Beware of chaos in the skies over Glenorchy

A LOCAL helicopter company has applied for consent to build a commercial helipad (informal airport) in the Rees Valley, Glenorchy, an area designated ‘‘Outstanding Natural Landscape’’.

The application is ‘‘nonnotified’’ and is for up to 3000 flights per annum from 7am to 10pm, seven days a week with up to two flights a week allowed before 7am. The council must surely at least ‘‘publicly notify’’ the application, so we can all have our say.

Unfortunately, we are likely to see many more ‘‘informal airports’’ popping up in the district. The proposed district plan will allow up to two flights a day, as of right, in the Rural Zone. This could create chaos in the sky, given many rural properties are as small as 1 acre.

It would appear that Glenorchy is very quickly following in the footsteps of Queenstown to become another noisy, chaotic, theme park kind of town.

Whitetail deer

Trish Fraser

Glenorchy RE ‘‘social media blamed for herd’s decline’’ (ODT, 23.11.18). Kaylyn Brearton insists in her report that 1080 has a negligible effect on the whitetail herd in the Glenorchy area and asserts that people rely on robust science rather than speculation.

Perhaps we could be privy to the robust science pointing to poaching, Facebook and ‘‘the demand for trophies from the Wakatipu area increasing exponentially in the last five years’’ being the cause of declining population of animals.

What has increased exponentially is the amount of helicopters flying low and spreading 1080 on a grid.

John Banks

Queenstown

Heartbreaking

THE headline reads, ‘‘Decision to euthanise whales ‘heartbreaking’’’ (ODT, 27.11.18).

However, there is a possibility of a decision to euthanise human beings in the near future which is even more ‘‘heartbreaking’’.

The Rev Wayne Healey

Oamaru

Father Christmas

I’M getting sick of feminist absurdities.

Father Christmas is a fantasy and precious to children.

Let him stay male and reinstate Mr Baker — an appalling discrimination because he voices an opinion.

Elizabeth Kemp

Australia