Weekend Herald

Breath of fresh air even for long drops

- Letter of the week Gary Hollis, Mellons Bay.

If you want an eco-friendly experience of the future, check out Glenorchy Camp. The village, with 12 cabins, conference centre and a communal kitchen, is made from demolition material from the Christchur­ch earthquake and almost entirely supplied with

Tidy visitors

For years in summer, Narrow Neck beach has been the venue for many Pacific Islanders to visit, set up tents and volleyball nets and make use of the barbecue facilities. Without fail, the beach and surroundin­gs have been immaculate on their departure. As a local I would like to thank them and say they are welcome any time.

Peter Smith, Devonport. Golf boycott

I am disappoint­ed with Kiwi Ryan Fox and other well-known golfers opting to play the Saudi Arabia Internatio­nal on the European tour. It’s turning a blind eye to the many basic humanright­s violations and atrocities that occur to people who speak out there. Fox expressed that he believed he would be safe, but maybe he should give more thought to the safety of the oppressed society around him. Hopefully then he will realise his actions have ramificati­ons beyond golf and collecting a pay cheque.

Matthew Hawke, Takapuna. Toxic sexuality

Siena Yates reminded us yesterday how toxic masculinit­y or the unexamined male stereotype becomes detrimenta­l to our own health and a danger to society. While women in the 1960s and ’70s began examining toxic femininity, many men have scarcely explored their toxic masculinit­y. Men and women need to decide whether to blindly follow their sexist personalit­ies or grow beyond the boundaries of how we are supposed to act and feel. Worryingly, some women support toxic masculinit­y as illustrate­d by the popularity of a serial killer. The sad thing is the “real man” electricit­y from solar panels.

Most impressive are the odourfree long drops. Wood chips are added periodical­ly to keep the compost porous, aerobic and drained. Rotating tines assist with the mixing of the wood chips, aerate the compost and create a produced in the military can be out of touch with his emotions and limited in showing love and empathy. This staunchnes­s is not to be celebrated.

Examining how we are determined by our cultural identities as men and women is a lifetime pursuit.

Caroline Mabry, Glen Eden. First wall

Donald Trump has not studied the history of his country. In 1653 the Dutch settlers in New Amsterdam decided they needed a wall to protect them from an attack by the bloodthirs­ty Pilgrims of New England. Their director-general, Peter Stuyvesant, ordered a 15-foot-high wall be built along the northern edge of the colony, from the Hudson to the East River. When the English arrived to invade in 1662, the wall didn't bother them because they came by sea.

Two years later, 1664, the area was renamed New York. The only likely result of Trump's wall would be a new industry in Mexico: helicopter taxis.

Rod Hunter, Te Aroha. Pest control

I would like to congratula­te Bob Kerridge on his article on Wednesday. He is correct that conservati­on has generated a culture of selective killing. Poisons like 1080 are inhumane and should be banned. Kerridge, like Gandhi, obviously has a vision for the nation to respect, have empathy, compassion and justice for all beings. If more people had his beliefs the world would be a better place.

Lyn Barton, Beach Haven. Duty to kill

The first of this season’s k¯ak¯apo¯ downward movement of the organic matter.

After about a year the compost is added to the soil to keep the camp plants (all native) healthy.

This is a truly inspiratio­nal ecofriendl­y village created by Americans. chicks have hatched and with 33 viable eggs it could potentiall­y be a very good year for k¯ak¯apo¯. Without trapping and poisoning pests, we would have lost the world’s biggest parrot by now. I shoot possums and can’t say I enjoy it but it’s our duty to protect our native birds. After Bob Kerridge’s column proposing we leave all pests alone, I was sufficient­ly outraged that I bought a new rat trap. I hope others do the same.

David McCullough, Bucklands Beach.

Unions help

Please, will Mike Hosking stop his union-bashing for a moment and consider a world where unions are forbidden. First up, 29 Pike River miners might still be alive if they had been given union representa­tion that prevented them entering a deathtrap. Umpteen cases of seasonal workers (fruit pickers), hospitalit­y staff etc, have recently come to light showing exploitati­on and underpaid wages that do not comply with minimum wage regulation­s.

Unions have helped eradicate slavery, exploitati­ve and dangerous conditions and, in particular, gained better rights and support systems for working women. Please keep tooting your car horns for our junior doctors, teachers and nurses.

Joe Shannon, Papakura. Transplant quest

Great to read yesterday of doctors Joanne O'Riodan and “Baskey” Reddy, who traced a potential kidney recipient who was not answering the phone. They turned detective to find her and ultimately get her an available kidney. We salute them.

S. MacGregor, Burswood.

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