Heritage lost

I read with interest Islands of lost heritage (April 14) about the Conservation Department not having enough money to protect heritage buildings on Campbell Island. There seems to be staff available to go to the island to demolish the buildings so why can’t staff go there to restore them? Where is Heritage NZ in all this?

This issue isn’t DoC’s alone. The news is full of stories about mouldy classrooms, bad water pipes in Wellington, rotting council houses in the Hutt Valley and a lot of other council/government assets that haven’t been maintained.

What local and central government really need is better asset management/maintenance and a long-term view, rather than a ‘‘I want to be re-elected’’ view. Perhaps it is the next growth industry in these times of Covid. Catharine Underwood, Brooklyn