Heartbreaking story shows lack of care

THE story of those in emergency housing (ODT 10.4.24) was heartbreaking. Both successive central and local governments have failed regarding housing for many years now.

More social housing needs to be built but this government’s approach is to firstly make life even more difficult for renters. This government appears to lack humanity for those in need.

Because of the very poor record of central and local governments regarding building and maintaining essential infrastructure, I am worried the sale of Aurora Energy would just create a slush fund for the DCC to fritter away on poorly made decisions.

I have little confidence in either the central or local government’s ability to make decisions for the benefit of everyone. I think we should be very wary about the DCC wanting to sell Aurora Energy. Privatisation of essential infrastructure is not a good idea.

Costs will no doubt rise to provide returns to investors rather than the DCC. This would be a very foolish outcome.

Lou Scott Kenmure

Think before you strike

The strike action by students, along with their march and chanting political demands under the umbrella of climate change, is concerning if they lack the ability to analyse the current government’s selected strategy to address the concerns they chant out.

What they still do not seem to understand is that emotional outbursts are the enemy of facts. The issues they are chanting out are problems of significance but there are several solutions to most problems and the starting point for resolution is to gather and identify the facts underlying the problems.

They have every right to challenge the solutions selected by the government but the same rights apply to the public’s view as to the solutions the previous Labour government selected — and the majority of New

Zealanders voted them out because the majority considered that Labour’s solutions were wrong. That is called democracy.

It is accepted that our educational standards at all levels have declined.

Attend your classes. Gather the facts around your list of slogans. All alternative zero CO2 emitting energy sources demand the initial use of fossil fuels.

Have a go at writing a cost benefit analysis to check if it is an actual benefit. Then get it peer reviewed and be prepared to debate and possibly change your mind in the light of the evidence.

Stan Randle Alexandra

[Abridged — length. Ed]

Smelling a rat

I somehow smell a conspiratorial rat in the demise of news coverage and similar in New Zealand courtesy of Warner Bros pulling the plug, even though their financial commitment to local news is minuscule given their multibilliondollar value.

If ever there was a time when news media needs to be at its prime it is when a government changes hands; at that time changes take place and without a balanced media perspective a lot can go under the radar.

So far TV3 and similar are reporting things as they should be: sadly, that won't last.

If this coalition was in any way genuinely concerned with honesty and transparency in the media they would front up and sort this. We have all seen how the online media has been paralysed by misinformation, lies and duplicity overseas, especially in the USA.

Are we happy here to see a dissenting, alternative or honest voice being silenced because the existing coalition can't afford to do anything because they have little left after giving landlords a $3 billion windfall — did we vote for this?

Graham Bulman

Roslyn