Teaching NZ history
Jim Cable Nelson, August 30 Neville Male Stoke, August 30
Trafalgar St closure
As we’ve seen so many times with this city council, yet another decision has been made where presumed ‘‘benefits’’ are vastly outweighed by disadvantages.
Ever since traffic lights were installed at the Rutherford StHardy St intersection and the ‘‘No Right Turn’’ configured, upper Trafalgar St has been the prime access link to the central city for vehicles travelling from Rutherford St.
The ‘‘holiday time’’ closed street nonsense we’ve endured over the past two summers forced vehicles using Selwyn Place to travel down to Collingwood St, to take a left there, and then another left into Hardy St, before effecting a right to enter Trafalgar St – needlessly and miserably having to endure two extra sets of traffic lights and more needlessly congested traffic.
Closing upper Trafalgar St will be welcomed by adjacent cafe´ s and restaurants – trading advantage central to their perspectives – but unless the ‘‘No Right Turn’’ is removed from the HardyRutherford lights – which will inflict other difficulties – the upper Trafalgar St closure will impact heavily on inner-city access.
I implore Nelson people to vote for council candidates who can It is now being suggested by some university academics that New Zealand history should be reintroduced as a school curriculum subject, as there is ‘‘too much misunderstanding and ignorance about our past’’. Most New Zealanders would support this suggestion, albeit for different reasons.
There is a large imbalance in the way our school-aged children are now being educated, which has, in particular, almost removed any recognition whatsoever of the importance and huge contribution made by those migrants from the United Kingdom, and smaller numbers of other nationalities, who laid the foundation for the way of life we know today. Those migrants, who are our forebears, endured great hardship as they settled and developed this country which we are all now part of. This, unfortunately, has been overwhelmed and largely lost by Treaty of Waitangi issues, which for many reasons have dominated the learning of our past history.
It is time for the full, factual and balanced history of our country to be taught again without fear or favour. We owe that to our children.