March 15 – a date seared into New Zealand memory

As Americans can never forget 9/11, now everyone will live with the memory of 1.40pm, March 15, 2019.

The ‘‘Darkest Day’’ aftermath? Weeks, months of diagnosis – questioning where safety authorities might have failed. Every analyst with a personal opinion – chaff we common folk are supposed to sift through – will speak to us on our 49-inch screens. Police will announce ‘‘newly adopted procedures’’. Our prime minister is now visually known to perhaps half the world’s population – with worldwide accolades for her handling of the immediate event.

We should anticipate a national effort to seek Muslim forgiveness.

New Zealand: clean, green, safe. We forever lost ‘‘CGS’’ in Christchurch. Postscript? You might rethink not locking your doors at night. Perhaps in the daytime as well!

RB Cooper, Coopers Beach

Why our country? Our PM prefers to believe we were chosen because we represent diversity and have relaxed gun laws. However, perhaps antiMuslim terrorists simply see us as an easy target, with minimal and concurrent jail terms if caught and prosecuted.

Jim Young, Lower Hutt

All affected by the xenophobic murders in the Christchurch mosques are in our thoughts and prayers. One may defend oneself against violence, but to kill innocent people is wrong. Matthew R Dunnigan, Rome

Nuclear blind spot

I applaud Damien Grant’s forthrightness (‘‘But Greens, can you be Shaw?’’, March 10). After more than 20 years living in New Zealand, coming from Canada, I have concluded that Kiwis, while admirable in myriad ways, have a few key blind spots. The most obvious of these is their outright rejection of nuclear power.

New Zealanders of all stripes greatly value their country being ‘‘clean and green’’, yet irrationally reject the form of energy that is critical to that end – nuclear. Mentioning this in social conversation is equivalent to declaring yourself to be an unabashed atheist in the US bible belt.

Somehow Kiwis have (incorrectly) conflated nuclear weapons with nuclear power. Reject nuclear weapons, for sure! But if you truly want to be clean and green, embrace nuclear power. They’re not the same thing!

Sid Huff, Nelson

As a Green Party member I am disappointed that Grant should think that James Shaw is in a ‘‘delusional cul-de-sac’’ for his anti-nuclear views.

The recent Christchurch and Kaiko¯ ura earthquakes have taught us that nowhere is seismically stable in this country.

Look at Japan’s power stations, swamped by a tsunami. Look at the sarcophagus over Chernobyl. This is what happens when, despite all assurances, it goes horribly wrong.

Grant is likely to scream as loudly as any of us should a nuclear power station be built in his back yard.

Andrew Luddington, Christchurch

Praise for Christians

There has been a great deal of nasty news lately over dreadful things perpetrated on innocent victims by evil people in clerical robes. Compounding the mess is cover-up and deceit. People could be forgiven for feeling that the whole of Christianity is suspect.

Yet TV1’s Sunday programme screened a piece on the charitable work done in Africa by the Mercy Ships. Crewed by Christian nurses, doctors and miscellaneous support staff, they restore life and a future to countless people. All these Christians are volunteers from right across the denominational spectrum. They take annual leave to be there and pay their own way.

I hope this programme shone some light into what the vast majority of Christian people in our world are like.

Stephen Hirst, Hamilton

Anger in cricket

Bravo Mark Reason for calling New Zealand cricket and fast bowler Neil Wagner to account for his short-bowling barrage (‘‘NZ cricket’s deadly game’’, March 10).

In the light of New Zealand’s reputation for top behaviour on the field, Wagner’s bouncers, snarling and verbal abuse are not in the same league. Even when Wagner gets a wicket, it’s anger and hatred written all over his face. Sad.

Do the team have a psychologist? Because Wagner is a fine bowler when he pitches it up and plays cricket.

Tony Orman, Marlborough

Fairness to Cunliffe

It’s strange that Henry Cooke (Sunday Politics, March 10) is scapegoating former Labour leader David Cunliffe regarding issues from 4-5 years ago.

As leader, Cunliffe was actively inclusive, mentoring

and supporting many younger MPs, particularly women including Jacinda Ardern. The examples of Louisa Wall and Poto Williams not being in Cabinet ignore their significant positions of responsibility in being chair of the health select committee and deputy leader of the House respectively.

To state that party members ‘‘flinch’’ at his name is nonsense – he is still much respected in the Labour Party.

Susan Elliott, Chatswood

Southern power

The well-written story of Kathy Foster moving from Twizel to Dunedin (News, March 10) explains as background that the Upper Waitaki hydro scheme was established ‘‘to keep up with the South Island’s increasing demand for electricity’’.

No. The Upper Waitaki hydro scheme was to keep up with the North Island’s demand for power.

Increased demand in the South Island was met by the Roxburgh and Clyde power stations – and uniquely by Manapouri for the Tiwai smelter (which consumes 15 per cent of New Zealand’s electricity).

Tony Williams, Napier

Harm reporting

Stymie is an anonymous bullying and harm reporting tool for use in New Zealand schools.

It has been reported that Stymie is a ‘‘dob in a bully’’ site and a ‘‘whistleblowing’’ site (News, March 10). Stymie is not those things. We are the opposite of those things.

Stymie provides anonymity to bystanders, allowing them to make notifications about someone in their school, who they know is being bullied or hurt or harmed. This information enables the school to make contact with the person who needs help the most; the target of harmful action.

Currently, students are using Stymie to anonymously report cyberbullying, bullying, illegal activity, self-harm, poor online behaviours, suicide ideations, sexual harassment and other types of harm happening in schools. The anonymity of the notification tool makes students feel safe enough to share important, life-changing information. We are empowering students to improve their culture of care, by helping them to ‘‘say something’’ without fear.

Rachel Downie, founder, Stymie