A momentous loss is fast approaching us

WITH the imminent closure of TVNZ’s

Sunday we have lost something normally part of a mature democracy – authentic television current affairs.

This is a matter to be mourned by those who value an indepth, wellresearched coverage of important public issues.

We once had true public service television which treated serious broadcasting as a public good well worth paying for. It has been replaced by a marketdriven system ruled by socially shallow, commercial imperatives.

These thoughts came to me as I watched the excellent coverage by

Sunday of the death of former North Otago and Tasman rugby player Billy Guyton. It showed New Zealand’s slack approach to chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a brain disease linked by neuroscientists to repeated concussions.

The UK has the BBC, Australia has the ABC. We now have a seriously degraded service run by people who appear to know the cost of everything and the value of nothing. Bill Southworth

Port Chalmers [Bill Southworth is a former executive director of the Journalists’ Training Organisation. — Ed]

Blame Hamas

It is time to blame Hamas, not Israel, for the suffering in Gaza.

In 2005, Israel unilaterally withdrew from Gaza, leaving behind infrastructure that would have set Gaza on course to become the Singapore of the Mediterranean. Instead, the Gazans destroyed it.

Hamas, the elected leaders of Gaza, whose top three leaders reside in luxury in Qatar, have prioritised the destruction of Israel over their own people’s wellbeing.

Hamas has overseen the construction of about 400 miles of terror tunnels and uses hospitals, schools and mosques for their terror, in the belief that public outrage will keep them safe (which is so far working). On top of this, Hamas use their own people as human shields – to protect themselves from the consequences of their own actions.

To end the suffering in Gaza, Hamas needs to release the hostages and surrender. G. Bouwer

Waitati

Report eagerly awaited

On December 31 2024 countries that signed the binding Paris Agreement on climate change will be subject to a biennial transparency report on the measures they have taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and how they have been measured. The goal is to limit global temperature increase of no more than 1.5% above pre industrial levels.

Worthy goals, but the focus on the reduction of CO emissions to reduce 2 global warming will not happen, when you have countries such as China and India that did not sign the Paris Agreement and rely on coal for their electricity needs.

China burns 4.5 billion tons of coal a year for its electricity needs. This does not produce enough electricity, so another 15 coalfired power plants are to be built. Other countries that did not sign the Paris Agreement, were Iran, Iraq, Libya and South Sudan. These countries of course are oil producers.

China, the US and India have 50% of global CO emissions, whereas New 2 Zealand has only 0.15%. It will be interesting to read what New Zealand has done to combat climate change at the end of December, and other countries' reports as well. Ross Davidson

Wakari

Reunion

Clinton School celebrates its 150th jubilee, November 1516, 2024. Please visit www.clintonschooljubilee.co.nz to register your interest, or email our committee at clintonschooljubilee150@gmail.com