Lack of pipe backup plan another fail Not Government’s fault Polluters will not pay Paying farmers top dollar

Yet another infrastructure failure, and once again no adequate prevention or contingency plans. In 2006 a rusty shackle at a substation brought down the electricity system and now a man with a digger has caused a fuel crisis that has disrupted air transport. And the crisis may well extend to road transport, as the first reports of service stations running out of stock come out at the time of writing.

It deserves to be an election issue, as following the 2012 review of energy security, more perspicacious politicians would have insisted that there be storage of at least 10 days supply in Auckland, to cover repair or maintenance of the pipeline. Tony Waring, Grey Lynn. I trust the Herald will correct the misleading headline on yesterday’s front page. The fuel pipeline in question at the moment has nothing at all to do with the Government. It is not owned by the Government so why would the issues affect National in any way? The Government is, in fact, doing everything it possibly can to help travellers out so why wouldn’t that be the headline?

Janet Boyle, Stanmore Bay.

Pipeline solutions

I’m sure we will get through this situation okay, although perhaps some doubt is now raised about our reputation as a tourist destination. For me this confirms this Government is more about today than tomorrow, although I do agree this isn’t the Government’s doing or direct fault.

Another pipeline may be hard to justify. Perhaps this does justify a better rail link to the North from Wiri or a coastal tanker wharf in the Manukau.

Kelly Keogh, Henderson.

Tell Peters

There can be no better example of why the Auckland port should not be moved to Whangarei than the pipeline crisis. Can someone now explain to Winston Peters that New Zealand is geologically very young and the possibilities of a catastrophe occurring in Northland similar to what occurred in Kaikoura is real, be it caused by earthquake, volcanic eruption or cyclone.

Bruce Anderson, Milford.

Neglected line

The present and previous two National governments have made no effort whatsoever to upgrade the Northland rail line and bring it back into full operation. In fact they have shown very little interest in Northland, particularly its transport. If there had been a fully operational rail link to Marsden Point and to the rest of the Far North, fuel supplies could have been sent by rail tanker wagons to the yards at Wiri and then on to the airport. This would have helped the aviation industry. It would also have kept the transport of logs off our Northland roads and on rail where they should be. Les Rockel, Kerikeri.

Held up and sprayed

The self-important vandals who stopped an Auckland train and defaced it on Sunday are not brave artists nor “outcasts”. If they were, they would not hide behind masks nor have smartphones. They and their supporters are hypocrites and cowards who live in insular bubbles of social media and selfentitlement and obviously do not pay rates or possibly taxes, but, like all who claim to be anti-capitalist or whatever the latest bandwagon is, they have no qualms about spending money which they have not earned themselves.

Fiona Allen, Papatoetoe.

Disturbing elements

The graffiti attack on a suburban train at Auckland’s Baldwin Ave station is a serious concern for Auckland Transport security. These people made a well planned attack, choosing an isolated station and knowing how to disable the train. It is basically a terrorist attack on a train with passengers being terrorised.

Where were emergency services and AT during the 10 minutes of the attack?

The perpetrators need to be severely punished to stop recurrences and Auckland Transport needs to fence the railway, have barriers on stations and have a better emergency procedure.

John Horner, Mount Albert.

Tough luck

Setting up a Givealittle page for Block contestants is a disgrace. There are so many truly worthy causes to donate to but we are being asked to give to people who took a punt on a game show and lost. They thought they were going to make a packet as in previous years and didn’t. It’s a sign of what’s happening in the Auckland property market.

Christine Scott, St John’s. Jacinda Ardern says very few farmers in the region (Piako-Waikato I presume) use irrigation, so would not be impacted by a water tax. Really? I thought the water tax was to fund a clean-up of water pollution mainly from dairy. So as a vegetable grower who irrigates I will be expected to pay, whilst a 150-acre dairy support block next door will not because they don’t irrigate. That’s not “polluter pays” to me. Maybe it’s not really to do with improving water quality after all.

Wayne Carter, RD Pukekohe.

Urban v rural

Consider the major difference between rural and urban. City poor have trouble affording humane shelter, enough food, without secure employment. Without government support they would be in desperate straits — it’s hard to grow much food in an apartment or a patchwork piece of land, and certainly not in a car or on a Queen St pavement.

Rural farmers have enough land for options of milk, butter, cheese, meat, fruit, vegetables, wool, wheat for bread. In times of flooding or drought the Government supports them. They receive many subsidies, they are not in any dire straits. Only by over-reaching on land-grabbing and speculative investment do they risk losing that obvious advantage and their land.

They attacked Clark and now another woman leader for expecting them to work with other New Zealanders for the betterment of New Zealand instead of just their back pockets? Taxpayers are paying for farmers already. Now farmers want them to pay twice. Unfair.

J. Spencer, RD Pukekohe.

City cleaning water

Some readers seem to think Aucklanders don’t pay for water and are not doing anything to reduce pollution of our urban waterway. I’ve just paid more than $35,000 for a septic system for a threebedroom house on Waiheke Island.

The following is copied from Watercare’s asset management plan for Auckland’s water distribution and management. “A total of $4.9 billion of capital expenditure is forecast for the next 10 years. This comprises of $1.9b in water infrastructure assets, $2.8b in wastewater infrastructure assets with the remaining $0.2b for shared services. Forty six per cent of the investment is to service expected growth, 44 per cent for the renewal of existing assets . . . and 10 per cent to improve the levels of service and operational efficiency.”

It seems that Aucklanders might be doing their bit, as are many residential ratepayers outside of Auckland. What cannot be denied is that the quality of our waterways is not where we as a country expect them to be and that something more than talk needs to be done about it, in both urban and provincial areas.

Jon Eriksen, Newmarket.

Maori Party

Is the Maori Party really going to have Dr Lance O’Sullivan stand for them in the 2020 elections, knowing he would dictate to New Zealanders not only what treatments their children receive but what films they choose to watch? If so, its expressed concern over the threatening behaviour of one of its present candidates has a hollow ring. Tricia Cheel, Browns Bay. We have to pay top dollar for our milk, butter and cheese because of the overseas price farmers receive for the products. Yet when we have too much sun or rain and the farmers have problems feeding the cows they have over-stocked on farms to maximise profits, they don’t go overseas for help. They come to the New Zealand taxpayer. Hardly fair.

Murray Trainer, Maketu.

Seymour not safe

Most polls and election forecasts imply it’s a done deal that Act will be in Parliament. I’m not so sure. In the last election David Seymour beat Paul Goldsmith by only 4250 votes. The Labour candidate received 3470 votes, the Green candidate 3021 and the NZ First candidate 621 votes. If 60 per cent of these votes went to Paul Goldsmith instead of them being wasted on candidates who didn’t stand a chance in a National seat anyway, Act would not have been in Parliament. Let’s wait and see what Epsom voters do this time.

Connor McMahon, Orewa.