The great university lost in space debate
HOT on the heels of the ‘‘logo debate’’, during which the administration tried and failed to convince the vast majority of us that a pair of faded, semipeeled bananas was a great replacement for the university’s widely respected and recognised coat of arms, we now have the ‘‘space debate’’.
One might have hoped university leaders would have learned from that last costly debacle. However, here we go again outsourcing for a ‘‘consultant’’ despite the 4044 FTE ‘‘professional/administrative’’ staff the university boasts — more than double the academic staff (from Civis quoting 2021 university website information, ODT 13.5.23).
This time it is suggested staff be squeezed into smaller spaces to aid them as they work ‘‘in a more agile fashion’’. Sounds like the universitymay invest in mouse wheels for staff.
This plan is apparently going to fall under the grand banner of ‘‘Spaces of the Future’’, but it all sounds like yet another weird episode of Lost in Space to me.
Pat Duffy Opoho
Tree move wise plan
BEFORE various environmenmental groups and antipine brigade take to the keyboards, I write that Roger Cotton of Evans Flat (ODT 16.5.23) has made a wise move. Allocating 260ha of the family’s 1200ha into forestry is at least helping mitigate climate change, and helping balance the books.
However there is a downside to permanent carbon forests. That is it affects the forestry industry as a whole, such as manufacturing products, export income and the rural labour force.
One option is a continuous cover system, still a longterm permanent forest. However it allows for a limited harvest every few years after maturity known as select stem (tree) removal for milling and processing. Roughly 80 trees are selected for harvest p/ha.
Gaps allow for seedling regeneration or replanting.
Management includes a continuous pruning and thinning regime with other necessary work such as weed control and prevention of offproperty wilding speard. Thus employment is maintained in rural areas, plus processing plants such as mills and chipping plants for biofuels.
This works well, allowing for continuous carbon credits and added income from log sales.
Jim Childerstone Forest Services
Hampden
Pain and power
I FEEL for the people who are struggling to pay their electricity bills. The root of the problem lies in the late 1980s when National's Minister of Energy, Max Bradford, was responsible for the privatisation of the country's electricity system, in the belief that this would result in lower prices for the consumer. The result, however, was an immediate steep rise. Prices have never gone back to anything like previous levels.
John Jensen
Mosgiel