Po¯hutukawa cull is a sorry lesson

As part of my work as a teacher of several decades in NZ I have often had responsibilities for environmental education. If the Campbells Bay School

( NZ Herald, December 8) trees are felled, it will negate all the work of all the teachers who, like me, have been charged with changing attitudes to the place of humans in the biosphere. Felling mature native trees to build classrooms is inherently contradictory and incompatible with the objectives of the New Zealand Curriculum.

Repeatedly in my career have seen “the property people” negate curriculum objectives. To be fair, they know no better because there is no connection between the two arms at any level from the minister to the caretaker.

In my suburb, the felling of mature natives continues apace, as in the rest of Auckland. The effect on young minds of adult attitudes to trees should be a major concern for all of us, but particularly school boards and the Ministry of Education.

Martin Ball, Kelston.

Mosque shooter

The first hurdle the killer cleared, much too easily, was police scrutiny. Once he had the gun licence everything else followed as simply as night follows day.

The Government now needs to transfer the money from the exorbitant police budget and simply bypass new vehicles, wage increases and even reduce staff numbers until they have a core of highly trained men and women who don’t just turn up for work but exercise their brains and use their instincts while they’re there.

John Rush, Mamaku.

Never again?

It is a claim of most governments that we must never let things happen again. As it was for the French attack on the Rainbow Warrior and now the appalling Christchurch attacks.

But we do let them happen again. Richard Prebble ( NZ Herald, December 9) asks what we are doing about China’s expansionist policies. Nothing. In fact we seem to be afraid to upset it.

According to Helen Clark, we live in a “benign strategic environment”. Really?

I recall Neville Chamberlain’s statement of “peace for our time” in 1938. A few years later Hitler was bombing the living daylights out of London. I was there.

We need to wake up.

O¯ John Clements, rewa.

All apologies

Very frequently these days we hear of apologies “demanded”, to the point that they are losing their true origins and meaning. Most importantly, an apology given today through duress or demand is totally worthless and does not qualify as genuine.

An apology given for event decades, or even in some cases hundreds of years ago, is also hollow — how can someone today have any idea of the circumstances that now make an apology appropriate? What arrogance to assume the reasons are now better known than originally. Most apologies given in today’s world have lost all proper meaning and as a result are valueless. An apology offered and properly made, is very humbling and can actually give stimulus to a better future relationship. As a resolution for the coming year, and for the future in general, let all of us take a deep breath before making a “demand” for this act of contrition.

Philip Hickling, Pa¯pa¯moa Beach.

Intrepid pilots

I write to express my absolute disgust at the decision by WorkSafe to prosecute the civilian pilots who flew out to Whakaari White Island shortly after the eruption and rescued several terribly injured survivors. These people would not be alive today except for those pilots who, at great personal risk, flew straight to the island and picked up the remaining survivors. The official rescue teams had been stood down because of the danger.

Those pilots deserve our gratitude and a medal.

Dame Jenny Gibbs, ra¯kei.

Ex libris

It is staggering to think that members of a council finance committee again fail to see that libraries are not a cost to the community. Numerous reputable overseas studies and reports have proven this. The dollars invested provide a quantifiable economic and social benefit to the community.

Library closures across the UK have proven disastrous in many ways, as they would in Auckland.

The reopening of our local libraries after the first lockdown was enough of a shambles, thanks to illogical decisions by senior management and local boards.

If communities are going to lose their local libraries, there may be a loss of goodwill from those in the community who support them and their users.

I have given a number of talks at my local libraries, at the request of librarians who I have a good association with. I have never been paid for them nor have many other authors, historians, genealogists and so on. But, Mr Goff, if times are tough for everyone due to Covid, why shouldn’t Auckland council pay for our preparation and presentation time in future?

Matt Elliott, Birkdale.

Rent squeeze

There is no quick fix for low housing ownership rates, caused mainly by the excessive price of houses. Fortunately, the solution to this problem is the same as the solution for the growing number of homeless. That is, to build many more suitable rental houses.

The government must forget about providing “affordable” houses for sale, steeply ramp up the construction of state rental housing and also fund community organisations that are trying to provide more houses for homeless people.

If money can be found to sustain the profits of companies that collected millions in wage subsidies then it can be found to help house people.

Bob van Ruyssevelt, Glendene.

Carried away

The resulting mayhem on the Northern Highway resulting from shifting containers from North Port to Auckland serves two valuable lessons.

North Port was always viable as a complement to Ports of Auckland, with very little extra cost. And this could even be environmentally and car commuterfriendly, if the containers were shifted primarily by rail, directly from Marsden Point to Penrose, which would indicate any future Auckland harbour crossing by tunnel or bridge must include rail.

Gary Hollis, Mellons Bay.

Downtown rates

It’s been revealed that $150 million from the fuel surcharge levied by Auckland Council has not yet been spent and is being held in reserve for future upgrades for our corroding infrastructure.

I wonder where the city centre targeted rate money has gone.

Every property owner within the Auckland city centre — both residential and commercial — pay a specific annual targeted rate and has done so for many years. This targeted rate had a sole purpose of upgrading roads and footpaths within the city centre and was used for upgrading Queen St, Fort St, shared spaces in Elliott and Derby Streets, and St Patrick’s Square to name a few. As an Auckland centre resident, O¯ I have noticed that no new similar projects have been carried out other than the repaving of Albert St and the Britomart pedestrian area. I thought these would have been covered by the Central Rail Link project funding.

I fail to see how the work that is currently being carried out in Queen St could be classified as an upgrade.

Dick Ayres, Auckland Central.

Getting the hump

Driving through Herne Bay yesterday, all the streets I was on had speed bumps — all very newly done. Very good.

Here in Devonport we have a race track called Kerr St, with trade and private vehicles up and down all day. We have a primary school on Kerr St, with one small sign.

Two years ago, we petitioned the council to put in speed bumps on the street. No luck. The race track remains.

M. Thomson, Devonport.

On your bike

I would like to assist Roger Hall ( NZ Herald, December 10) in his search for details on how cyclists use the bike getting to and from work.

Since I started to ride to work, I have done 75,516 recorded kms.

And yes, I do wear Lycra. Would you prefer I wore something else? Or nothing at all?

Michael Walker, Blockhouse Bay.