Who should be made to pay for the CBD block?
Referring to a story in The Southland Times on May 19, where an Invercargill Ratepayers Advocacy Group spokesperson believed it was ‘‘fait accompli’’ the council would agree to invest the additional $16 million given the project was unlikely to proceed without the money’’, I believe that everyone who voted for and brought in this scheme – they alone (and no one else) should be made to pay for it. Otherwise, the demolitions should be completed and the whole site concreted over, turned into a large car park until private enterprises buy up sites.
John Hough, Winton
Ratepayer solidarity
It was with fair bit of sadness that I firstly read about our civic leaders and executives being too miserable to donate a portion of their already generous salaries to charities or to take a pay cut, (this includes Environment Southland) I felt it didn’t put Southland in a very good light when you consider our neighbouring councils in Otago were doing just that.
If the chief executive officer of Dunedin reduces her $440,000 salary by 15 per cent for six months then that is $33,000 alone, if the combined executive of our own councils donated 15 per cent of their salaries that would pay for a lot of wages to those poor employees having to take a pay cut or facing redundancy.
I see in The Southland Times two articles about the councils still increasing the rates, and laying staff off when most people will be hurting badly, and then to rub salt in the wounds for the struggling to tell them to go get support. It’s like the council is happy to get revenue from anywhere even if it is the government agencies.
I do hope people remember how our civic leaders didn’t show solidarity with the ratepayer during this time of pain, when it comes time to re-elect them.
Andy Johnson, Invercargill
Who owns museum?
While the French region of Le Quesnoy continues to commercially prosper with its newly established historical museum wing, the situation concerning the Southland Museum (most notably, the incriminating absence of the facility) continues to be inexorably shambolic.
The Invercargill City Council and the Museum Trust Board have now embarked upon a predictably lengthy and expensive Game of Thrones style conflict for overall ownership supremacy.
The recent coronavirus outbreak (though undoubtedly more important to contemplate) cannot be ultimately held responsible for the localised council-construed crisis.
Nor can the incomprehensible depletion of progress regarding the jokingly ‘‘temporary replacement’’ museum.
Newly elected councillor Nobby Clark is really the only truly dedicated individual to achieve actual productive victory, with the water blasting completion of the Pyramid roofing structure.
In summary, the populace has an unmistakable similarity with the Mataura domain – both factions are literally drowning in the foulsmelling, quicksand quality s..t consistently engineered by generally incompetent, indecisive and inglorious authoritarians.
It’s a situation exactly like this that makes one wonder whether Invercargill should seriously adopt a political-free democratic system like the last governmental election unconsciously portrayed.
Earle Foster, Invercargill
5G debate
Just like Don Byars (Southland District councillor’s 5G concerns, Southland Times, May 16) I have concerns about 5G in our environment. He suggests to wait with the roll out of 5G until ‘‘there were independent studies that the technology would not harm children’’. I hope that when making a decision about 5G, the Southland District Council will regard people’s health to be more important than advanced technology.
Doetie Keizer, Riverton
Many of us will remember well their parents saying ‘‘be careful what you wish for because you may just get it’’. As I sit here replaying the events of the last few months in my mind, I reckon nothing could be truer.
Late last year as the new council term got underway, I was considering the various roles Mayors find themselves having to fulfil.
At that time, one role I had yet to experience was being Mayor during a civil emergency.
I vividly recall the fleeting thought that given this was likely to be my last term as mayor, I was going to miss the opportunity to lead our community during an emergency.
How wrong was I.
No sooner were we all settling back into our post-Christmas holiday routines than the province was thrust into a wide scale flooding event.
The Mataura River reached unprecedented levels, causing widespread damage and forcing the evacuation of Mataura and Gore.
If that wasn’t enough, our community had barely recovered from the flood when along came a pandemic potentially worse than anything experienced in living memory.
I am convinced the first quarter of 2020 will be etched in all our minds as a time when we recalibrated our lives.
The way we act toward each other, our jobs, our leisure activities, our politics, our relationship with technology, our travel aspirations and our plans for the future have all had to be redefined not just once, but several times.
Unfortunately, for many it has been a painful few months as both livelihoods and lives were lost.
It’s a much bandied about term these days, but the resilience and resourcefulness of individuals and communities in the south never ceases to amaze me.
From a Gore District perspective, it was inspiring to experience the camaraderie and can-do attitude of people, many of whom hardly knew each other at the start.
With the common goal of working together for the good of the whole community, strong relationships and networks were formed, which will continue well into the future.
It didn’t matter if the role you were allocated was on a flood protection checkpoint, manning the pumps, coordinating a welfare centre, or providing food, bedding 1 Corinthians 2:12
In many ways it’s been like competing in a sprint and a marathon at the same time. The sprint is almost over, but the marathon has just begun and the strategy of getting to the end in good shape is still being developed.
In my view, the leadership shown by our Prime Minister and the Director General of Health has been, and continues to be, exceptional.
As a nation we have every right to be proud of how we responded to their leadership and fulfilled our responsibilities as members of the ‘‘team of 5 million’’.
I would suggest that up until a fortnight before the level 4 lockdown most of us hadn’t heard of Covid-19, let alone the stable of coronaviruses in circulation.
All of a sudden, the value of science to our way of life and indeed our whole future has become much more focused.
It’s a shame that some world leaders haven’t applied that same degree of rigor to the science to their response.
Of course, the job is not yet done and I will be careful about what I wish for in future.
■ Tracy Hicks is the mayor of the Gore District