Kibitzer is a wonderful Yiddish word for which there is no precise equivalent in English. It means someone who stands around giving unwanted advice.
Kibitzers, usually men of a certain age, have had the time of their lives since the Rena hit the rocks.
Tune into any radio talkback show and you'll hear them expounding on all the things the authorities have done wrong and how, with a pair of tin snips, a garden hose and a roll of duct tape, they could have had the containers offloaded, the oil pumped out and the ship safely refloated within 24 hours.
If only someone had asked them.
Listening to talkback radio, I am agog at the depth of engineering knowledge and salvage expertise acquired by Kiwi blokes who have spent a lifetime changing the oil in Mark II Cortinas, sharpening the blades of a lawn mower and clearing blockages under the kitchen sink. I mean, who would have thought?
Speaking of the Rena, I worry for Britain, because it seems we've pinched all its experts on maritime safety and salvage operations. As was also noticeable in the aftermath of the Christchurch earthquakes, a striking number of the officials who appear on the television news each night to update us on developments speak with British accents.
There was a time in New Zealand when almost every union spokesman had an accent that identified them as English or Scottish. Nothing puzzling about that: they were simply carrying on the class war. But can anyone explain why so many British immigrants end up working for regulatory authorities?

Tony Fellingham, Tauranga.