Dear Editor, with regards to Don Carlaw’s letter about foreign workers leaving.

1. Many are in breach of their contracts aided by our Immigration and Internal Affairs.

2. The human rights issue started at Internal Affairs, who have failed to balance the "rights" with the "responsibility" of the employee.

3. When Covid-19 struck, Internal Affairs used the converse, you can't send people into harm's way,  a Covid-19 infected country.

4. With the collapse of the tourism industry, foreign workers were subsidised with a $320 per weekly support.

5. Did anyone in Immigration or Internal Affairs or MFEM for that matter, think, hey we have just paid close to $1 million a week in subsidies, we need to recover some of this. Yes, you are free to leave when your contract is up, at least that would have stemmed the flow for a short period of time.

6. The foreign workers who have left on the basis of citizenship after three years, beware. This will totally depend upon New Zealand’s need at the time. If they don't need you, the excuses will flow, you misunderstood, there was no legislation to do what was promised.  

7. I don't believe the Cook Islands Government paid for vaccinations and these were provided by New Zealand.

8. Perhaps the time has come for the New Zealand Government to formally open a pathway for foreign workers to transition to New Zealand after fulfilling their contracts in the Cooks. It's also time for the Cook Islands Government and public servants to realise that we are essentially the same people and are protected by our constitution as New Zealand Citizens. Our politicians also need to stop dreaming about UN status and going it alone.

Keep it in balance, keep it fair.

Details supplied

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Dear Prime Minister

Dear Editor,

Mr Prime Minister, are you a one-man Cabinet? Isn’t your long list of ministerial portfolios enough for you? You have effectively side lined the only woman in your cabinet from the Covid-19 media spotlight to carry out her duties to do TMO press releases as the official Minister of Health.

You have heaped on yourself, apart from being the public face of the Covid-19 strained Ministry of Health, the additional ministerial portfolios for the defendant Robert Tapaitau , the “Master of Penrhyn”.

Are you a one-man cabinet, micro-managing your pawns?

Selina Napa Opposition MP

Editor - Prime Minister Mark Brown was given an opportunity to respond.  

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