Does coastal erosion point to climate change?
DAVID BensonPope’s letter (13.9.19) asserts that fossilfuel extraction off the Otago coast would be incompatible with protecting South Dunedin, presumably from the effects of rising sea levels.
This ignores the fact that the record of measured sealevel change shows an annual increase of less than 3mm with no sign of acceleration.
The beaches in South Dunedin are suffering coastal erosion. The problem of coastal erosion, however, should not be conflated with that of climate change. Doing so is unnecessarily alarming to South Dunedin residents.
The sea has already broken through the dunes in this area — in 1891, and again in 1898.
I support the reinstallation of groynes as an attempt to solve this problem.
Dunedin had sizeable floods in 1868, 1877 and 1883. The Leith Stream had a record high flow in 1929. It is scaremongering to point to climate change whenever we have an extreme weather event in the present.
Malcolm MoncriefSpittle
Dunedin
[Mayoral candidate]
A LETTER to the editor questioned whether a candidate standing for the ORC who is a farmer/irrigator, if elected, can have a conflict of interest when issues regarding water and minimum river flows arise.
That exact same question should be directed at three sitting councillors (Robertson, Deaker, Scott) who are seeking reelection, and who voted to allow two unelected representatives of Ngai Tahu to sit on the crucial ORC policy committee and vote.
Have these two Ngai Tahu representatives sworn the mandatory oath of office?
If not, they have a huge conflict of interest if they only consider and represent their iwi’s interests around the future of freshwater. Gerrard Eckhoff
Alexandra I SEE and hear people who don’t know who to vote for in the coming city council elections. Just be like me and watch our own Channel 39 on Saturday or Sunday from 1pm onwards.
Also after our own city news, again on Channel 39, from 5.306pm, Monday to Friday, you can see and hear the individual people being interviewed for what they want to do for our city, if they are elected.
This way, you can hear for yourself and it is most helpful in deciding who to vote for and not going on hearsay or rumours. I. Kennedy
Waverley
THE cover story in The Weekend Mix
(7.9.19) should be compulsory reading for all ratepayers before the election.
For the new people standing for council and mayoralty, you only know what they say about themselves. Words are cheap, and promises made to be broken.
As for those restanding, you have been watching their performance for a few years. I would ask myself, if I had a business or was thinking of starting one and wanted it run prudently and profitably, who among these councillors would I employ?
P. Meason
Mosgiel
Dangerous driving
GOOD to see police cracking down on people using their cellphones while operating a lethal weapon (ODT,
17.9.19). I would have thought, though, that the apprehension of a potential cereal killer would have warranted more than being ‘‘spoken to and cautioned for careless driving’’.
Doug Leggett
Maori Hill