Christianity growing
Real bill for change Protecting species Tamaki’s protest
As you might expect at Christmas, a Christian festival, there is a more than the usual amount of interest expressed through your letters column in the fact that the level of belief in the Christian God is declining, below 50 per cent at the last census.
It is implied by some that, Kirsty Gunn’s opinion piece (Words matter, Dec 12), regarding the proposed VUW name change, is bold, timely, and highly appropriate. The published cost of $2 million for the proposed transformation proffered by Vice-Chancellor Grant Guilford, and assured as such by him to me, is actually misleading.
It is not the real cost of the change. Should it take place, the $2m will cover what has been specified. Then, every other cost will be met out of future budget There are many points of view in the environment movement, and all may contribute to the goal of protecting the natural world.
The orthodox views are represented by Forest & Bird and the Department of Conservation, which are all too often in conflict with other points of view, notably the opponents of the use of 1080.
Although I am not ‘‘on their side’’, it must be recognised that the anti-1080 group has forced the orthodoxy to look at other means of predator control.
But when it comes to the issue of forcing private landowners to register Significant Natural Areas, I am on the side of the 1080 protesters when they accuse Forest & Bird of a fascist mentality.
I have known a number of landowners who have endangered species on their land. They have protected these Brian Tamaki organised a protest at Parliament ‘‘on behalf of Ma¯ ori’’. I question the substance of his rationale.
Today’s twin arch-demons – political correctness and the Geoffrey Palmer-invented absurdity, Treaty-principles – have wrought baseless and bizarrely dishonest notions among Ma¯ ori.
Patently, every past acknowledgement of ‘‘grievance’’ has bred expectations of winning every new demand.
Shots of Tamaki on TV portrayed him more as performer than protester – in expensive, new leather biker gear, the epitome of a religious, iconic-Elvis manifestation. He may well do ‘‘good work’’, but such performances hardly bespeak it.
Demanding that Ma¯ ori in prisons be accorded the vote, ‘‘because their numbers are