Thought for today

Andy Jones Nelson, December 2 Bryan Forrest Nelson, December 3 Cushla Moorhead Motueka, December 3

Waimea dam costs

Did everyone see that enormous white elephant which shuffled out of the Tasman District Council’s offices and disappeared up the Lee Valley? I’ve seen these creatures before – they’re bred exclusively by local councils, have voracious appetites and feed entirely on a diet of ratepayers.

I’d previously asked those parties that supported Nick Smith’s bill – Labour, National and NZ First – whether, as they’re so sold on this scheme, they’ll be contributing when costs inevitably explode. Seems probably not – better start saving.

John Nichols Brightwater, December 2

Climate change

Your recent editorial and articles concerning the need for urgent action to limit the dire consequences of climate change make for sobering and disturbing reading.

Difficult as it is to face the issues and practical consequences raised in the articles, it is imperative that we do so and urgently address the changes required, to ensure that our children and grandchildren have some chance in the coming decades of living lives not dominated by environmental, social, economic and political chaos brought about by climate change.

How to hold global warming to 1.5 degrees C over pre-industrial levels is clearly complex and challenging, and requires radical and wide-ranging actions steered and guided by bold leadership at local, national and international levels, leadership which we all need to encourage and support. They may be hard and painful to adopt in the short term as we transition to a necessarily more sustainable and less polluting and environmentally damaging way of life, but the reality that is the future of human life on planet Earth is at stake and action is needed now.

PC Santa Parade

I was not at Nelson’s Christmas parade, but I hear there was an attempt at cultural revision, with the red-suited Santa replaced by a man in a traditional Ma¯ ori cloak. There is no avoiding the reality that Christmas is a Western European festival. We find space in our multicultural annual diary to observe Diwali, Chinese New Year and Matariki, and long may this trend continue. To the PC bullies – pull your heads in!

Disrespectful

Santa Claus comes from Europe and is a man in a red suit with a long white beard. Not having a proper Santa in the Santa Parade is disrespecting our European cultures and heritage and does nothing for biculturalism. Nelson Christmas parade crossed the line, and rightly has caused widespread condemnation among the community.

So what do we tell our youngest children who are still believers? That the man with the red suit and white beard is no longer part of our Christmas culture?

What makes this bizarre matter even more ridiculous is that Ma¯ ori has no cultural interface with what is essentially an age-old European ritual originating in Holland.

This was a stupid decision which was obviously very badly thought out.