elaine McDonnell writes.

While the distance between the Orbiter and Comet services was quite short, it involved crossing the main trunk railway line via lifts and distances exposed to wind and rain that were daunting.

It is one thing to do a 2 to 3km daily walk from home, where timing and clothing can be chosen to suit a fairly short window of time, but it was different matter to set out on an expedition - home to Orbiter, Orbiter to Comet, Comet to hospital and return.

Raewyn Johnston, Hamilton

Editor’s note: The Orbiter is still running but Waikato Regional Council plans point to long-term changes that include two new “high frequent services” and getting rid of the Orbiter.

Two speeches

In May this year I watched a video film of an 18 year old student from Hastings Boys High School who had won the Final of the Annual Race Unity Speech Awards. This competition is supported by the NZ Police, Human Rights Commission and others.

The theme was set as “Listening to Understand” In a compelling speech Amanjot Singh shared his personal reflections on racial stereotypes and identity. He stressed the importance of listening to people with understanding rather than making assumptions based on how they look or where they come from. His presentation promoted a message of unity and empathy.

Then, this week I read of an address given by an elderly politician to a packed Cambridge Town Hall at the weekend. The angry speech roamed over several topics; from the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and gender issues, from defunding police to co-governance with Maori.

Colin Jones is concerned about Hamilton City Council finances.

But the angriest rant appeared to be aimed at the Indian Free Trade Deal. Included in this was the description of large numbers of foreign students; presumably Indian, who would be “taking your kids’ jobs”.

All of this abusive rant drew “huge applause” from the crowd.

What a contrast to the measured, yet heart-felt speech by Amanjot Singh. His presentation included choice; the dilemma of how to respond to prejudice. How he tackled it was remarkable and humbling.

And which speech do you think gave me hope for the future of the country where my grandchildren are growing up?

Elaine McDonnell, Hamilton

HCC black hole

HCC debt is already about $1billion. The new councillors have discovered that HCC has numerous Black holes. Each Black hole has financial implications for ratepayers. HCC can borrow, which is ultimately secured against our residential homes.

The most significant Black hole is Peacocke. Contrary to recent publications it is now $200 million over the 2018 budget. Costs are now over $500m, with possibly a further $100m required to complete roading. Only ⅓ has been serviced for development.

The loan-funded work at Peacocke has been delivered on time and under budget, Hamilton City Council says.

The problem is that HCC was assuming that Development Levies would repay the debt. While DC costs were estimated at $34,000 in 2018, they are now approx. $93,000 per residential site. This cost is added to the section price. This $93,000 makes it uneconomical for developers to subdivide their land. Without subdivisions HCC can’t recover the DC or charge rates on developed land.

HCC was required to renegotiate the $180m Govt loan in 2023. It originally required $4.5m repayment pa from 2024. Govt has agreed to reduce repayment to $3.5m pa from 2027. Ratepayer will still be required to pay these costs until subdivisions are completed. That is one of the reasons why are rates are so high.

Rotokauri is also a financial Black hole. Similar issues, but a lot more complicated.

H3 (HCC staff) runs the zoo, Claudelands, Hamilton Gardens etc is another Black hole. H3 consolidated loss of 20 yrs is over $100m. All paid by ratepayers.

Hilary Oxley has written in about an opinion piece on gender.

HCC Mayor has just commissioned an independent Financial Reference Group outside of HCC staff to investigate and report.

Colin Jones, Hamilton

The council responds

Hamilton is the fastest growing city in New Zealand and we need to support this growth by enabling housing for the coming decades. At Peacocke’s inception, enabling development in the south of the city was supported by Hamilton’s community, developers and Council – recognising the need to invest now to accommodate future growth.

Funding to open up Peacocke came from a mix of central government support, developer contributions and Council investment. Peacocke was always planned to develop over 30-40 years, and one of the benefits of the government’s 10-year interest-free loan is it better insulates Council from economic downturn cycles. The loan-funded programme of work has been delivered on time, and under budget. Peacocke is an example of strategic, long-term planning for our city which will ultimately cost less for our community than if we simply react to growth pressures.

Russell Armitage has more to say on the potential disappearance of Victoria St bus stops.

Hamilton’s visitor destinations are part of what makes our city a great place to live. They are funded by a combination of fees and charges, and rates. Our destinations draw crowds from across the country and internationally, and contribute millions to Hamilton’s economy – going directly to our hardworking businesses. Hamilton’s investment into these activities is consistent with councils globally, and is historically driven by community interests.

Blair Bowcott, Hamilton City Council general manager of strategy, growth and planning

Gender questions

What has been described in the opinion piece by Sue Middleton, when she writes “Identity is a psychological term”, is a more sophisticated and knowledgeable version of these explanations:

HOW someone presents e.g. does or does not ‘do’ any sex-based stereotypes = Gender sociologically.

How come there’s no comment on officers facing court but plenty on one standing for Labour, Dunstan Sheldon asks.

WHO someone identifies as e.g. trans or non-binary = Gender psychologically.

WHAT someone is e.g. male or female = Which sex they are, with or without a DSD.

Hilary Oxley, Tangimoana, Manawatū

Bus bother

Thank you for reporting on the possible removal of bus routes from Victoria St. If this happens it will be quite a blow to many passengers, especially elderly and infirm, using these routes and find the Victoria St stops very convenient.

The responses from the HCC raise a few questions. It was stated that 1200 people had a say about the proposed changes. How many of those people were users of routes 1, 4, 5, 11, 14, 16, and RC? Did the consultation include officials travelling on these routes at various times to interview passengers about the changes? If so, when, how often and what were the responses? If none of these things were undertaken then I maintain the consultation was a sham and invalid.

It was disingenuous and devious of Cr Sarah Thomson to portray this issue as a competition between car parks and bus-stops. It is not. Both are required. More additional car parks, especially by installing angle parks, can be provided without removing bus stops. The Council has dragged the chain on this compared to other cities. A shuttle loop service is not a good alternative to removing buses from Victoria St. It would require passengers to change buses and add to travel waiting times.

Cr Thomson needs to concentrate on making public transport more user friendly and convenient rather than more complicated and inconvenient. Her transport model is a bit of a mess and is trying to force changes to people's travel preferences. Get on the bus Sarah. This is a chance to undo the problems you caused to buses and their passengers by supporting speed humps.

Russell Armitage, Hamilton

Double standard?

So, our esteemed Police Minister cannot possibly comment on the three police officers who are facing the Criminal Court over objectionable material on their police computers but, he is perfectly happy to besmirch the name of a, by all accounts, honourable police officer known for his integrity in the court of public opinion namely the Media.

Not only that but he puts his Police Commissioner in the unenviable position of having to investigate said officer. Sadly, Police Superintendent Naidoo's reputation will be forever tarnished no matter what the outcome of the investigation as will the relationship with the Police that he has established with ethnic minorities. Apparently, all this effort has been in aid of petty politics as we approach the election in November.

Have some New Zealand politicians sunk to the level of their counterparts in America? I truly hope not but….

Dunstan Sheldon, Hamilton