Air Chathams took such good care of our granddaughter
Through your paper, I would like to acknowledge the essential and great service that Air Chathams is providing for Ka¯ piti.
Our granddaughter Sophie, who is 8, did her first solo flight from Auckland to Paraparaumu (and return) during the school holidays period.
They took such good care of her I know that she will be a regular passenger from now on and it has given her so much confidence.
This service is a lifeline for business people and also for families who are far away from each other. The crew was extremely friendly and made a worried little girl very happy and confident.
CATHERINE WELDON
Waikanae Beach
Four day plan to police arrivals
It is no exaggeration to suggest that any individual who absconds from imposed Covid isolation, could potentially cost the country billions of dollars and potentially thousands of livelihoods, not to mention hundreds of lives.
If this scenario doesn’t reach the threshold of threatening national security, then what would?
Why then the bleating by some when a few police are deployed to maintain order at the various quarantine facilities. Myself, I would deploy substantially more and army as well.
To be absolutely sure of a good outcome, authorities should allow, say, a four-day surge of people to arrive in to the country, all securely quarantined.
Then two weeks later, when the last of the fourth day arrivals have been cleared, another four day lot of people would be allowed in.
The airlines would have the certainty of some business, rather than have to face the prospect of none at all.
DAVID W PALMER
Reikorangi
Probably, way back before neoliberal economics “bought” us today’s decision makers and progress not profit reigned supreme, the Council Electricity Dept sensibly chose to hide the Paeka¯ ka¯ riki substation from view by planting a large hedge.
Whilst, no doubt, proud of their achievement of bringing power to the people, council also thought of the citizens they served. They intelligently minimised the environmental detraction their necessary industrial eyesore had had upon the landscape, for negligible expense.
Planted on the road verge above the substation, this council-owned environmental asset served its purpose, not interfering with transmission lines and being cheaply and dutifully maintained for 60 years or more.
Then council outsourced, remembering who owned and maintained this asset!
This now magnificent, multi-hued but forgotten council asset became a liability to the lines company. Citizens environment be damned, kids joy at climbing one end to other be damned when corporate bottom-lines are threatened.
Council, ignoring that they had been reminded of their asset (after regular maintenance ceased) allowed Electra free reign to destroy 60+ years of good work and growth.
The resultant unthinking, wanton destruction by Electra and the eyesore aftermath, makes a mockery of Electra’s claim to be “…the very best in NZ.”
Ka¯ piti Coast District Council needs to explain their plans to repair the damage caused by their incompetence.
Electra, unless their boast of being a good corporate citizen is nothing but hollow words, need to explain what they will do to repair the environmental damage their vandalism has wrought.
IAN McARTNEY
Paeka¯ka¯riki