Think more broadly

I have just read the PCC Draft Recreation + Open Space Strategy 2012-2022 out for public comment by mid-april.

I commend the mayor for the foreword which stresses the value of our natural landscapes – he has at least begun to understand the national importance of Porirua’s land, harbours and seascapes.

Think of the few similar inlet systems from Hokianga, Kaipara, Manakau, Raglan, Kawhia – where Te Rauparaha came from – on the western coast and you begin to respect our wealth and sense of place.

I commend the author of the draft report too, for progressing the green-blue connections of land and waters for recreational use. But like Dr Nick Smith, Minister of the Environment and also Local Government, the mayor and our planners have a long way to go to achieving the holistic understanding of the environment as a whole.

There are eight other important components of information and education required – so I guess the planners are one-fifth of the way along the path.

But then again, I have spent the last 30 years explaining that you have to understand that the bookends of our use of the land and waters is both natural/native and cultural/exotic with many mixes in between.

I have more success with teaching this to school kids in the Secret Valley pavilion than I have had with planners and councillors. There is time and space for all.

So while I commend councillors for red-flagging the cost of an artificial turf at Ascot on economic grounds, I ask councillors to answer this question: where does the blue-stuff that falls on it go? More will fall when climate warming really hits.

The strategy for open space and recreation in 2022, and how we pay for it must include bigger thinking than the draft report presents so far. DR TONY JACKMAN, Pukerua Bay

(Letter abridged) reading this is is total venom.

Guinea pig owner, Titahi Bay: I doubt that someone has opened the cage and fed the pigs to a dog. I was woken up a few nights ago to a terrible racket which turned out to be two dogs chewing their way into my guinea pig hutch. They were very determined and although the hutch had a latch on it, given 10 more minutes they would have torn the roof off.

I assume that the same two dogs are responsible. I have reported this to the Porirua City Council.