Dear Editor, Massey University’s Anna Powles says that Aotearoa’s pause in aid to Cook Islands “could be major beneficiary” for China.

In this writer’s view not even a fraction of the benefit to China of the picture in Saturday’s paper of NZ PM Christopher Luton inspecting Chinese troops on his recent trip. How many of those particular troops take part in the internationally recognised and condemned abuse, and maybe genocide, of Chinese indigenous peoples? Any Kiwi with any sense of moral right should be fully ashamed.

And how about the Cook Islands? Continuing to take money from these aggressors. Does not seem to matter how many bad deals we’ve done with them, the leaking courthouse, the said to be condemned police station, Te Mato Vai; like suckers returning each year to a travelling circus we just keep going back for more.

August this year marks the 30^th anniversary of Vaka Ki Moruroa, when our then brave government backed the Cook Islanders and sailors from around the Pacific who gathered at our harbour, were stocked up from containers full of food and supplies, and sent off by the brave souls on a tiny island, not afraid to stand up to the might of the French military. We joined that flotilla with our own vaka and our sailors stood firm under French jets diving at our crew. Polynesia’s Pacific.

Is there any hope that we will ever again have politicians with the bravery of our ancestors? Or are we doomed to the turnover of one set of addicts to power, first class travel, and hypocrisy after the other?

(Name and address supplied)