Text the editor

Donor issues demand attention

Organ donation - and its relative shortage in New Zealand - was the subject of your chief news director’s editorial (August 6). Unfortunately his observation that most Kiwis ‘‘just don’t want to think about it’’ was painfully accurate.

I am alive now only because surgeons once (fortunately) disregarded a colleague who voiced the opinion: ‘‘I’m afraid he’s inoperable’’ and sought transplant tissue.

I will soon be 80, having been lucky enough – five times! - to be ‘‘repaired’’ by surgeons who found suitable organ replacements. (My first memoir, Operation New Zealand -or Bum Ticker in the US told of my Auckland Green Lane Hospital experience).

It is unfortunate that the scarcity of donated human tissue for many purposes - remains severe, making luck a factor in determining some Kiwis’ survival. The problems caused by a reluctance to think about donation goes much further than nominating eyes, skin, hearts, lungs, livers or kidneys.

I discovered another aspect: a whole body donation (which is so useful for medical schools) is complicated by a limitation on acceptance outwith a certain distance from the school.

Government policies supposedly facilitate donation, but the existence of a provision for a silly drivers’ licence notation can be over-ridden by relatives (the denial of human right’s privileges to seniors who cannot qualify for a driver’s licence is another consideration). One might wonder if the denial of voluntary euthanasia to pain-ridden seniors might also originate from the same policymakers!

If we are ever to ever to provide hope for the more than 700 New Zealanders awaiting organ transplants list - as your news director says, sustained national attention is necessary. GORDON MCSHEAN Himatangi Beach

Shame on MDC

I am really devastated to see that the report in the Manawatu Standard under the heading ‘Council backs Feilding Promotion with cash Injection’ (August 19).

The report says that the arrangement saw council fund activities such as Saleyards Tours and 33 per cent of the Farmers Market. This is completely untrue.

The Saleyards tours are funded by tour booking fees and run by volunteers at no cost to Feilding Promotion.

Marketing costs are funded via the booking fees and this past financial year the Saleyards Tours made a small profit, which is kept by FDP in return for overseeing the activity.

The Information Centre manages the tour bookings.

The Farmers Market is also self-funded.

They pay Feilding Promotion for their management services so there is no council funding required for that either.

It is completely erroneous for the mayor and councillors to take credit for funding either one.

One might ask what about the other activities mentioned in the report?

It is important that the community at large gets accurate facts via the media at a time when there is an election coming up. DAVID STROUD Saleyards Tour Guide

Proven your point

Re: ‘Putting Your Face On’ (Standard, August 5), I was pleased to see Fran Dibble acknowledge that those of marginalised populations are indeed humans deserving of creative expression, and I thank her for the lovely things she said about my work.

I even enjoyed her admission of apprehension. But she then suggested an activist endeavour such as mine didn’t belong on the walls of a museum, a pronouncement with which I very much disagree. When she likened the body of one of my subjects to that of an insect, and compared the others to people suffering a deadly disease, she proved its necessity.

That an art critic and at least one newspaper editor thought it was a good idea to ridicule bodies of which they do not approve is but one example of why The Adipositivity Project is important, and why the exhibition belongs at Te Manawa. ❚ They’re back! Just when i thought we were safe from the gyrating NZ Post girls, there they are thrusting hips and clutching breasts. I’ve posted a few parcels but never felt the need to carry on in that manner. ❚ NZ Olympic cycling team certainly talked the talk but failed to walk the walk. The rhino can justifiably be disappointed in his non selection. ❚ IB, NZ doesn’t have a new flag. Maybe a trip to spec savers is in order. Well done the NZ Olympic team. Rosco ❚ What is the United Nations doing about the refugees and migrants from Syria? Nothing. Shame mx ❚ Fair enough if All Saints parish want church for own ‘modern purpose’. But by planning to destroying much loved community heritage frontage have lost my support as potential donor. Pity no compromise. ❚ IB - If you have little pride in present NZ flag, then it there would be no point in a change. If you cannot differentiate between Oz & NZ flag go to Specsavers. Marjie ❚ If uncle dave is anti dairy farms and cows then perhaps he should move to Auckland City, there’s no cows there and not a farmer in sight. ❚ What a fantastic effort from our sportspeople at the Olympics, and great to see our ‘proper NZ flag’ on display so often!

And on as many walls as it takes to stamp out sizeist bigotry, such as you’re fostering in this review. Art and activism have enjoyed a long and fruitful partnership.

I salute Te Manawa for eschewing elitism and exclusivity, and for welcoming this outsider, putting the art of social justice and fat politics on exhibition.

I’d love to address Ms. Dibble’s implication that art should depict only appropriate role models, but I’ve exceeded my word limit. SUBSTANTIA JONES New York City

Thank you Ozanam House

A big thanks to office staff Eileen, Glenys and Trevor who for eight weeks made our stay in Summer Wing a home away from home.

Special thanks to Nancy for whom nothing was too much trouble and always ready to listen to you. It was greatly appreciated. We feel privileged to have been able to have the use of the accommodation provided by the Ozanam House Trust. PATRICIA & GRAEME HENEY Hastings