Hardly the action of a vandal

I’m not sure I agree that the mayor needs to put his brain in gear before tweeting. He seems to have tweeted an informed comment regarding who will cover the cost to the Water Whirler damage.

I’m sure I’m not alone for thinking this was not a statue, but rather a long mast on a swivel. Very interesting and aesthetically pleasing but not what I’d think of as a sculpture.

From what I’ve seen the young man is clearly not a ‘‘vandal’’. He made a poor choice to climb a pole in an area open to the public and I’m sure he, like everybody who watched, was surprised it broke – accidentally – hardly the act of a vandal.

Anyway the police appear to be making him be held accountable by his court date. Issues of law will then be scrutinised like why a climbing pole was erected adjacent to a children’s climbing area, as well as other salient points like why it wasn’t fenced off or warning signs posted.

I’m sure that his being remorseful and willing to give back to the community will also be considered. Tom Reid, Porirua

Fuels aren’t equal

The prime minister’s claim of petrol companies ‘‘fleecing’’ motorists omits one important fact, that all fuels are not created equal.

Gull undercut the competition, forcing its competitors to match its price and sell a less efficient product. Gull petrol is blended with 10 per cent ethanol.

Ethanol contains less energy than pure mineral petrol and so you won’t get the same mileage out of a tankful of Gull as you would out of a tankful of, say, BP.

Research by the Automobile Association found Gull’s 10 per cent blend to be 8 per cent less efficient than pure mineral petrol. If you are paying say $2.30 a litre for pure petrol then the Gull price should be $2.116. I have yet to see Gull selling at this sort of differential. Perhaps the prime minister should have Gull in for a ‘‘chat’’.

Also, the AA recommends (as do manufacturers) that ethanol-blended fuel not be used for marine and aviation purposes, and that you contact manufacturers or retailers of small machinery before using ethanol-blended fuel in lawnmowers, chainsaws and generators.

The Government has a responsibility, as do the media, to make sure the public are informed that the fuel price is not necessarily an indicator of value for money. Perhaps service stations should be required to display an efficiency indicator. Richard Prince, Tauranga

Art’s value

There was a time when art involved watercolours or oils only and everyone knew what art was and none of it involved a paper shredder.

‘‘I don’t know much about art but I know what I like’’ is often said and maybe it is as true as ‘‘art is in the eye of the beholder’’.

A local artist created a piece of supposed art with 100 bills totalling $20,000, which then sold for $21,350, Although I could go to the bank and get the components of this work I don’t have the ‘‘artistic credibility’’ to create anything more than a pile of money.

Perhaps art should meet the criterion of making the world better in some way, aside from the artist’s pocket. There are too many creations that confuse me, not just in terms of colour and appearance but also in terms of form and function.

The works by Banksy, whoever he/ she/they are, is real art in form and often function as they carry messages to create discussion which may lead to a better world.

The latest art event – the shredding of one of his pieces at an auction – has a lot to offer to the world of art and to the purchaser as apparently the shredded piece is worth more than the original version.

Dennis Fitzgerald, Melbourne

We’re responding

Cas Carter (Are universities even needed?, Oct 9) asks an important question about institutions – universities – that receive considerable public funding. Are they responding to the disruptive changes that we are experiencing?

I can assure Cas that we are. Three years ago, we changed our BA and now require all students to complete five core and compulsory courses. These include critical thinking, communication, being a citizen of Aotearoa and being a global citizen, and then providing strategies for negotiating an uncertain future.

And these changes were made after considerable consultation with various communities, including Business Central and employers.

On the issue of micro-credentials, look at our recent online te reo offer, Toro Mai, led by Scotty and Stacey Morrison. It now has more than 11,000 registered learners.

We are committed to futureproofing university education in the context of major social and economic change.

Professor Paul Spoonley, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Massey University