Parking building could make Trafalgar St car free

MAILBOX

It’s good to see the ‘‘Ask the Mayor’’ column in the Leader and study the topics

Mayor Reese well knows my thoughts on the parking problems in Nelson and it’s noticeable to me that she carefully avoids mention of it in this week’s column.

Nelson needs an inner city parking building capable of handling a lot of cars.

I have read the arguments before that ‘‘who wants to see an ugly concrete edifice soaring into the sky?’’ and ‘‘a car park will block the views’’. Absolute rot. Two floors of parking over the Buxton, Montgomery, or Wakatu square car parks would be admirable.

Two floors would be less than six metres high, which is no higher than the existing buildings which surround the squares.

With modern materials and thinking it does not need to be ugly.

As for the views – what views? There are no views of any sort now round all three squares.

Parking fees will pay for it in the long term, Trafalgar St could be totally pedestrian, Trafalgar St parking scrapped, and parking only in the new car park. Problem solved – almost. WILF TUNNEY Nelson, February 13.

Groups fail needy

In response to ‘‘Child poverty an emotional battle’’ (Nelson Mail, February 13).

Poverty is an over-rated means of societal blackmail to suggest that we have children and families living in poverty in New Zealand that add to our criminal, social and health ills.

The sooner organisations fess up, like The Salvation Army, ethnic focused, and community based, that they should hold their heads in shame, the sooner New Zealand will be able to heal.

The fact that government’s locally and nationally have gifted organisations like those mentioned above with millions, if not billions, of dollars to assist and address social issues within this nation only show these groups have failed and continued to fail.

All this while the CEOs and some members of staff are receiving tens, if not hundreds, of thousands in wages.

The needy receive a fraction of this by way of ‘‘non-solving actions.’’

I’m a former Salvation Army Community Services Manager, COGS representative, lotteries board member and social skills educator and I can say without a doubt and without fear that children living in poverty is not my shame, but theirs. EMILE GREY Stoke, February 13.

Beware poisoned fish

The New Zealand Federation of Freshwater Anglers is warning all anglers and customary harvesters to watch out for poisoned trout and eels over the next year.

Large beech masts, as postulated for this autumn usually result in an increase in the mouse population which in turn provides a valuable food source for trout and eels, many trout growing to trophy proportions.

However, with DOC’s planned massive aerial 1080 assault over our bush, the mice that ingest the toxin and fall prey to trout will cause secondary poisoning to our sports fish, in the same manner that DOC intend to kill stoats through secondary poisoning.

Therefore, the Federation is warning all anglers and harvesters, to not eat these freshwater fish for their own safety.

They have also written to Nick Smith, Minister of Conservation, to request he funds and resources monitoring of the anticipated fish kills. DAVID HAYNES President, New Zealand Federation of Freshwater Anglers Wakapuaka, February 14.

Council doing its duty

Our farming family is very pleased that Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s right to retain precautionary GE wording in the new Regional Policy Statement has been upheld in the Environment Court.

It is outrageous that NZ Crown Research Institute Scion has not only appropriated public taxpayer dollars to ex- periment out of doors with risky GE pine trees but that Scion wasted Bay of Plenty ratepayer dollars trying to block Bay of Plenty Regional Council from acting on its duty of care to it’s constituents and the environment.

Scion has clearly lost the plot, pushing a monoculture of GE pine trees to be aerially sprayed with a proprietary herbicide from the air – a vision we want no part of.

We also don’t want transgenic pine pollen getting onto Forest Stewardship Council certified forests.

The FSC prohibits the use of any GMO’s in FSC certified forests, due to the ecological risks.

We have enough problems already with wildling pines in New Zealand without weedy herbicide resistant GE pines escaping!

Let’s hope that Nelson city moves from its symbolic GE free zone status to actual ‘‘rules with teeth’’ in the council plan.

It is not just nefarious multinationals like Monsanto but New Zealand CRIs as well. LINDA GRAMMER Whangarei, February 13.

Time for a change

P J Trewavas assures us that the Conservative Party ‘‘believes in the principle of democracy and family-first.’’ ( Nelson Mail, February 11).

Maybe it does. I would concede that a Conservative presence might have saved Parliament from such a grievous error as the patriarchal reform (for male convenience) of prostitution law, for which the price naturally is paid by the whores themselves, like poor Mallory Manning who seems to have been horribly killed for being a disgrace to her tribe on the streets of Christchurch.

But there are other more political reasons for us to reject the Conservative Party; above all that it would hinder the change of government that the country needs this year. REN KEMPTHORNE Nelson, February 14.