River health must be preserved for future generations

THE Otago Regional Council is sadly divided between councillors who care about the health of our rivers and those who regard them as commodities to be exploited for profit, without limit.

Water has been extracted from the Manuherikia for generations — first to irrigate the goldfields and now to support intensive farming on arid land.

Over 75% of the river's flow is taken out in summer. That's deeply unfair to the Manuherikia ecosystem. It must have enough of its own water back to regain its health.

Farmers must look to new crops to grow on arid land. We all need to live within the limits of the natural environment that sustains us.

I thank Kai Tahu, Generation Zero and regional councillors Hobbs, Forbes, Robertson and Scott for being the Manuherikia's champions.

We need action to reverse 30 years of stalling on this issue and preserve the health of Otago's rivers for future generations.

Shame on those councillors using dishonest delaying tactics to maintain the indefensible status quo. Jean Cockram

Roslyn

Being bilingual

If the present Government is intent on pursuing the apparent bilingual path, it need look no further than Quebec in Canada for an example of how to do it properly.

Quebec has been officially bilingual for decades. Everything, from road signs to food packaging, is written in both French and English.

The ‘‘bi’’ in bilingual obviously means two, and the ‘‘lingual’’ means tongues.

Currently the New Zealand Government is giving 85% of the population a massive, unabashed, monolingual ‘‘pukana’’.

Taumata Arowai anyone? Alastair Watt

Ranfurly