Cruise ships, the council and Nga¯i Tahu

Lynley Cullinane (Letters, Oct 28 and 30) encourages the port company to envigorate its expansion policy and act to deepen the harbour for cruise ships.

None will disagree with this, except for Nga¯i Tahu, which claims that the crabs, invertebrates and bottom crawlers on the seabed have a special relationship to Ma¯ori and must not be disturbed.

This is a spiritual connection that no-one has heard about before. I suppose the whole thing will be settled by payments of some kind in the usual way. But in the meantime the situation looks like a paradigm for the whole country.

On a personal basis, I intensely respect Ma¯ori, but their professional organisations do them no credit. John Burn

Merivale

Get spending priorities right

I believe 80 cruise ships will be visiting Akaroa this summer.

Hence, I wonder why the port company (partially owned by the Christchurch City Council) isn’t doing everything in its power to provide access for the ships to come to Lyttelton and for a ferry service from Christchurch to Wellington?

The council is spending millions of dollars on projects in Christchurch which aren’t really necessary and do not generate the lucrative (and convenient) service that we, the public, require. Surely the council should take responsibility.

Not having to drive to Picton to cross the Cook Strait would indeed be a dream come true. Is this 2017 or 1917?

Lynley Cullinane

Fendalton