Access to water a basic right

Access to water, as per access to shelter, is a basic human right. And that access to water is not a privilege, as a letter writer has said (Dec 26).

Councils do not own the water but provide this taonga to us via the pipes – which councils are required to maintain.

We have a great example of a recent successful public education programme. Councils in the Wellington region could do well to learn from that public health campaign. Education costs less than hardware (water meters) and doesn’t differentiate between the haves and havenots.

‘‘Guard every drop of water.’’

Kara Lipski, Newtown

Logging let-down

Last week it was implied that the terrible slip that damaged Matata¯ to the extent that it has had to be abandoned was a natural hazard ( Last man standing, Dec 21).

A vital aspect of this event was, surely, a natural consequence of a National Environmental Standard for Plantation Forestry that permits clear-fell logging of plantation trees on hills.

The Government, in adopting this industry-written standard, is letting us down. Changes are needed urgently to restrict clear-fell logging to land with no more than a few degrees of slope.

There is no excuse for such poor husbandry of our topsoil in a young country fortunate enough to still have good supplies. At least 2000 years of history (plus recent research on it) has demonstrated the folly of poor land practices.

Leaving hillsides largely bare, with or without piles of forestry slash, leaves them, at best, very vulnerable to loss of topsoil through to, at worst, a travesty such as happened in Matata¯.

I recommend the book Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations, byD Montgomery, as a starting place to learn more about this.

Mary Redmayne, Kelburn

Tarras travesty

Ignoring the fact that a huge airport in Tarras will have serious impacts on the local environment, continue an addiction to climate change emissions, disrupt the lives of local people and threaten the viability of Queenstown’s airport, there are two take-home lessons from the

Tarras travesty ( Madness or genius?, Dec 26).

The travesty shows, firstly, that the myth that shareholders have any control over private companies is quite wrong. The people of tautahi, who own Christchurch International Airport Ltd through Christchurch City Council via Christchurch City Holdings Ltd, had no idea this purchase was planned, nor were able to lobby or vote on it.

Secondly, it appears to show that neither tautahi’s neoliberal mayor nor Jacinda Ardern’s Government are prepared to address the complete fiasco of the corporatisation of Aotearoa’s public assets such as airports and ports.

We need change, not growth of tourism but to a paradigmwhich recognises people’s needs in a living world.

Basically, the opposite of neoliberalism, with its siloed pseudo limited liability corporates, competition and egotistical CEOs, is needed, a civil service with the concept of service of the civic to the fore.

Stephen Howard, Christchurch

Celebrating Christmas

My thanks to Jane Bowron for putting into excellent prose the ideas that I have been fuming about around the celebration of Christmas becoming Christmess ( Leave Christmas to the Christians, Dec 28).

I’d tweak her proposal a little . . . If secularists dowant something to celebrate every six months, they could reclaim the traditional midwinter and

midsummer celebrations – and spring and autumn ones too.

After all, most Christians would acknowledge that the date for the celebration of Christ’s birth was chosen to ‘‘take over’’ from midwinter celebrations.

So take back what belongs to you, then we Christians can observe Christmas and Easter as we’d prefer, just asmany other religions in New Zealand do with their own celebrations.

Janet Russell, Wellington

Tyrannical time

Everyword Jane Bowron says in Leave Christmas to the Christians is right. Christmas has tyrannised our summers for far too long.

Roger Hall, Auckland

More deserving cases?

Your profile of refugee Alexandra Kurmen De La Cruz (Dec 28) was interesting but seemed to omit some relevant background information.

To apply for refugee status an applicant must show that they fear being seriously harmed or tortured or that they risk inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment if they return to their country.

De La Cruz talks positively about all stages of her life in Colombia. She has had a ‘‘nice family life, has been able to dance, travel, eat and laugh’’. Many New Zealanders would struggle to say the same.

On being askedwhat one thing she would change about Wellington, she named five (all of which were relevant observations). She missed a number of things about her ancestral country.

De La Cruz came to New Zealand to improve her English and to advance her legal career. She appears to have the attributes of somebody who would be a positive contributor to society. But nothing in her profile supported a successful application for refugee status. Unless there ismore to her story, surely there are more deserving cases.

John Morrow, Island Bay

Crazy idea

The proposition that Napier port should take over part of theWellington sea freight activity ranks second to Winston Peters’ crazy idea thatWhangarei should be the main New Zealand port ( Calls to move port to Napier, Dec 28).

The Whangarei suggestion would have all New Zealand cargo trying to get through the bottleneck of the Auckland isthmus and once through would take the long journey south.

Napier Port chief executive Todd Dawson shows a lack of basic distribution knowledge – the most efficient start point is the middle. Wellington is perfectly situated, it only needs people with vision to use nature’s blessing.

Graeme MacFarlane, Raumati Beach

Biblical truth ignored

My anticipation of a pleasing Christmas Eve article turned to dismay¯O on reading A place for faith.

Not one of the ‘‘five Kiwis inspired by their faith’’ mentioned Jesus Christ, whose birth is the origin of Christmas.

AMuslim; a professor of diversity quoting a Persian poet; a globalist health promoter;¯O a Pacific Island youth worker; and amember of the Baha’i religion – all gave their views on social change, activism and reflection, with no mention of Christianity.

All were seeking the betterment of society. Yet the irony is that the teachings of Jesus Christ, God in human form, encapsulated theway for everyone to live in harmony with each other.

Jesus told an inquiring lawyer, ‘‘The two greatest commandments are Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind and love your neighbour as yourself’’.

When practised properly, these divine commandments transform society. Loving God comes first, loving others follows. Christ came to save everyone, whatever their race or gender. Abundant life here, leading to eternal life in Heaven, is freely offered to all who believe and follow Him.

It’s sad that, in your once esteemed newspaper, this Biblical truth was ignored.

Margaret Burgess, Havelock North